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CPO ARENA
Service Provider Synopsis
Real Sourcing Network (RSN)
Season 1, Episode 2
(Air Date: December 3rd, 2020)
CPO ARENA © 2020  819-230-2131  JON@PIMEDIA1.COM

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ABSTRACT
Coming before a global panel of 5 CPOs – Industry Experts all, service providers are invited to
present their offering within the framework of the following format:
Show Format
1. In the first 5 minutes, the provider will tell the panel about their company, procurement
technology, and their unique value proposition.
2. In the next 7 to 8 minutes, they will demonstrate a unique feature from their technology
platform that they believe is a differentiator in the marketplace.
3. In the final 10 minutes, the panel will ask the provider questions based on what they have
heard and seen.
4. In the closing 5 minutes, the panel will provide the provider with their preliminary feedback.
The document you are about to read is a synopsis of the panel’s observations regarding the
provider’s solution offering from the standpoint of functionality and potential areas of both
benefit and improvement.

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THE SOLUTION PROVIDER
The Provider: Real Sourcing Network (RSN)
What is already out there
Originally founded by “three seasoned executives from the print, paper, and technology,” industry Real
Sourcing Network or RSN is a procurement technology and services company with a “bold and
audacious mission” to change the way companies buy printing and marketing materials.
Citing challenges due to a "fragmented" supply base, unpredictable demand, and low dollar purchasing
volumes, the provider contends that general-purpose procure-to-pay solutions "do not work well for
these spend categories." The result is a continuing dependence on outdated "manual tools," such as
email, spreadsheets, and telephone calls.
The RSN solution – which in 2019 processed 89,000 plus purchases totaling $88 million, addresses
these challenges with a platform that responds to the "unique demands of print and marketing
services."
What you may not know
With the emergence of the online economy, there is a belief that print media is in decline, at least
regarding its influence and relevance. Given the steady and very public decline of newspapers, a
spillover into, for example, print advertising is understandable. However, are such assessments
accurate?
While it is no surprise that “advertisements influence 90% of consumers to make a purchase,” what
may be a surprise to many is that after television, print advertising is the second most powerful
purchasing influencer – even ahead of online advertising and social media.
Of course, print spend encompasses more than advertising, with the three fastest-growing segments
in the print space being packaging, labels, and direct mail.
That said, and in combination, the above explains why annual print spend is increasing year-over-year.
For example, and according to the numbers provided by RSN’s CEO Sandy Kane, global print spending
grew from $820.4 billion in 2018 to $826.5 billion in 2019. While the increase in the United States was
not as dramatic, there was still an increase from $199.4 billion in 2018 to $199.6 billion in 2019.
Suffice to say, the reports of print’s death are greatly exaggerated – or at least, overestimated.

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Solution
What is already out there
RSN’s solution, which is available as either a self-service or managed service (buying desk) solution,
can be implemented and fully operational within three to five days or on an immediate basis,
respectively. Note that the managed service solution is for organizations spending less than $1 million
per year.
Citing several successful client case references such as Wolverine Worldwide, the platform enables
an organization to move beyond a single source capability to engage an expanded supply base
delivering cost savings of 14% to 22%. Beyond the savings, gaining access to a more extensive
supply network provides companies with access to newer and more innovative print technologies.
Perhaps one of the most significant benefits of the
technology is visibility into spend.
According to RSN's Sarah Scudder, a lack of data
means that most organizations do not have an
accurate picture of their print expenditures and as a
result, usually underestimate their costs in this area.
The RSN solution addresses this lack of visibility through a simple, and user-intuitive interface
providing seamless and timely access to needed data.
From a supplier perspective, being alleviated of the burden of having to deal with “massive numbers
of emails” and inputting data into spreadsheets makes responding to bid requests easier with less
likelihood of errors. The convenience of the platform ensures a higher level of supplier participation
for all bids.
What you may not know
Security: The RSN “Sourceit” solution is hosted on Microsoft Azure which provides the highest level
of security to help ensure all client data and information is secure. In addition to being on the Azure
platform, all data is "encrypted" during the entire transit process, all user and supplier access is
password-protected, and RSN provides complete auditability throughout each step of the interaction
within the tool.
Built-In Templates: The solution has over 110 backend built-in templates. Dependent on the type of
print job the buyer selects, the corresponding template is provided with the related industry
knowledge to ensure the buyer has all of the information to not only streamline the process but lead
to best-value decision-making.

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Health Score: The platform provides a supplier health score based on four key KPIs which enables
buyers to make better purchasing decisions. (Note: While the Health Score component is a useful
feature with significant benefits, it would be worthwhile to know the specific KPIs as well as how and
if the health score is updated on a real-time basis, e.g., through the utilization of advanced
algorithms.)
Third-Party Integration: The RSN solution uses an open API to push data through to third party
systems to generate purchase orders, as well as to access alternative supplier networks such as
Ariba on a push-pull basis.
No-Cost Supplier Participation: Suppliers do not pay any fees to register on the RSN managed-service
platform.
Rate Card or Should Cost Feature: You can access collective, historical data to ascertain the estimated
cost for a print job through the platform's Rate Card feature to get budget approval before going out
to bid.
Pilot Program: Before signing a multi-year licensing contract, prospective clients can run a pilot
program ranging from a couple of events to a 3-month trial.

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CPO ARENA PANEL ASSESSMENT
Michael Cadieux: A lot of people think print is dead, but it is not. Given the
ability to “proof on concept” it and the fact that you can plug it in and generate
savings, I put this in the “no brainer” category.
Quotable Soundbite: "I have a very small list of things that I put into my no
brainer bucket, and this is definitely one of them."
Canda Rozier: The scope and depth of the functionality is terrific a managed
service and subscription base offering opens up both ends of the market. I
love the proof of concept as well—is there any consideration regarding the
potential use of the solution outside of the print category.
Quotable Soundbite: "Michael has already said a lot of the things I was going to
say."
Hervé Legenvre: Here in Europe the competition is different than the U.S., but
anything that helps to deploy a solution that ensures everyone is on board
across the organization is essential. The possibility to easily bring in local
suppliers so that people will not simply use the phone to call the supplier next
door is also beneficial.
Quotable Soundbite: "I was positively impressed by the tool."
Joseph Yacura: I think the panel has done a great job of assessing the
strength – there are no weaknesses in the business model or tool. I also
believe that the awareness of this solution will force people to go back into
their organization to ask the question “what do we really spend on print.
Quotable Soundbite: “It looks like a great tool – well designed.”

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Cheryl Hayes: Print is definitely not dying; it is evolving - I like how they take
into account diversity and environmental factors to offer a service that aligns
with these emerging realities.
Quotable Soundbite: ”Savings of 10, 15, 30, 40 percent is music to any CPOs
ears – it is all that we live for it is our job.”

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CONCLUSION
Overall, our panel of CPOs gave the Real Sourcing Network (RSN) solution a positive review, with a
unanimous “worthy of a look” recommendation.
If you would like to learn more about RSN or, would like to schedule a full demonstration of their
solution, visit their website at https://rsnetwork.com/
(NOTE: Refer to Next Page for additional Information on the company and its solution)

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COMPANY DETAILS
Company location: 1350 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor, New York NY 10019
Company legal structure: LLC
Company creation date: 2018
Number of employees: -10
Software code base: C++
Software hosting platform: Microsoft Azure
License terms: standard client contract is 3 years; billing is based on the number of users (5 user
minimum); we also offer a Managed Print Services Solution; 1 min 35 second video of our 2 print
sourcing offerings
Free trial: yes
Funding round: self-funded
Languages available: English
Geographic region served: global
Data Security: Sourceit is accessed via https only (secure sockets) from a single web service hosted
within the secure Microsoft Azure environment.
Our network security architecture consists of multiple security zones with more sensitive information
such as passwords, assets, customer data and artwork encrypted.
All data moving from buyer to supplier is encrypted.
Access by all users (buyers and suppliers) is via email and unique password.
All data is backed up and stored at an alternate Azure site.
Extensive testing and audits are conducted, and we have enabled Microsoft’s Antimalware security
systems.

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THE CPO ARENA
If you are a service provider and would like to inquire about being on the CPO ARENA show contact
Jon Hansen via email at jon@pimedia1.com or by phone at (819) 230-2131
Check out the following links to learn more about The CPO ARENA show and our panelists:
SHOW PAGE: https://procureinsights.com/media-room/
YouTube CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/user/piblogger/featured