OBI (Open Buying on the Internet) is a proposed standard for  B2B  (business-to-business) purchasing on the internet.  OBI was formed in 1996 by a group of Fortune 500 companies. The group sought to implement an interoperable set of process standards.  The process standards were to be cost effective throughout the company.  This would include eliminating unnecessary work for purchasing, decrease errors, reduce labor, and transaction costs. OBI uses a number of security technologies such as the digital certificate to permit orders to be placed and filled securely. On average, 75% of the company’s purchasing is for non-production supplies such as office supplies, cleaning products, and computer equipment.