摘要 |
An online system and method for allowing a prospective buyer to complete an electronic RFP document and to have the RFP document transmitted to one or more appropriate prospective sellers of goods and services. The system and method provide the prospective buyer with the option of automatically identifying potentially appropriate sellers by means of key word searches in a compiled database of vendor information and product and services descriptions. The prospective buyer may also elect to review the database contents "manually" by means of selecting specific subject matter areas or incrementally reviewing a list of database vendors one at a time. The system directs the buyer's RFP to the selected vendors for review and consideration. This transmission is made electronically, typically by email protocols, for review by appropriate personnel at the selected vendor's business. Such review is carried out by an individual or automatically by the vendor's own system which identifies the appropriateness of the match with its range of offered goods and services. A proposal or price quote is then transmitted electronically back through the system to the prospective buyer for consideration, again typically by email protocols. The buyer may then review the various proposals and price quotes it receives back for consideration and may select an appropriate vendor with which to carry out the commercial transaction.
|