AUTOMATIC GENERATION OF A SCENARIO USED TO OPTIMIZE A BID AWARD SCHEDULE
First Claim
1. A method for automatically generating at least one scenario used to optimize a bid:
- award schedule, comprising;
a buyer specifying that a mathematical model includes at least one flexibility element;
a sourcing event management system using the results of a sourcing event to evaluate the mathematical model which results in an initial bid award value;
the buyer specifying a value for the mathematical model flexibility element;
the sourcing event management system using the specified flexibility element value to calculate a special mathematical model variable; and
the sourcing event management system evaluating the mathematical model subject to the special mathematical model variable to identify at least one scenario that will improve the initial bid award value.
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Abstract
An sourcing event management system includes a presentation layer, a business logic layer, an infrastructure layer and storage and operates to facilitate the creation of a bidding scenario, the opening of a bidding process, reception of bids from suppliers, the closing of the bidding process and the analysis of the bids received from the suppliers to determine an optimal bid award schedule. The sourcing event management system also includes a modified mathematical model that is solved, subject to constraints selected by a buyer and to variables specified by the buyer, to determine how the constraints can be modified to further optimize the bid award schedule.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for automatically generating at least one scenario used to optimize a bid:
- award schedule, comprising;
a buyer specifying that a mathematical model includes at least one flexibility element; a sourcing event management system using the results of a sourcing event to evaluate the mathematical model which results in an initial bid award value; the buyer specifying a value for the mathematical model flexibility element; the sourcing event management system using the specified flexibility element value to calculate a special mathematical model variable; and the sourcing event management system evaluating the mathematical model subject to the special mathematical model variable to identify at least one scenario that will improve the initial bid award value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- award schedule, comprising;
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11. A method for automatically generating at least one alternative sourcing event scenario used to optimize a bid award schedule, comprising:
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a buyer defining a plurality of constraints to an objective function, at least one of which is a flexible constraint, and storing the constraints in a sourcing event management system; the buyer creating a first sourcing event and causing the sourcing event management system to initiate the event; the sourcing event management system receiving and storing bids from one or more suppliers; the sourcing event management system evaluating the objective function, subject to one or more of the plurality of the buyer defined constraints and the suppliers bids, resulting in an initial bid award value; the buyer specifying a value for a constraint flexibility variable; the sourcing event management system using the constraint flexibility variable value to calculate a special constraint variable for the at least one flexible constraint; and the sourcing event management system evaluating the objective function subject to the special constraint variable to identify a scenario that will improve the initial bid award value. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computational device, comprising:
a memory, the memory including; a sourcing event management system comprised of; an optimization engine; an objective function; one or more constraints; a bidding event scenario; and bids received from one or more suppliers, the sourcing event management system evaluating the objective function, subject to the one or more constraints and received bids, which results in an initial bid award value, specifying a limiting value and a flexibility value for each of the one or more constraints;
using the specified limiting value and the flexibility value to calculate a special constraint variable for each of the one or more constraints; and
minimizing the objective function subject to each of the calculated constraint variable to identify modifications to the one or more constraints that will improve the initial bid award value.- View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
Specification