Value chain intelligence system and methods
First Claim
1. A method using a computing system and a plurality of software modules, the method assisting in making procurement decisions in an enterprise regarding a particular item and comprising the steps of:
- extracting via one or more software modules first information indicative of the price and/or availability of the particular item from at least one source external to the enterprise, the external source offering for sell to the enterprise and/or other entities one or more items including the particular item;
extracting via one or more software modules second information from the enterprise regarding existing inventory of the particular item, existing purchase arrangements between the enterprise and one or more suppliers and/or forecasted need for the particular item by the enterprise;
storing the first information and second information in a database;
analyzing via the first information and second information with one or more software modules;
generating a recommended action regarding the procurement or non-procurement of the particular item and/or the one or more substitute items; and
displaying the recommended action regarding the procurement or non-procurement of the particular item and/or the one or more substitute items.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and methods based thereon for a Value Chain Intelligence (VCI) system that enables suppliers and procurement professionals to leverage enterprise and marketplace data in order to potentially improve decision-making in business enterprises. In this system, internal data from enterprises and external data from suppliers, catalogs, and marketplaces are integrated and analyzed in real time for their impact on supply chains processes. The VCI system makes recommendations and alerts users based on the results of the integrated and analyzed data. Components in a VCI system may consist of internal data collection components, external data collection components, data integration components, and data application components. The system provides a plurality of methods for searching, extracting, transforming, integrating, analyzing, and representing data internal to an enterprise and data external to an enterprise. Various methods for implementing a plurality of software modules in a logical workflow process are also disclosed.
281 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A method using a computing system and a plurality of software modules, the method assisting in making procurement decisions in an enterprise regarding a particular item and comprising the steps of:
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extracting via one or more software modules first information indicative of the price and/or availability of the particular item from at least one source external to the enterprise, the external source offering for sell to the enterprise and/or other entities one or more items including the particular item;
extracting via one or more software modules second information from the enterprise regarding existing inventory of the particular item, existing purchase arrangements between the enterprise and one or more suppliers and/or forecasted need for the particular item by the enterprise;
storing the first information and second information in a database;
analyzing via the first information and second information with one or more software modules;
generating a recommended action regarding the procurement or non-procurement of the particular item and/or the one or more substitute items; and
displaying the recommended action regarding the procurement or non-procurement of the particular item and/or the one or more substitute items. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification