Proctor & Gamble has posted requests for commodity quotes(RFQs) for about 28.7 Bcf over the next year starting July 1 on anew e-commerce website, Energygateway.com, which lays claim tobeing the biggest and best transaction site for industrial energycustomers, utilities and producers. But you better get your bids insoon; the deadline is June 15.

Energygateway.com, based in Columbus, OH, announced the P&Gposting Monday, saying the nationwide e-commerce initiative isvalued at $100,000,000. Potential suppliers can participate byapplying for membership at www.energygateway.com. Procter &Gamble has requested bids on packages at 17 locations nationwide.

Mark Jergens, Energygateway.com chairman and co-founder, saidthe system, which was created in September 1999, “allowssignificant entities to post buy/sell proposals at an infinitenumber of points, making either private or public postings, andsettling by direct contract.” The site’s strong points are itsindependence – it does not engage in energy trading – and the factthat customers can post individually-customized transactions. “It’sthe only site where you can actually buy natural gas anywhere.”

Jergens formerly served as director of marketing for ClintonEnergy Management Services, an Enron Corp. subsidiary. The otherco-founder of EnergyGateway.com is F. Daniel Ryan, who had beenfounder and president of Clinton Gas Systems before it was sold toEnron in 1996.

Jergens said the approximately 30 suppliers, which have beensuccessfully using the system, are “mostly regional niche players.”Major traders “have been stubbornly refusing to participate on anindependent system. They all want to start one of their own and arefocusing on self-development.”

Would-be participants must sign onto the system as members. Themembership fee for providers, which buy and sell energy, rangesfrom $500 to $1,500 a month, depending on whether they are dealingin a niche, regional or nationwide market. The membership fee iswaived for the first six months for new sign-ups. There also is atransaction fee of $0.0025 per MMBtu which is charged to theProvider – the selling party – in each transaction based on postedvolumes. A transaction fee of $0.0005 per MMBtu is charged toproviders in each transaction where the provider is the buyingparty, based on posted volumes.

Jergens said PPG and International Paper have also have used thesite, which offers services for both large customers and smallercommercial and residential customers.

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