Method and apparatus for enhancing the business and engineering communication between a supplier and a buyer

• US 20030036991A1
• Filed: 08/14/2001
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Thomaz, Nelson Alves, Filho, Clovis Bergamo, Fortes, Pedro Luiz Discacciati
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, data is exchanged between a buyer and a plurality of suppliers via an internet supplier on-line system. The process includes, generating by a buyer a request for a quotation from at least some of the plurality of suppliers for the cost of a part or device. A determination is made if the request for the quotation will include attachments. When the request for quotation will include attachments, documents are generated wherein the request for quotation and attachments include both engineering and business documents. The determination is made as to which of a plurality of suppliers are to be provided with the request for quotation and attachments. An inquiry is then made as to whether all suppliers which are to be provided with a request for quotation and attachments are registered on the supplier on-line system. If a desired supplier is not presently on the system, the supplier is registered and a notification to the buyer is made upon the registration. Next a determination is made whether the request for the quotation is for a commodity part or device or it is for a non-commodity part or device. Thereafter, the buyer selects which suppliers are to receive the request for quotation pack, and the request for quotation pack is made available to the selected suppliers on the on-line system web site. The selected suppliers are then e-mailed alerting them that the quotation package is available at the web site.

Upon reviewing the web site, the supplier is able to download the request for quotation pack including the engineering and business information. Once the supplier has downloaded this information, and the e-mail is automatically generated to alert the buyer that such actions have occurred following an analysis of the request for quotation pack, the supplier is able to enter a quotation or bid by uploading information including additional documentation to the buyer via the web site.

Claims

1. A method of exchanging data between a buyer and a plurality of multiple suppliers via an internet supplier on-line system:

generating by a buyer a request for a quotation from at least some of the plurality of suppliers for a cost of a part or device;

determining if the request for the quotation will include attachments;

generating documents when the request for quotation will include attachments, wherein the request for quotation and attachments include both engineering and business documents;

determining which of the plurality of suppliers are to be provided with the request for quotation and attachments;

inquiring whether all suppliers to be provided with the request for quotation and attachments are registered on the supplier on line system;

registering the suppliers not on the supplier on-line system;

notifying the buyer, automatically by the supplier on-line system, of the registration of the suppliers;

determining whether the request for quotation is for a commodity part or device or is for a non-commodity part or device;

building the request for quotation, wherein the building includes joining the business and technical documentation into a request for quotation pack;

registering information in one of a item bidding process for commodity parts or devices or a service bidding process for non-commodity parts or devices;

selecting the suppliers that are to receive the request for quotation pack;

making the request for quotation pack available to selected suppliers on a supplier on-line system web site; and

e-mailing all suppliers that the request for quotation pack is available at the web site.

2. The method according to claim 1 further including:

reviewing, by the supplier, the available request for quotation pack;

responding, by the supplier, by generation of a quotation corresponding to the request for quotation pack;

submitting the quotation to the recited supplier on-line web site; and

e-mailing automatically by the supplier on-line system, the buyer that the supplier has entered a quotation.

3. The method according to claim 1 further including:

analyzing automatically the request for quotation pack to determine a last day available for the supplier to respond;

determining, if the day the quotation is provided by the supplier is prior to the last day to respond to the request for quotation pack; and

providing the buyer with the capability to review quotations for request for quotation pack received prior to the last day to respond.

4. The method according to claim 3 further including:

determining whether a need exists to alter the last day for responding to a request for quotation;

altering the last day suppliers may respond to a request for quotation; and

transmitting, automatically, e-mail notifications to the suppliers that the last day to respond to the request for quotation has been altered.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the action of making the request for quotation with the attached documents available to select suppliers includes synchronizing the data in the request for quotation with internal and external databases in order to transfer the files to a designated web site.

6. The method according to claim 1 further including a action of downloading documentation from sources outside of the supplier on-line system for inclusion into the request for quotation pack.

7. The method according to claim 1, further including an automatic document transfer process which generates files to be included in the request for quotation pack wherein the automatic document transfer process transfers the generated files to individual supplier folders maintained on a back end supplier on-line server.

8. The method according to claim 2 further including an upload document transfer process wherein a supplier is able to upload document information to the supplier on-line system which may be received by the buyer.

9. The method according to claim 1 further including:

registering part or device number information within the bidding process for the commodity parts or devices; and

selecting the documentation that is to be attached to individual parts or devices of the request for quotation to form the request for quotation pack.