Creating and conducting a reverse auction

• US 20040083156A1
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Schulze, Arne
• Granted Patent: US 7,376,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Systems and techniques to create and conduct a reverse auction include creating a reverse auction object having a number of components; and copying information from a number of components in a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object into corresponding components of the reverse auction object. Bids received for the RFQ may be copied into the reverse auction object, and information in the bids may be validated. If the bids do not include information required for the reverse auction object, the bid may be marked as incomplete.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating a reverse auction object having a plurality of components; and

copying information from components in a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object into corresponding components of the reverse auction object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting an opportunity status for the RFQ object to a closed status.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein copying information comprises copying information from a header component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein copying information comprises copying information from a line item component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein copying information comprises copying information from an attribute component.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a mandatory attribute to the reverse auction object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the mandatory attribute comprises a user-defined attribute.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

copying a bid associated with the RFQ object; and

associating the copied bid with the reverse auction object.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether the copied bid includes information satisfying the mandatory attribute; and

selectively designating the copied bid as incomplete in response to a determination that the copied bid does not include information satisfying the mandatory attribute.

10. A method comprising:

converting a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object into a reverse auction object; and

conducting a reverse auction corresponding to the reverse auction object.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of bids at a bid rate; and

extending the reverse auction past a designated closing time in response to the bid rate exceeding a selected bid rate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the bid rate comprises a frequency of receiving bids.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

terminating the reverse auction at a selected time period after the designated closing time.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the bid rate is below a predetermined frequency; and

terminating the reverse auction in response to the determination that the bid rate is below the predetermined frequency.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a rule profile for the reverse auction object; and

conducting the reverse auction in accordance with the rule profile.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said selecting comprises selecting a rule profile enabling bidding partial quantities of an item identified in the reverse auction object.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

selecting a first winning bid including a first price for a first quantity of the item; and

selecting a second winning bid including a second price for a second quantity of the item, wherein the second price is higher than the first price.

18. A networked computer system comprising:

an initiator site operative to convert a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object to a reverse auction object;

an auction site operative to host an online reverse auction corresponding the reverse auction object; and

a plurality of supplier sites operative to transmit bids to the auction site during the reverse auction.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the initiator site is further operative to copy information in a plurality of components of the RFQ object to corresponding components of the reverse action object.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the initiator site is further operative to set an opportunity status of the RFQ object to a closed status.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the initiator site is further operative to associate a mandatory attribute with the reverse auction object.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the initiator site is further operative to copy bids associated with the RFQ object;

and to

mark the copied bid as incomplete in response to determining that the copied bid does not include information satisfying the mandatory attribute.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the supplier site is further operative to:

receive the copied bid marked as incomplete;

enter information satisfying the mandatory attribute; and

re-submit the bid.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the auction site is further operative to extend the reverse auction past a designated closing time in response to bid activity exceeding a selected threshold.

25. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

creating a reverse auction object having a plurality of components; and

copying information from components in a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object into corresponding components of the reverse auction object.

26. The article of claim 25, further comprising instructions operable to cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

setting an opportunity status for the RFQ object to a closed status.

27. The article of claim 25, wherein the instructions operable to cause a machine to copy information comprise instructions operable to cause the machine to copy information from a header component.

28. The article of claim 25, wherein the instructions operable to cause the machine to copy information comprise instructions operable to cause the machine to copy information from an line item component.

29. The article of claim 25, wherein the instructions operable to cause the machine to copy information comprise instructions operable to cause the machine to copy information from an attribute component.

30. The article of claim 29, wherein the attribute component comprises a user-defined attribute.

31. The article of claim 25, further comprising instructions operable to cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

adding a mandatory attribute to the reverse auction object.

32. The article of claim 31, further comprising instructions operable to cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

copying a bid associated with the RFQ object; and

associating the copied bid with the reverse auction object.

33. The article of claim 32, further comprising instructions operable to cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

marking the copied bid as incomplete in response to determining that the copied bid does not include information satisfying the mandatory attribute.

34. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

converting a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object into a reverse auction object; and

conducting a reverse auction corresponding to the reverse object.

35. The article of claim 34, further comprising instructions operable to cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of bids at a bid rate; and

extending the reverse auction past a designated closing time in response to the bid rate exceeding a selected bid rate.

36. The article of claim 35, wherein the bid rate comprises a frequency of receiving bids.

37. The article of claim 36, further comprising instructions operable to cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

ending the reverse auction after a selected time period after the designated closing time.

38. The article of claim 36, further comprising instructions operable to cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

ending the reverse auction in response to the bid rate falling below a selected frequency.

39. The article of claim 34, further comprising instructions operable to cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

selecting a rule profile for the reverse auction object; and

conducting the reverse auction in accordance with the rule profile.

40. The article of claim 39, wherein the instructions operable to cause the machine to select comprises instructions operable to cause the machine to select a rule profile enabling bidding partial quantities of an item identified in the reverse auction object.

41. The article of claim 40, further comprising instructions operable to cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

selecting a first winning bid including a first price for a first quantity of the item; and

selecting a second winning bid including a second price for a second quantity of the item, wherein the second price is higher than the first price.

42. A method comprising:

1. A method comprising;

creating a reverse auction object having a plurality of components including a header component, a line item component, and an attribute component;

copying information from a header component in a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object into the header component of the reverse auction object;

copying information from a line item component in a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object into the header component of the reverse auction object;

copying information from an attribute component in a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object into the header component of the reverse auction object;

setting an opportunity status for the RFQ object to a closed status;

adding a mandatory attribute to the reverse auction object;

copying a bid associated with the RFQ object;

associating the copied bid with the reverse auction object.

determining whether the copied bid includes information satisfying the mandatory attribute; and

selectively designating the copied bid as incomplete in response to a determination that the copied bid does not include information satisfying the mandatory attribute.