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Purpose -The paper seeks to pursue the understanding of current business-to-business e-procurement practices by describing the success factors and challenges to its implementation in the corporate setting. Design/methodology/approach -Members of the Institute for Supply Management and the Council of Logistics Management were asked to respond to a survey questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to analyze data from valid responses received from 185 firms. Findings -Factor analysis resulted in three e-procurement success factors (SF):supplier and contract management; end-user behavior and e-procurement business processes; and information and e-procurement infrastructure. Three challenge-to-implementation factors (CIF) also emerged: lack of system integration and standardization issues; immaturity of e-procurement-based market services and end-user resistance; and maverick buying and difficulty in integrating e-commerce with other systems. Research limitations/implications -A representative sampling design should be used in the future to be able to make claims for generalizable results. Practical implications -E-procurement is a very important initiative with significant cost savings potential for firms. This study's findings can guide various stages of corporate implementation efforts. Originality/value -This study fulfills the need for solid empirical findings on this very important topic that has a direct impact on a firm's bottom line. E-procurement is still in the early stages of marketplace deployment and guidance is still needed on how to do it right.

Business partnerships are a prerequisite for an effective supply chain. EDI‐enabled business partnerships are crucial in linking suppliers and customers. This paper develops congruence factors for customer‐supplier EDI partnerships. Data were collected from sixty‐four customer‐supplier dyads of firms using a questionnaire instrument. By factor analyzing thirty‐one items, six congruence factors were identified: top‐level strategic commitment, trading partner flexibility, joint partnering for EDI, readiness for high‐level EDI implementation, EDI infrastructure, and partner communication. Additional analysis revealed that customer firms placed significantly more emphasis on congruence factors than supplier firms except for “joint partnering for EDI.” These findings have implications for assessing business partnerships in the networked economy.

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