Portal will link cities, businesses

As the business-to-government market continues to grow, one company is hoping

to separate itself from the competition by giving the private sector access

to hundreds of cities while offering auctions and procurement capabilities

to local governments.

ECitydeals facilitates transactions between city governments and private

entities. The Los Angeles-based company generates revenue through transaction

fees, advertising and sponsorships, economic development services and consulting

fees, said chief executive officer Larry Kosmont.

"We're the online business portal for cities and the private sector

to get together and do transactions easily by getting rid of all the bureaucracy

and paperwork," Kosmont said. "We're the only one that's really focusing

on B2G for local government and not on state and federal."

ECitydeals enables cities to conduct online auctions, purchase goods and

services, post competitive public works bids, trade taxes with other cities

and advertise job opportunities.

Kosmont said more than 600 cities have expressed interest since the

company's launch in April, and it has already conducted auctions for cities

in California, Maryland and Virginia.

Newport News, Va., auctioned nine items online — including four school

buses, two motorcycles and a van — for a total of more than $31,000, he

said.

"ECitydeals is a full-service portal for economic development, procurement

and auctions, and allows cities to use the Internet for a variety of transactions,"

he said.

The company has conducted online auctions, but its procurement features

are in beta testing and will be rolled out during the next few months.