John Seidel To Lead The Buyers Alliance Business For BLI

As part of its on-going effort to expand its consumer business services, Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI) is pleased to announce the appointment of John Seidel as managing director of the company’s Buyers Alliance (BA) division. An industry expert with more than 20 years of experience in the document management and outsourcing industries, John has held various senior level positions in which he specialized in assisting clients with the procurement of large copier and MFP fleets and facilities management (FM) services. John has personally managed RFP processes in the industry wherein the client expenditure was in excess of $24 million during the life of the contract, and from the vendor side he has been involved in preparing RFP responses for similar bidding situations. He is uniquely qualified to not only position the client to obtain the most competitive contract available, but to also offer insight into the various vendors' processes and best offerings in terms of pricing, performance levels and contractual terms and conditions. In addition, John has held high-level positions with such companies as Global Imaging Systems (Xerox), IKON, Canon USA and Konica Minolta Business Solutions, as well as with Ricoh distributors; and he has direct experience with each company’s “best deals.” He also has extensive experience in the FM industry and is well versed in the analysis and procurement process for large FM transactions. As John has negotiated directly on the client’s behalf with the major vendors in the industry, he has in-depth knowledge of the best available contractual terms and conditions. His prior management positions on the vendor side also provide the client with insight into the vendors' various contract negotiation stances. John is well respected within the industry and has also been called upon for speaking engagements and industry seminars, and he has written articles for various publications.

The Buyers Alliance
As office equipment and FM services become increasingly integrated with network and software solutions, acquiring document imaging devices and services has become more challenging and time consuming. For years, BLI’s Buyers Alliance division has helped all types of buyers make better decisions. With a unique team of technical, product and outsourcing (FM) experts, bolstered by a wealth of proprietary testing results, The Buyers Alliance will position clients to secure world class technology, services and contractual terms and conditions. There is also the potential for substantial savings. With The BA’s extensive experience in the office products and FM industry, buyers are assured of getting sound, unbiased procurement advice, comprehensive customized RFPs and unmatched negotiating leverage. As no two projects are alike, The Buyers Alliance is committed to creating a proposal that best fits each client’s specific needs and budget. As John Seidel, the new Buyers Alliance managing director stated, "Buyers Lab has been recognized for almost 50 years as the technology expert and leading consumer advocate in the industry. The Buyers Alliance is our way of getting even closer to the client to be certain that they are receiving the best possible technology, operational efficiencies, pricing and terms and conditions. At the end of the day, the buyer is absolutely certain that they have obtained the best possible technology and services at the best price. A typical client might do an evaluation or manage an RFP process for these products and services once every three to five years. We usually have several per month. This type of day-in and day-out experience is critical when dealing with vendors." The Buyers Alliance offers a variety of services to assist buyers in the benchmarking and procurement process, including:

• RFP assistance—document imaging devices
• RFP assistance—FM agreements
• Digital output studies
• Operational best practices analysis
• Technology reviews
• Consumable supplies cost analysis
• Contract implementation assistance
• Invoice auditing services
• Vendor contract dispute resolution assistance

For more information about The Buyers Alliance, please visit BLI’s website at www.buyerslab.com, email info@buyerslab.com or call 201-488-0404 ext. 81.

About Buyers Laboratory

For 47 years, Buyers Lab has been the leading independent office-equipment testing lab and business consumer advocate. In addition to publishing the industry's most comprehensive and accurate test reports on office document imaging devices, each representing months of exhaustive hands-on testing in BLI's US and UK laboratories, the company has been the leading source for extensive databases of specifications and pricing on copiers, printers, fax machines and multifunctional products. The company's databases cover 10,000 products and have a long-standing reputation for being the industry's most trustworthy and complete source for global competitive intelligence. They are available to BLI subscribers online via the company's bliQ competitive information service. This encyclopedic resource also provides quick and easy access to BLI's First Look Reports, Field Test Reports, Lab Test Reports, Solutions Reports, and BLI-produced articles. In addition to the testing of office equipment for its subscribers, Buyers Lab provides consulting services to buyers and a vast array of confidential for-hire private testing services that include document imaging device beta and pre-launch testing, performance certification testing, consumables testing (such as toner, ink and photoconductors), software and solutions and print media testing (including virgin and recycled papers). For more information on Buyers Laboratory, please visit www.buyerslab.com, call (201) 488-0404 or e-mail info@buyerslab.com.