Epylon

What Epylon does

Epylon Corporation is a privately held, founder-owned provider of eProcurement software and value-added services purpose-built for U.S. public-sector organizations, including K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, state and local government agencies, and buying cooperatives. The company was founded in 1999 in California, acquired by Accenture in August 2001, and spun off as an independent entity in August 2003; it is currently wholly owned and operated by co-founders Tim Blanton (CEO) and Kelly Blanton (Chairman). Its corporate headquarters are located at 630 San Ramon Valley Blvd., Suite 210, Danville, California, and the company has between 11 and 50 employees.

The core product, Epylon eProcurement, is a hosted online purchasing application featuring electronic requisition, approval routing, and purchase order creation, integrated with public-sector financial systems via a standards-based edgXML integration platform that supports budget checking, pre-encumbrance, encumbrance, receipt, and authorization to pay. Supporting modules include eQuote (electronic RFQ to vendors), eBid (online bidding and reverse auctions), Retriever (punch-out catalog connectivity to supplier websites), Electronic Order Delivery (cXML and XML-based PO transmission), a Vendor Portal for supplier onboarding, and a Contract and Catalog Management service for data normalization. The Epylon Supplier Marketplace aggregates more than 2,000 local and national vendors, and the company operates buying-cooperative management services — notably powering PEPPM, which serves over 1,000 public-sector agencies through CSIU.

Epylon's revenue model is anchored by annual subscription fees for the hosted eProcurement platform, priced on the basis of enrollment, average daily attendance, and general fund budget of the buying organization. Supplemental revenue comes from professional services in strategic sourcing (spend analysis, vendor negotiation, RFP issuance, contract development) and cooperative management (bid development, tabulation, evaluation, catalog and contract management, member recruitment). The company sells primarily through a direct, consultative enterprise field-sales motion with dedicated account managers, while distribution is augmented by buying-cooperative channels and the two-sided Supplier Marketplace. Documented outcomes include Minneapolis Public Schools reducing informal bid cost from $354 to $219 per PO (approximately $139,590 in annual savings) and cutting process steps from 37 to 15.

Name

Epylon

Legal name

Epylon Corporation

Website

https://epylon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Epylon provides hosted eProcurement software, strategic sourcing, and cooperative management services purpose-built for U.S. public-sector buyers — K-12, higher education, state and local government — backed by a 2,000+ vendor marketplace and financial-system integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector eProcurement Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Catalog & eProcurement Enablement (Punchout, Item Master) (BPAAAJAI)

Keywords

• Public sector procurement
• EProcurement software
• Strategic sourcing services
• Cooperative purchasing management
• Financial system integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. eProcurement Software Subscription: Annual subscription-based access to hosted Epylon eProcurement platform. Subscriptions are priced on a fiscal year basis with rates determined by enrollment, average daily attendance, and general fund budget of the buying organization. This is the primary recurring revenue stream.
2. Strategic Sourcing Services: Consulting services for spend analysis, vendor assessment and negotiation, RFP issuance, and contract development. Professional services that complement the software platform and drive long-term savings for public sector clients.
3. Cooperative Management Services: Day-to-day management services for buying cooperatives including bid development, tabulation and evaluation, technology tools (fax networks, eCommerce, eBid, eQuote), catalog and contract management, and member recruitment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Epylon provides hosted eProcurement software and value-added services — including strategic sourcing, cooperative management, financial system integration, contract and catalog management, and supplier enablement — tailored specifically for K-12 schools, higher education institutions, state and local government agencies, and public sector buying cooperatives. The platform integrates with customers' existing financial systems via a proprietary edgXML integration layer and connects buyers to the Epylon Supplier Marketplace, a network of more than 2,000 public sector-focused vendors.

Product overview

Epylon provides a unified eProcurement platform tailored specifically for public sector organizations (education and government). The core product is Epylon eProcurement, a hosted online purchasing application that works in conjunction with the Epylon Supplier Marketplace (an aggregated network of 2,000+ vendors). Key modules and features include eQuote for electronic quotations, eBid for online bidding, Retriever for punch-out catalog integration, Electronic Order Delivery for supplier order fulfillment, and a Vendor Portal for supplier management. Supporting services include Strategic Sourcing, Financial System Integration (enabling seamless data exchange with existing financial systems), Process Automation, Supplier Management, and Cooperative Management. The platform operates on a subscription model and is offered primarily to K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and state/local government agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Epylon Supplier Marketplace: An aggregated network of more than 2,000 local and national vendors providing public sector specific products and services.
• PEPPM
• Epylon eProcurement

Products and services

• Epylon eProcurement

Quantifiable outcome

• Minneapolis Public Schools reduced informal bid process cost from $354 to $219 per purchase order, saving approximately $139,590 annually on 1,034 informal bids per year.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSIU in Pennsylvania administers the PEPPM (Planning and Engineering Procurement Program for Education) purchasing cooperative program for school districts, libraries, intermediate agencies, charter schools, community colleges and vocational-technical schools. CSIU solicits bids from technology vendors on behalf of participating agencies. This is a flagship client relationship where Epylon provides strategic sourcing services and technology solutions.
• PEPPM Purchasing CooperativecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPEPPM enables more than 1,000 public sector agencies to purchase technology products and software off of centralized, bid-protected contracts from more than 200 vendors representing 250 product lines. Epylon provides the technology platform and strategic sourcing services powering this cooperative.
• Epylon Supplier Marketplace VendorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Epylon Supplier Marketplace includes more than 2,000 local and national vendors including Office Depot, HP, Xerox, IBM, Boise Cascade, Wesco, Gateway, IKON, NEC, and Lexmark. Vendors participate in the marketplace to sell to Epylon's public sector customers through aggregated contracts.
• Quintessential School Systems (QSS)coreTechnology or IntegrationQSS was Epylon's first financial system integration partner. Epylon's edgXML integration platform enables seamless data exchange between Epylon's eProcurement solution and QSS financial system, allowing frictionless eCommerce from electronic requisition through encumbrance to receipt and payment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bonfire Interactive: Cloud-based eProcurement and vendor management platform focused on the public sector. Closest direct peer to Epylon given the shared public-sector focus and similar RFP/bid-management functionality, though Bonfire emphasizes a more modern, self-serve UX.
• PlanetBids: Provider of eProcurement and bid-management tools for government agencies, including bid notification, vendor management, and online bidding. Directly comparable to Epylon's eBid and supplier marketplace functionality in the same public-sector vertical.
• Ion Wave Technologies: EProcurement and bid-management solution purpose-built for government and education. Competes head-to-head with Epylon in K-12, higher education, and municipal procurement, with similar electronic bidding and vendor portal capabilities.
• Periscope Holdings (now part of TPC Holdings): Public-procurement data, vendor management, and sourcing solutions for state and local government. Comparable to Epylon's state-government and strategic sourcing offerings, with overlap in supplier management and cooperative procurement.

Broad incumbents

• OpenGov: Cloud software platform for state and local government spanning budgeting, procurement, and asset management. Broader suite than Epylon but directly competes for the same public-sector procurement budget and IT modernization dollars.
• Tyler Technologies: Large public-sector software company providing ERP, financial, and procurement solutions to K-12 schools and government. Competes with Epylon in school-district financial system and procurement software, but as a much larger, broader-suite vendor.
• Jaggaer: Enterprise procurement and supplier management platform used by large public and private organizations. Competes for the same eProcurement budget as Epylon, with a much broader feature set and significantly larger R&D footprint.
• Coupa Software: Large cloud-based business spend management platform covering procurement, invoicing, and expense management. Competes with Epylon in the procurement and supplier marketplace layer, with far greater scale and modern platform capabilities.
• Procurify: Mid-market procurement and spend management platform. Competes with Epylon for the procurement and purchase-order workflow layer, though focused on private-sector mid-market rather than public-sector specialization.
• Euna Solutions: Public-sector software suite spanning procurement, budget, and grants management for government and education. Direct overlap with Epylon's eProcurement and cooperative management capabilities, but as part of a broader acquired portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epylon-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Epylon