BV provides online verification for marine procurement marketplace

NOVEMBER 28, 2018 — Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore has introduced online third party verification services in partnership with Ahrenberg, Germany, headquartered Bluester GmbH, which styles itself as [bluester]. The verification services will be provided by the Assurance Solutions’ team, one of the four service lines delivered by BV Solutions M&O.

Founded in December 2016, Bluester GmbH offers digital solutions and online applications to optimize supply chain processes concerned with technical and professional maritime support services. The main online application provided to maritime professionals is the [bluester] marketplace. Others include the BWTS Finder and the RFQ Generator.

“The [bluester] marketplace covers the full range of maritime procurement requirements,” says Bluester CEO Christoph Kiese,” and enables buyers and suppliers to transact through a common interface using a set of streamlined processes. Ship managers and service providers automatically, impartially, and transparently match against their own predefined criteria for direct contract conclusion on the platform. The addition of online desktop verification by Bureau Veritas adds considerably to our marketplace, increasing confidence and reducing the time and cost of transactions.”

With the new desktop verification service, buyers will be reassured of the reliability of the service supplier information displayed on [bluester] for every new enquiry. For suppliers, it will enable them to display a digital label demonstrating that their information has been verified by Bureau Veritas Assurance Solutions.

Suppliers apply online for a verification check of the accreditation documentation which has been uploaded in the certificate manager area on [bluester]. Between 24 and 48 hours from a request being made, Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore will have provided a professional and expert check of the supplier’s documentation to confirm the supplier self-declarations. The supplier will then be provided with a digital ‘label’ demonstrating that verification has been successfully concluded. Examples of documentation required to enable desktop verification include QHSE management certification, classification society approvals, flag state recognition, and manufacturer recognition.

“Desktop verification was the logical next step in our co-operation,” says Matthieu de-Tugny, COO Marine & Offshore at Bureau Veritas. “Suppliers will now only need to go through the verification process once. BV’s ability to check the accuracy and reliability of suppliers’ data provides real process efficiency.”

“Through the cooperation with Bureau Veritas, market participants can now rely on the commercial and legal information shared by buyers and suppliers,” says Kiese. “This significantly adds value to the allocation process of the entire industry, and combined with the highly secure user ranking, we feel we have a very powerful online platform that is beneficial for all ship managers and service providers.”