A browse on the Internet

Energy procurement services

Schlumberger, Reuters and buyENERGYonline have formed a ‘strategic alliance’ to provide pan-European internet services including one that will ‘enable business customers to save money by accessing competitive electricity and gas suppliers through on-line reverse auctions’.

The idea is to provide businesses with the systems they need to manage their energy resources as well as giving them access to the significant data about the supply of energy in their regions. Reuters will supply current information, Schlumberger the means to obtain and analyse data, and buyENERGYonline the medium. By this strategy the new alliance hopes for a significant share of the £30 billion in annual energy trading in Europe. buyENERGYonline has been trading since May, and has already auctioned £25 million worth of energy over the internet.

The new service follows closely on the heels of buyENERGYonline’s service for domestic customers arranged on similar lines and announced in November. This on is expected to be available throughout Europe from early 2001. As yet no web site address has been announced, but information is available on www.wordsun.com/rms157.

Recruiting engineers

In an enginering employment market experiencing high levels of activity, with a rising number of vacancies competing for a falling number of skilled engineers, what the aware engineer needs is a bulletin board carrying as much information as possible about vacancies that may serve incidentally to emphasise the competition for his skills. Just such a service can be found on www.justengineers.net a new site apparently 100 per cent free to candidates, that offers, in addition to the expected vacancy lists, career advice, detailed job searches email alerts and newsletters. It was launched in October and has already registered more than 80 recruitment agencies and large employers, posting in excess of 1500 vacancies.