Birch Street Support:

(949) 567-7030
support@birchstreet.net

A - The minimum System Requirements to run v7 are:

• Standard PC, keyboard, mouse & monitor
• Processor: At least Pentium III - 500 MGZ (800+ preferred)
• RAM: At least 128 MB (256 MB preferred)
• Internet Access: DSL, Cable Modem or T1 preferred
• Screen Resolution: 1024x768

Q - Is PurchasePro out of business?

A – PurchasePro is in the process of merging with Perfect Commerce and will continue to meet its current obligations to its buyers and suppliers.  The below is an excerpt of a recent PurchasePro press release:

Richard L. Clemmer, PurchasePro's president and chief executive officer, said, ``The cost of doing business as a public company has increased significantly over the past year. After reviewing many of the options available, as well as the opportunity presented by Perfect Commerce, PurchasePro concluded that the terms of the acquisition and subsequent filing were necessary to preserve the assets and values of PurchasePro's business and to protect the interest of the company.''

Mr. Clemmer pointed out that, ``Perfect Commerce's backing from major investors including some of the world's premiere venture capitalists should give our current and prospective customers confidence that our solution and platform will continue to be available. We are looking forward to completing the transaction with Perfect Commerce and the benefits it will bring to the key constituencies of PurchasePro, including the assurance of continued service and support to current PurchasePro customers.''

In Chapter 11, PurchasePro will continue operating as the ``debtor-in-possession.'' Daily operations will continue as usual with our offices remaining open and performing transactions in the ordinary course of business, just as it did prior to our filing.

``As far as the company's customers are concerned, we will continue to provide them with world-class quality software and services delivered on schedule. As for our employees, the majority should notice little or no difference in their jobs,'' said Mr. Clemmer.

Q - Who is Birch Street Systems, Inc. and why have they been selected by Hilton?

A – Birch Street Systems, Inc. was originally contracted by PurchasePro to develop its next generation of e-Procurement software.  PurchasePro was unable to complete the initiative and Hilton elected to partner with Birch Street to complete the development of the software in order to meet our current and future needs.  The new software was built using J4 Technology, an Internet Application Development platform, and has been specifically developed to meet the requirements of Hilton’s suppliers and hotels.  Launched in 1998 to Develop & Market B2B E-Commerce Solutions, Birch Street is a division of Sagence Systems, a privately held company based in Newport Beach, California.

Q - Why is it necessary for my company to potentially access PurchasePro's system in addition to the new e-Procurement system hosted by Birch Street?

A - Hilton Supply Management HSM is launching its new e-Procurement solution in phases and expects to complete the transition between February and March of this year.  In the interim, selected geographic markets will need to continue the use of the PurchasePro system, while other geographic markets are transitioned to the new system.   As many suppliers are represented who provide a wide range of goods and services in both regionally defined markets as well as national coverage, HSM will individually communicate to each supplier when it is no longer necessary to maintain accounts both systems.  This issue is not applicable to suppliers who are new to Hilton's e-Procurement marketplace.

Q - Will the relationship between our companies change when we start using the new e-Procurement system?

A - Our relationship with our suppliers will remain unchanged.  Hilton's new e-Procurement system is simply an enabling tool designed to automate certain processes and drive efficiencies for all participants. HSM will continue to actively manage our relationship with your company, and no amount of technology enhancements will change our fundamental values, core competencies, or approach to conducting business.

Q - What is the cost to my company for the new software application?

A - There is virtually no cost to our suppliers.  As long as you have a Web Browser (Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher) and an existing computer desktop there are no additional software or hardware requirements.  Hilton Supply Management has assumed the cost to develop and implement the new system.

Q – What are the major differences between the old and new system?

A - Below are just a few of the enhanced features with Hilton's new e-Procurement system:

•  More intuitive, easier navigation, and enhanced system performance (speed)

• All catalog maintenance processes imbedded within the application.  Separate Catalog Maintenance Utility (CMU) no longer needed.

• Additional product data attributes supported and displayed

• Enhanced supplier reporting

• Supports multiple product image sizes

• Ability to customize the application to fit various system user's needs

•  “Administrative Leverage” is a Category of Features Designed to Minimize the Administrative Burden for Large Scale Deployments:

·         Powerful Customization Capabilities

·         Flexible User Access Rules and Maintenance Features

·         Open Architecture for Faster Integration

·         Intelligent Catalog Features to Lessen Supplier and Buyer Admin

·         Flexible Business Rules

Q - What additional training will be available?

A - There will be an on-line Tutorial, Contact Sensitive Help features, Supplier FAQ sheets, as well as a Printer Friendly User Manual.  Suppliers can also contact Birch Street Customer Support at (949) 567-7030 or via e-mail at

     support@birchstreet.net with any additional questions or concerns you may have.  The Supplier Tutorial is available at v7_tutorials_launch_page.htm.

 Q - How do we gain access to Hilton's new e-Procurement system?

A - Hilton Supply Management will provide all suppliers with an individual and unique Login ID and Generic Password.   All suppliers will be prompted to change their password when they logon to the system for the first time.

Q - Who do we contact with additional questions or support issues?

A - You may contact Birch Street Customer Support via at (949) 567-7030 or support@birchstreet.net.  HSM is always available should you have specific issues that are best addressed with our offices.  Additionally, Birch Street will also escalate to our attention any issue(s) that requires a direct response or intervention from HSM.  In the near future, we will also have an interactive on-line help feature that will allow you to post questions directly within the software application.

Q – How often do I need to update my products?

A – Suppliers may update their products for as often as the existing contractual relationship between Hilton and the supplier provides.  For example, if you supply fresh commodity items such as liquid and frozen dairy, meat, poultry, seafood, and produce, typically you may need to update your pricing on a weekly basis.  If you are supplying our hotels with fluid or frozen dairy and/or dry or frozen grocery products, you may need to update your pricing on a monthly basis.  Additionally, a beverage supplier may currently provide products that require weekly price updates for a select group of products and monthly updates for others. There are suppliers who have existing Hilton contracts in place with static pricing for one or more years, i.e. FF&E, MRO and OS&E product suppliers.  To summarize, the system has the built in flexibility to support all existing contractual relationships between Hilton and its supplier community.  All suppliers will be given ample opportunity to update their pricing, where applicable, prior to Hilton's transition to the new e-Procurement system.

Q - Do I need to "offer" my catalog content to Hilton buyers and hotels?

A - Suppliers will no longer need to "offer" their catalog content to our hotels or system users.  HSM will manage the exposure of your company's information and catalog content and ensure your products are available to our hotels.

Q – Will I be able to see other supplier's information, or will other suppliers be able to access mine?

A – Suppliers can only gain access to, view, and manage their own content.  Suppliers will never have access to other suppliers’ information within the Hilton marketplace.

Q – How will hotels transmit their Purchase Orders to my company?

A – Hotels will generate Purchase Orders within Hilton's new e-Procurement system.  The purchase order is then electronically routed to the supplier's Birch Street account unless HSM takes “title” to the transaction.  In these cases, typically for Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) supplier orders, the purchase order is instead routed to  HSM’s account.  Suppliers go on-line and access transmitted purchase orders within their respective Birch Street accounts.  Each supplier must “Accept” the order and then execute the transactions based on the existing terms of the Purchase Order. 

Suppliers that do not have access to the Internet may elect to have the e-Procurement system fax the Purchase Order to their company location.  This process must be previously agreed upon by all parties and will not be available to the majority of our suppliers. 

Suppliers who receive hotel purchase orders via facsimile will NOT have the ability to electronically “Accept or Reject” submitted purchase orders.  Additionally, these suppliers will not be in a position to take full advantage of existing and future planned system efficiencies with respect to the automation of the following processes: 1) Change Orders, 2) Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA), 3) Advance Shipping Notification, 4) Fulfillment/ Settlement (electronic Invoicing) options and 5) System generated reports.

Q - Can I add multiple prices to the same item for different properties / regions / etc.?

A - Yes. Contact HSM (Hilton_supply_management@hilton.com) if this situation applies
to you.

Q - How does a Supplier know which hotels see their catalogs?

A - A catalog exposure report for suppliers is currently in the planning stages. No
date is currently set for delivering this report.

Q - How will hotels transmit their Purchase Orders to my company?

A - Hotels will generate Purchase Orders within Hilton's new e-Procurement system. The purchase order is then electronically routed to the supplier's Birch Street account
unless HSM takes title to the transaction. In these cases, typically for Original
Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) supplier orders, the purchase order is instead routed
to HSM’s account. Suppliers go on-line and access transmitted purchase orders within
their respective Birch Street accounts. Each supplier must Accept the order and
then execute the transactions based on the existing terms of the Purchase Order.

Suppliers that do not have access to the Internet may elect to have the e-Procurement
system fax the Purchase Order to their company location. This process must be previously agreed upon by all parties and will not be available to the majority of our suppliers.

Suppliers who receive hotel purchase orders via facsimile will NOT have the ability
to electronically Accept or Reject submitted purchase orders. Additionally, these
suppliers will not be in a position to take full advantage of existing and future
planned system efficiencies with respect to the automation of the following processes:

1. Change Orders, 

2. Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA), 

3. Advance Shipping Notification, 

4. Fulfillment/ Settlement (electronic Invoicing) options, and 

5. System generated reports. 

Q - Is the UOM list individual to each supplier or universal for all suppliers?

A - The list of available UOM codes is universal for all suppliers. If there are UOM
codes that are not available that you would like to see added to the list, contact
HSM directly for consideration.

Q - Should a supplier reject a PO if the amount of the Freight to be added to the invoice is different than that listed on the Purchase Order?

A - No.

Q - If a supplier is updating his catalog via the export/import process and wants to add 2 price updates for the same item (different price effective dates), can he do this by making a copy of the record and inserting a separate price/price effective date combo on each line?

A - Yes.

Q - What is the cost to my company for the new software application?

A - There is virtually no cost to our suppliers. As long as you have a Web Browser (Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher) and an existing computer desktop there are no additional software or hardware requirements. Hilton Supply Management has assumed the cost to develop and implement the new system

Q - When and what Supplier Reports will be available?

A - The Supplier PO Report will be available by the middle of March. Initially, this
will be the only supplier report available.

Q - Can Suppliers enter generic information regarding rules, which they would like buyers to follow when placing orders with them (i.e. If they only accept orders Mon-Thurs)?

A - Not currently. This feature is being considered but no time line for its addition
has been determined.

Q -When Will Item Price Break functionality become active?

A - This functionality is CURRENTLY active. Price Breaks can be added for any item on the product maintenance screen, Price Break Tab. Additionally, up to 2 price breaks can be entered on the worksheet to be imported for each item. 

Q - Will I be able to see other supplier's information, or will other suppliers be able to access mine?

A - Suppliers can only gain access to view and manage their own content. Suppliers will
never have access to other suppliers’ information within the Hilton marketplace.

Q - Will the import process work correctly if text fields within the worksheet contain commas since the file is being saved as a CSV (comma delimited) file type?

A - Yes. Excel accounts for this possibility and encases text strings with double quotes.
This tells the import routine to ignore any commas within the quotes.

Q - How do we update Supplier Contact Info for Catalog Search by Supplier? 

A - The eProcurement system maintains separate contact information for Catalogs and Purchase Orders. Catalog Contact Information is displayed on the results tab from a Buyer’s Catalog Search by Supplier. The ONLY method for updating this Catalog Contact Information is via the Location screen. (Supplier Contact information included on Purchase Orders is maintained by the contact person via his/her My Settings Screen.) 

To Edit the Catalog Contact Information follow these directions:

1. Un-Check the Hide Menu checkbox in the Logo Panel of the Front Page.

2. Select Company Level Maintenance -> Location. 

3. Load the “Main Location” record in the Navigation List by clicking on it once. 

4. Edit the relevant data under the Contact section of the Location tab.

5. Click “Save”. 

Q - Can the supplier effect how his items are sorted within the catalog?

A - No. Items will always sort by Item Number.

Q - Can you enter Item Pictures in the Import Routine?

A - You can not enter the actual Pictures for direct import in the Excel Worksheet. 
Copy the jpg files to a CD and mail to : 

Birch Street Systems, 
3737 Birch Street #200, 
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Attaching an image to an item is a two step process.

1. Send the actual image to Birch Street Systems.

2. Associate the image name to the catalog item in one of two ways:

• There is a column in the export/import template called Image Name where you will be able to enter the name of the jpg file (i.e. picture.jpg) for that item. Or,

• Update the item in the Setup Individual Items Within a Catalog link.

Images will not be immediately available for viewing. When the actual image file is loaded and the image name is linked to the item, the information will be processed by the following day.

Q - Do I need to offer my catalog content to Hilton buyers and hotels?

A - Suppliers will no longer need to offer their catalog content to our hotels or system
users. HSM will manage the exposure of your company's information and catalog content and ensure your products are available to our hotels.

Q - Do we have any future plans to accept file types other than csv for the import process?

A - No. We do not have any future plans to accept file types other than csv for the
import process.

Q - Do you plan to provide Terms Based Price Breaks (i.e. Item Price Discounts based on Payment Terms)?

A - No. There are no current plans to add this functionality into the product. 

Q - How are Discontinued Items (Items with a Product Expiration Date prior to today) displayed in the Catalog?

A - Discontinued Items are not visible in either a buyer or supplier’s view of the Catalog.
The item is available for product maintenance for the supplier via the Main Menu
/ v7 Procurement / Setup Individual Items Within a Catalog link. 

Q - How do I make an item active again, after I have previously entered a Product Expiration Date for the item in the system?

A - A product can be reactivated in one of two ways: 

1. By removing the expiration date from within the application. The item is available
   for product maintenance for the supplier via the Main Menu / v7 Procurement / Setup Individual Items Within a Catalog link.

2. Using an Excel Import Template. Enter a new Product Expiration Date well into the future. Removing the date from the worksheet will not update the field in the database with a blank value.