Method and process for providing relevant data, comparing proposal alternatives, and reconciling proposals, invoices, and purchase orders with actual costs in a workflow process

• US 20020046147A1
• Filed: 03/06/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wellogix Technology Licensing LLC (Wellogix Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wellogix Technology Licensing LLC (Wellogix Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bodnar, Robert, Lopus, Thomas A., Livesay, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,991,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

The present invention provides a process and a system for matching buyers and sellers of goods and/or services for a project. The invention enables a buyer to specify a project in terms of physical, functional, temporal, financial, and/or transactional parameters that are then automatically converted, by the present invention, into at least one request for goods/services perform work related to the project. The requests are suitably provided to at least one seller, who may be pre-identified by the buyer as a preferred seller. The requests may be accompanied by supporting information or reference links to sources of such supporting information. Upon receiving a request, the seller may submit a response to the request, as desired. The seller'"'"'s response may likewise include attachments with information supporting the proposal, or reference links to such information in other sources. The inventive process itself provides a library of industry specific information for the benefit of users accessible from a repository in the system or via reference links to other sources. The invention provides an environment for the manipulation of proposal data to compare proposals between multiple sellers and to identify economies of scale across similar projects. The invention provides a forum for the negotiation of any agreements and the formation of contracts to provide the requested, or alternative goods/services, as well as reconciliation of purchase orders, actual field costs, and invoices.

Claims

15-1. A process for reconciling as described in claim 1 wherein the actual data comprises at least one measurement of the at least one parameter actually recorded by the seller in performance of the project.

21. A workflow system for reconciling actual data compiled for a project by a seller with estimated data for the project, the project ordered by a buyer and performed by the seller, the workflow system comprising:

a first interface for interacting with at least one buyer;

a second interface for interacting with at least one seller;

a memory for storing the estimated data and the actual data, wherein the actual data is received from the seller field device via the second interface; and

a processor controlling the memory, the first interface and the second interface,

wherein the processor compares the actual data to the estimated data to determine any discrepancy between the actual data and the estimated data, and wherein the processor notifies the buyer via the first interface of the any discrepancy.

22. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the actual data comprises an actual cost of goods/services provided by the seller in performance of the project.

23. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the actual data comprises an actual quantity of goods/services provided by the seller in performance of the project.

24. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the actual data comprises at least one measurement of at least one technical specification defining the project.

25. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the processor further accesses the actual data from the memory and transmits the actual data to the buyer via the first interface.

26. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the buyer accesses and at least once annotates the actual data through the first interface, and wherein the processor stores the at least one annotation in the memory.

27. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 26, wherein the processor further transmits the at least one annotation to the buyer via the first interface.

28. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the processor further stores a final project statement in the memory;

wherein the final project statement is received from the seller via the second interface; and

wherein the processor compares the actual data to the final project statement to determine any discrepancy between the actual data and the final project statement.

29. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 28, wherein the final project statement comprises an invoice for actual costs of goods/services provided by the seller in performance of the project.

30. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the processor further accesses the actual data from the memory and provides the actual data to the seller via the second interface.

31. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the processor further notifies the buyer by sending a message to the buyer via the first interface.

32. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the processor further notifies the buyer by posting an indication of the receipt of the actual data on the first interface.

33. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the workflow system further comprises a system for implementing a process to generate at least one request for at least one good/service to be provided by the seller to the buyer for the project, wherein the project is defined in terms of at least one parameter, and wherein the system converts the at least one parameter into the at least one request, and wherein the system communicates the at least one request to the seller.

34. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 33, wherein the at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

physical, functional, temporal, financial, transactional, and geographical parameters.

35. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the processor, first interface, and second interface are connected via a communication network selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet, an intranet, a cable network, a telephone network, a wireless network, a voice network, a frame-relay broadband network, a local area network, a wide area network, a public network, and a private network.

36. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 35, wherein the communication network operates over at least one of the transmission mediums selected from the group consisting of:

telephony, wireless telephony, digital subscriber line, two-way cable, fiber optic, radio, point-to-point microwave, and satellite.

37. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the second interface further comprises a portable communication device.

38. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the actual data is received from the seller via the second interface, and wherein the seller relays the actual data through a seller system connected with the second interface via a communication network.

39. A workflow system for reconciling as described in claim 21, wherein the project further comprises one of a type selected from the group consisting of:

oil and gas exploration, construction, manufacturing complex products, and providing specialized services.

40. A process in a workflow system for presenting the reconciliation of actual data compiled by a seller with estimated data projected for a project, the actual data received at the workflow system from a seller via a communication network, the process comprising:

comparing the actual data to the estimated data to determine any discrepancy between the actual data and the estimated data; and

presenting an interface comprising the any discrepancy, the interface accessible by the buyer via the communication network connecting the workflow system to a buyer system.

41. A process in a workflow system for presenting as described in claim 40, wherein the interface further comprises a presentation of the actual data compiled by the seller.

42. A process in a workflow system for presenting as described in claim 40, wherein the interface further comprises a presentation of the estimated data.

43. A process in a workflow system for presenting as described in claim 40, wherein the actual data comprises an actual cost of goods/services provided by the seller in performance of the project.

44. A process in a workflow system for presenting as described in claim 40, wherein the actual data comprises an actual quantity of goods/services provided by the seller in performance the project.

45. A process in a workflow system for presenting as described in claim 40, wherein the actual data comprises at least one measurement of at least one technical specification defining the project.

46. A process in a workflow system for presenting as described in claim 40, wherein the interface further comprises a presentation of an annotation entry interface, the annotation entry interface allowing the buyer to enter annotations to the actual data.

47. A process in a workflow system for presenting as described in claim 40, further comprising comparing a final project statement received from a seller to the actual data to determine any discrepancy between the actual data and the final project statement, and wherein the interface further comprises a presentation of the any discrepancy between the actual data and the final project statement.

48. A process in a workflow system for presenting as described in claim 47, wherein the interface further comprises a display of the final project statement.

49. A process in a workflow system for presenting as described in claim 47, wherein the final project statement comprises an invoice for actual costs of goods/services provided by the seller in performance of the project.

50. A process in a workflow system for comparing a first response to at least one second response, the first and at least one second responses responsive to at least one request by a buyer for at least one good/service for a project, the process comprising:

receiving the first response at the workflow system via a communication network;

receiving the at least one second response at the workflow system via the communication network;

comparing the first response to the at least one second response; and

presenting the comparison to the buyer through an interface with a buyer system via the communication network.

51. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 50, wherein the first response and the at least one second response are alternatives to each other.

52. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 50, wherein the first response and the at least one second response are provided by a seller through an interface with a seller system via the communication network.

53. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 50, wherein the first response is provided by a first seller through an interface with a first seller system via the communication network, and the at least one second response is provided by at least one second seller through an interface with at least one second seller system via the communication network.

54. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 50, wherein the first and at least one second responses comprise an actual cost of the at least one good/service of the at least one request for the project.

55. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 50, wherein the first and the at least one second responses comprise an actual quantity of the at least one good/service of the at least one request for the project.

56. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 50, wherein the workflow system implements a process for generating the at least one request for the at least one good/service to be provided by at least one seller to the buyer for the project, wherein the project is defined in terms of at least one parameter, and wherein the system converts the at least one parameter into the at least one request, wherein the system communicates the at least one request to the at least one seller, and wherein the first and at least one second responses are defined in terms of the at least one parameter.

57. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 56, wherein the at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

physical, functional, temporal, financial, transactional, and geographical parameters.

58. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 56, wherein the step of comparing the first response to the at least on second response further comprises comparing the at least one parameter.

59. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 58, further comprising altering a value of the at least one parameter, whereby the comparison may be made between multiple values of the at least one parameter.

60. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 50, wherein the communication network is selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet, an intranet, a cable network, a telephone network, a wireless network, a voice network, a frame-relay broadband network, a local area network, a wide area network, a public network, and a private network.

61. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 50, wherein the communication network operates over at least one of the transmission mediums selected from the group consisting of:

telephony, wireless telephony, digital subscriber line, two-way cable, fiber optic, radio, point-to-point microwave, and satellite.

62. A process in a workflow system for comparing as described in claim 50, wherein the project further comprises one of a type selected from the group consisting of:

oil and gas exploration, construction, manufacturing complex products, and providing specialized services.

63. A workflow system for comparing a first response to at least one second response, the first and at least one second responses responsive to at least one request by a buyer for at least one good/service for a project, the workflow system comprising:

a buyer interface;

at least one seller interface for receiving the first response and the at least one second response from at least one seller;

a memory for storing the first response and the at least one second response; and

a processor connected to the buyer interface, the at least one seller interface, and the memory,

wherein the processor compares the first response to the at least one second response, and wherein the processor presents the comparison to the buyer via the buyer interface.

64. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 63, wherein the first response is provided by a first seller through a first incidence of the at least one seller interface, and the at least one second response is provided by at least one second seller through a second incidence of the at least one seller interface.

65. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 63, wherein the first and at least one second responses comprise an actual cost of the at least one good/service of the at least one request for the project.

66. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 65, wherein the actual cost of the at least one good/service is calculated on a time and materials basis.

67. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 63, wherein the first and the at least one second alternative responses comprise an actual quantity of the at least one good/service of the at least one request for the project.

68. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 67, wherein the actual quantity of the at least one good/serviced is calculated on a time and materials basis.

69. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 63, wherein the workflow system comprises a system implements a process for generating at least one request for the at least one good/service to be provided by at least one seller to the buyer for the project, wherein the project is defined in terms of at least one parameter, and wherein the system converts the at least one parameter into the at least one request, and wherein the system communicates the at least one request to the at least one seller.

70. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 69 wherein the at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

physical, functional, temporal, financial, transactional, and geographical parameters.

71. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 63 wherein at least one of the processor, the buyer interface, and the at least one seller interface is connected to a communication network, and wherein the communication network is selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet, an intranet, a cable network, a telephone network, a wireless network, a voice network, a frame-relay broadband network, a local area network, a wide area network, a public network, and a private network.

72. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 71 wherein the communication network operates over at least one of the transmission mediums selected from the group consisting of:

telephony, wireless telephony, digital subscriber line, two-way cable, fiber optic, radio, point-to-point microwave, and satellite.

73. A workflow system for comparing as described in claim 63 wherein the project further comprises one of a type selected from the group consisting of:

oil and gas exploration, construction, manufacturing complex products, and providing specialized services.

79. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison as described in claim 73 wherein the first and the at least one second responses comprise an actual quantity of the at least one good/service of the at least one request for the project.

74. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison of a first response to at least one second response, the first and at least one second responses responsive to at least one request by a buyer for at least one good/service for a project, the process comprising:

receiving the first response;

receiving the at least one second response;

comparing the first response to the at least one second response; and

presenting the comparison to the buyer via a buyer interface with the workflow system.

75. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison as described in claim 74, wherein the first response and the at least one second response are provided by a seller through a seller interface with the workflow system.

76. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison as described in claim 74, wherein the first response is provided by a first seller via a first incidence of a seller interface with the workflow system, and the at least one second response is provided by at least one second seller via a second incidence of the seller interface with the workflow system.

77. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison as described in claim 74, wherein the first and at least one second responses comprise an actual cost of the at least one good/service of the at least one request for the project.

78. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison as described in claim 77, wherein the actual cost of the at least one good/service is calculated on a time and materials basis.

80. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison as described in claim 79, wherein the actual quantity of the at least one good/service is calculated on a time and materials basis.

81. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison as described in claim 74, wherein the workflow system implements a process for generating the at least one request for the at least one good/service to be provided by at least one seller to the buyer for the project, wherein the project is defined in terms of at least one parameter, and wherein the system converts the at least one parameter into the at least one request, and wherein the system communicates the at least one request to the at least one seller.

82. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison as described in claim 81, wherein the at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

physical, functional, temporal, financial, transactional, and geographical parameters.

83. A process in a workflow system for presenting a comparison as described in claim 81, wherein the first and at least one second responses comprise at least one parameter of the at least one request for the project.

84. A process in a workflow system for displaying a comparison as described in claim 74 or 75, wherein the workflow system, the buyer interface, and each incidence of the seller interface are connected via a communication network selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet, an intranet, a cable network, a telephone network, a wireless network, a voice network, a frame-relay broadband network, a local area network, a wide area network, a public network, and a private network.

85. A process in a workflow system for displaying a comparison as described in claim 83, wherein the communication network operates over at least one of the transmission mediums selected from the group consisting of:

telephony, wireless telephony, digital subscriber line, two-way cable, fiber optic, radio, point-to-point microwave, and satellite.

86. A process in a workflow system for displaying a comparison as described in claim 74, wherein the project further comprises one of a type selected from the group consisting of:

oil and gas exploration, construction, manufacturing complex products, and providing specialized services.

87. A process for enhancing a workflow system by providing supportive information for a project, wherein a buyer provides at least one request for at least one good/service for the project, and a seller provides at least one response to the at least one request, the process comprising:

providing a request template in a buyer interface, wherein the buyer develops the at least one request;

inserting an information source link into the request template;

notifying the seller that the request template is available for access and review in a seller interface;

responding to a selection of the information source link by the seller by displaying the supportive information in the seller interface.

89. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 87 or 88, wherein the step of responding further comprises accessing the supportive information from a data repository in the workflow system.

90. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 87 or 88, wherein the step of responding further comprises accessing the supportive information from a remote data repository via a communication network.

91. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 87, further comprising accessing the supportive information from a data repository in the buyer system via a communication network.

93. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 90, wherein the step of responding further comprises accessing a pointer in a reference library upon selection of the information source link, wherein the pointer points to the supportive information in the remote data repository.

94. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 93, wherein the reference library is located within a system selected from the group consisting of:

the workflow system, the seller system, and the buyer system.

95. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 87 or 88, wherein the workflow system comprises a system for implementing a process to generate at least one request for the at least one good/service to be provided by the seller to the buyer for the project, wherein the project is defined in terms of at least one parameter, and wherein the system converts the at least one parameter into the at least one request, and wherein the system communicates the at least one request to the seller.

96. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 95, wherein the at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

physical, functional, temporal, financial, transactional, and geographical parameters.

97. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 95, wherein the project further comprises one of a type selected from the group consisting of:

oil and gas exploration, construction, manufacturing complex products, and providing specialized services.

98. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 95, wherein the supportive information further defines the at least one parameter.

99. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 87 or 88, wherein the supportive information is selected from the group consisting of:

industry information, buyer standards, seller standards, industry standards, buyer historical data, seller historical data, industry historical data, technical information, product information, and service information.

100. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 87, wherein the buyer inserts the information source link into the request template.

88. A process for enhancing a workflow system by providing supportive information for a project, wherein a buyer provides at least one request for at least one good/service for the project, and a seller provides at least one response to the at least one request, the process comprising:

providing a response template in a seller interface, wherein the seller develops the at least one response to the at least one request;

inserting an information source link into the response template;

notifying the buyer that the response template is available for access and review in a buyer interface;

responding to a selection of the information source link by the buyer by displaying the supportive information in the buyer interface.

92. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 88, further comprising accessing the supportive information from a data repository in the seller system via a communication network.

101. A process for enhancing a workflow system as described in claim 88, wherein the seller inserts the information source link into the response template.

102. An enhanced workflow system that provides supportive information for a project, wherein a buyer provides at least one request for at least one good/service for the project, and a seller provides at least one response to the at least one request, the workflow system comprising:

a buyer interface with at least one buyer system;

a seller interface with at least one seller system;

a memory for storing the at least one request input by the buyer through the first interface; and

a processor connected to the buyer interface, the seller interface, and the memory, wherein the processor inserts an information source link into the request;

notifies the seller that the request is available for access and review in the second interface; and

responds to a selection of the information source link by the seller by presenting the supportive information in the second interface.

104. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 102 or 103, wherein the processor further accesses the supportive information from a data repository in the workflow system.

105. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 102 or 103, wherein the processor further accesses the supportive information from a remote data repository via the communication network.

106. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 102, wherein the processor further accesses the supportive information from a data repository in the buyer system via the communication network.

108. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 105, wherein the processor further accesses a pointer in a reference library upon the selection of the information source link, wherein the pointer points to the supportive information in the remote data repository.

109. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 108, wherein the reference library is located within a system selected from the group consisting of:

the workflow system, the seller system, and the buyer system.

110. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 102 or 103, wherein the workflow system comprises a system for implementing a process to generate at least one request for the at least one good/service to be provided by the seller to the buyer for the project, wherein the project is defined in terms of at least one parameter, and wherein the system converts the at least one parameter into the at least one request, and wherein the system communicates the at least one request to the seller.

111. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 110, wherein the at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

physical, functional, temporal, financial, transactional, and geographical parameters.

112. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 110, wherein the project further comprises one of a type selected from the group consisting of:

oil and gas exploration, construction, manufacturing complex products, and providing specialized services.

113. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 110, wherein the supportive information further defines the at least one parameter.

114. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 102 or 103, wherein the supportive information is selected from the group consisting of:

industry information, buyer standards, seller standards, industry standards, buyer historical data, seller historical data, industry historical data, technical information, product information, and service information.

115. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 102, wherein the buyer selects the information source link to insert into the request.

119. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 117 or 118, further comprising accessing the supportive information from a data repository in the workflow system.

120. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 117 or 118, further comprising accessing the supportive information from a remote data repository.

121. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 117, further comprising accessing the supportive information from a data repository in the buyer system via a communication network.

122. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 118, further comprising accessing the supportive information from a data repository in the seller system via a communication network.

123. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 120, further comprising accessing a pointer in a reference library upon selection of the information source link, wherein the pointer points to the supportive information in the remote data repository.

124. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 123, wherein the reference library is located within a system selected from the group consisting of:

the workflow system, the seller system, and the buyer system.

125. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 117 or 118, wherein the workflow system comprises a system for implementing a process to generate at least one request for at least one good/service to be provided by the seller to the buyer for a project, wherein the project is defined in terms of at least one parameter, and wherein the system converts the at least one parameter into the at least one request, and wherein the system communicates the at least one request to the seller.

126. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 125, wherein the at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

physical, functional, temporal, financial, transactional, and geographical parameters.

127. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 125, wherein the project further comprises one of a type selected from the group consisting of:

oil and gas exploration, construction, manufacturing complex products, and providing specialized services.

128. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 125, wherein the supportive information further defines the at least one parameter.

129. A process in a workflow system for displaying information as described in claim 117 or 118, wherein the supportive information is selected from the group consisting of:

industry information, buyer standards, seller standards, industry standards, buyer historical data, seller historical data, industry historical data, technical information, product information, and service information.

103. An enhanced workflow system that provides supportive information for a project, wherein a buyer provides at least one request for at least one good/service for the project, and a seller provides at least one response to the at least one request, the workflow system comprising:

a buyer interface with at least one buyer system;

a seller interface with at least one seller system;

a memory for storing the at least one response input by the seller through the second interface; and

a processor connected to the buyer interface, the seller interface, and the memory, wherein the processor inserts an information source link into the response;

notifies the buyer that the response is available for access and review in the first interface; and

responds to a selection of the information source link by the seller by presenting the supportive information in the second interface.

107. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 103, wherein the processor further accesses the supportive information from a data repository in the seller system via a communication network.

116. An enhanced workflow system as described in claim 103, wherein the seller selects the information source link to insertion into the response.

117. A process in a workflow system for displaying information supportive of a request by a buyer to a seller for at least one good/service, the process comprising:

displaying a seller interface accessible to the seller, wherein the seller interface connects the workflow system and a seller system, the interface comprising an information source link; and

in response to selection of the information source link, displaying the supportive information in the seller interface.

118. A process in a workflow system for displaying information supportive of a response by a seller to a request by a buyer for at least one good/service, the process comprising:

displaying a buyer interface accessible to the buyer, wherein the buyer interface connects the workflow system and a buyer system, the interface comprising an information source link; and

in response to selection of the information source link, displaying the supportive information in the buyer interface.