Both companies say the vendors they represent online are chosen by the districts themselves. Linda Bertolucci is the director of purchasing for Grossmont Union High School District, one of the schools participating in Epylon's beta testing. From what I've seen, this is a one-stop shop. Though both companies agree that a little competition is healthy for a growing market, they disagree on their methods of research and implementation. It is different in schools than in the private sector.
Education needs a tailored web resource.
Not necessarily so, say officials at Simplexis. Second, we want it to be reliable. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel here. We have taken technologies proven in the business world and adapted them to fit school's needs. Finally, we want our site to be comprehensive.