Accenture has agreed to acquire the sourcing and business process outsourcing (BPO) assets of Ariba, Inc. The deal calls for the global management consultancy to take on Ariba's category, sourcing process and strategic execution sourcing resources. An estimated 160 Ariba employees will join Accenture upon conclusion of the transaction, which is expected to close by the end of December. The purchase price is $51m. Accenture expects to extend its category expertise and sourcing databases, benchmarks and technologies with the acquisition, according to Mike Salvino, group chief executive for BPO. Ariba will retain its sourcing technology, along with the resources within its Global Services organization that are dedicated to software implementation. It will continue to provide customers with services related to the use of its systems. Accenture offers global management consulting, technology and outsourcing services, with a staff of approximately 204,000 serving clients in more than 120 countries.
