REQUEST-FOR-PROPOSAL (RFP) SYSTEM WITH SELECTIVE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION FROM COMPETING BIDDERS

• US 20120072299A1
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Harrold Sampsell
• Original Assignee: David Harrold Sampsell
• Inventors: Sampsell, David Harrold
• Granted Patent: US 9,965,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes

Abstract

One exemplary embodiment is directed to a method (and corresponding system) for managing a request-for-proposal (RFP). The method comprises receiving, at a website, information about the RFP from a customer for the RFP and receiving, at the website, proposals responsive to the RFP from a set of bidders. If requested by the customer, disclosing to each of the bidders a detailed comparative metric relating to the proposal for each of the other bidders. The detailed comparative metric comprises a comparative metric other than a total project cost for the respective proposal.

Claims

1. A method of managing a request-for-proposal (RFP), the method comprising:

receiving, at a website, information about the RFP from a customer for the RFP;

receiving, at the website, proposals responsive to the RFP from a set of bidders; and

if requested by the customer, disclosing to each of the bidders a detailed comparative metric relating to the proposal for each of the other bidders;

wherein the detailed comparative metric comprises a comparative metric other than a total project cost for the respective proposal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the RFP, at the website, using the information received from the customer of the RFP.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the website, information about the RFP from the customer for the RFP comprises receiving information about one or more of the following:

a project;

at least one matter that is a part of the project;

one or more phases of the matter;

the customer'"'"'s expectations about how bidders will staff the matter;

one or more preferred resources to be used in staffing the matter;

questions to be answered by bidders; and

one or more bid parameters.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the website, information about the RFP from the customer for the RFP comprises receiving from the customer information identifying a finite set of possible valid responses to a question to be presented to the bidders that is associated with the RFP and presenting a prompt related to the question to each of the bidders that enables each of the bidders to select from the finite set of possible valid responses in connection with responding to the question.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving, at the website, information about the RFP from the customer for the RFP comprises receiving from the customer information identifying one or more of the finite set of possible valid responses as preferred responses and, wherein the prompt related to the question that is presented to each of the bidders identifies the one or more preferred responses for each of the bidders.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving, at the website, information about the RFP from the customer for the RFP comprises, if a response other than a preferred response was selected by a bidder, prompting for, and receiving from, a bidder an explanation as to why the response other than a preferred response was selected.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the website is implemented using one or more servers.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if requested by the customer, disclosing to each of the bidders the total project cost of the proposal for each of the other bidders.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving updates to the proposals from the bidders.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least some of the updates are provided in response to disclosing to each of the bidders the detailed comparative metric relating to the proposals for each of the other bidders.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein disclosing to each of the bidders the detailed comparative metric relating to the proposal for each of the other bidders comprises disclosing to each of the bidders the detailed comparative metric relating to the updated proposal for each of the other bidders.

12. A system for managing a request-for-proposal (RFP) process, the system comprising:

at least one programmable processor to execute software that implements a website; and

at least one network interface to communicatively couple the server to a communication network;

wherein the system is coupled to at least one storage device to store information related to the RFP; and

wherein the software, when executed by the programmable processor, is operable to cause the system to;

receive, at the website, information about the RFP from a customer for the RFP;

receive, at the website, proposals responsive to the RFP from a set of bidders; and

if requested by the customer, disclose to each of the bidders a detailed comparative metric relating to the proposal for each of the other bidders;

wherein the detailed comparative metric comprises a comparative metric other than a total project cost for the respective proposal.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the software, when executed by the programmable processor, is operable to cause the system to:

generate the RFP, at the website, using the information received from the customer of the RFP.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the system comprises multiple servers on which the website is implemented, each server including at least one programmable processor that executes at least some of the software.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the software executing on each of the servers performs the same functions as the software executing on all of the other servers.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the software executing on at least one of the servers does not perform the same functions as the software executing on at least one of the other servers.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

18. A method of receiving, at a website from a bidder, a project proposal for a request-for-proposal (RFP), the method comprising:

displaying, via the website, a financial proposal page by which the bidder is able to enter information for a set of line items for a financial proposal for the project proposal;

wherein each line item is associated with a resource, a standard billing rate, a time estimate, a billing method entity, and a cost estimate;

wherein each billing method entity is associated with a billing method that is used for calculating the respective cost estimate for each line item associated with that billing method entity;

wherein the website is configured to enable the bidder to specify multiple billing method entities for the financial proposal using the financial proposal page;

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving, from the bidder at the financial proposal page of the website, the information for the set of line items for the financial proposal;

receiving, from the bidder at the financial proposal page of the website, a change to an attribute associated with a first billing method entity specified for at least one of the line items; and

after receiving the change to the attribute, updating the financial proposal page so that the cost estimate for each line item associated with the first billing method entity is automatically updated to reflect the change to the attribute.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the website is configured to display, as a part of the financial proposal page, a respective user interface element for each line item via which the bidder is able to provide to the website information about the resource selected for that line item, the time estimate for that line item, and the billing method entity selected for that line item.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the website is configured to display, as a part of the financial proposal page, a user interface element via which the bidder is able to change the attribute associated with the first billing method.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, at the website, information about the RFP from a customer for the RFP; and

generating the RFP at the website using the information received from the customer of the RFP.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving at the website, for each line item of the financial proposal, information about actual time or actual costs associated with the associated resource performing an associated service; and

displaying as a part of the financial proposal page, for each line item of the financial proposal, information about the actual time or the actual costs associated with the specified resource providing the associated service.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the website is implemented using one or more servers.

24. A system for receiving a project proposal responsive to a request-for-proposal (RFP), the system comprising:

at least one programmable processor to execute software that implements a website that receives the project proposal from a bidder; and

at least one network interface to communicatively couple the server to a communication network;

wherein the system is coupled to at least one storage device to store information related to the RFP; and

wherein the software, when executed by the programmable processor, is operable to cause the system to display, via the website, a financial proposal page by which the bidder is able to enter information for a set of line items for a financial proposal for the project proposal;

wherein each line item is associated with a resource, a standard billing rate, a time estimate, a billing method entity, and a cost estimate;

wherein each billing method entity is associated with a billing method that is used for calculating the respective cost estimate for each line item that specifies that billing method entity;

wherein the website is configured to enable the bidder to use multiple billing method entities for the financial proposal using the financial proposal page;

wherein the software, when executed by the programmable processor, is further operable to cause the system to;

receive, from the bidder at the financial proposal page of the website, the information for the set of line items for the financial proposal;

receive, from the bidder at the financial proposal page of the website, a change to an attribute associated with a first billing method entity specified for at least one of the line items; and

after receiving the change to the attribute, update the financial proposal page so that the cost estimate for each line item that specifies the first billing method entity is automatically updated to reflect the change to the attribute.

25. A method of managing a proposal process for a request-for-proposal (RFP), the method comprising:

receiving, at a website, current proposals responsive to the RFP from a set of bidders; and

receiving, at the website, updates to the current proposals provided by the bidders;

displaying, via the website, a page via which the customer is able to selectively cause the website to;

disclose to each of the bidders a comparative metric relating to the current proposal for each of the other bidders during one or more portions of the proposal process; and

not disclose to each of the bidders the comparative metric relating to the current proposal for each of the other bidders during one or more other portions of the proposal process.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, at the website, information about the RFP from a customer for the RFP; and

generating the RFP at the website using the information received from the customer of the RFP.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the comparative metric comprises at least one of:

a total project cost; and

a detailed comparative metric other than total project cost.

28. A system for managing a request-for-proposal (RFP) process, the system comprising:

at least one programmable processor to execute software that implements a website; and

at least one network interface to communicatively couple the server to a communication network;

wherein the system is coupled to at least one storage device to store information related to the RFP; and

wherein the software, when executed by the programmable processor, is operable to cause the system to;

receive, at the website, current proposals responsive to the RFP from a set of bidders; and

receive, at the website, updates to the current proposals provided by the bidders;

display, via the website, a page via which the customer is able to selectively cause the website to;

disclose to each of the bidders a comparative metric relating to the current proposal for each of the other bidders during one or more portions of the proposal process; and

not disclose to each of the bidders the comparative metric relating to the current proposal for each of the other bidders during one or more other portions of the proposal process.