NRF ARTS RFP Partner Program

Strong>ARTS selects IHL Group and C-CORE Group as first approved participants in NRF ARTS RFP Promotion Program

POS RAPID Project Toolkit to include NRF ARTS RFP Framework

NASHVILLE–Jan. 11, 2006–– IHL Consulting Group announced today that it has been selected by the Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) as the first vendor to participate in the National Retail Federation -ARTS Request for Proposal Promotion Program. IHL's Rapid POS Project Toolkit, developed in conjunction with partner C-CORE Consulting Group, will be the first product to integrate the NRF ARTS RFP framework and IHL's Sophia Data Service.

The RFP Promotion Program, managed by the ARTS, creates a partnership with consulting companies that agree to encourage use of NRF ARTS RFP's, and to continually provide comments and updates to the standard RFP's so they remain state of the art.

“IHL/C-CORE has done an outstanding job of maximizing the benefits of standard RFP's by wrapping an entire POS upgrade process for retailers around the ARTS framework,”, said Richard Mader, executive director of ARTS. “It will increase use of the standard RFP's by retailers and will enable vendors to respond quickly and accurately to retailer requests, thus making the process far more efficient.”

The RAPID POS Rapid POS Project Toolkit provides project definition, RFP development, vendor selection, and project execution that result in a reduction of up to 50% in the time to pilot while ensuring all functional requirements and vendor selection occurs via a comprehensive and thorough process.

““We see completing the RFP effectively and efficiently as one step in a retailer's project start-up. Before a company can identify and prioritize their requirements, they need to define the scope of the project being planned and understand the changes to business processes. The RAPID POS Project Toolkit helps retailers through the entire project start-up process, including scope and requirements, vendor evaluation and selection, and project management startup.” said Frank Urbaniak, Consulting Principle of C-CORE Consulting Group.

“Many retailers need to replace aging POS terminals but do not have a streamlined process for this capital-intensive project,” said Greg Buzek, president of IHL Consulting Group. “We have seen POS projects take up to a year to get to pilot. By using the toolkit and standard RFP templates to reduce the project timelines, hundreds of thousands of dollars can be saved. Costs for internal project teams and consultants are reduced while delivering a solution that meets both business and IT requirements.”

The RAPID POS Project Toolkit includes content embedded templates and facilitated sessions with proven retail professionals experienced in efficiently implementing large scale projects. The templates within the toolkit jumpstart scope development and ensure all key project participants (Business, IT and Vendors), have a common understanding of project goals and deliverables. The components of the toolkit include the following:

Business Process Model
Functional and Technical Requirements
NRF ARTS RFP Standard Template and Output
Vendor Session Scheduler/Checklist for Demos
Vendor Scoring Grid and Reference Check
Service Level Analysis
Outsourcing Analysis and Contracting Technology
Deployment and Risk Mitigation Plans
Program/Project Dashboards

The Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) of the National Retail Federation (NRF) is an international membership organization dedicated to reducing the costs of technology through standards. Since 1993, ARTS has been delivering application standards exclusively to the retail industry.

IHL Consulting Group is a global research and advisory firm headquartered in Franklin , Tenn. , that provides market analysis and business consulting services for retailers and information technology companies that focus on the retail industry.

C-CORE Consulting Group, Inc. serves the retail community with new and streamlined approaches to challenges in process and technology improvements. The principals have in excess of 50 years retail experience in Store Operations, Retail Technology, Project and Program Management, and Business Process Management.

For more information or a demonstration, see www.ihlservices.com, call 615-591-2955 or send e-mail to ihl@ihlservices.com. For press contacts and interviews, contact Roy Miller at 972-716-4070 x235, or via e-mail at rmiller@transsynergy.com.

To Learn more about NRF ARTS RFP, go to www.NRF-ARTS.org