| 摘要 |
An internet-based commerce system simultaneously usable by multiple purchasing organizations and multiple vendors while controlled by a virtual single server and database is disclosed. The commerce system handles the requisitions for goods and services by system users within a purchasing organization and directs requisitions to other users for approval within that purchasing organization using approval routes electronically established within the database. Requisitions are electronically processed into Requests for Quotation, Requests for Proposal, Requests for Information or Requests for Bid that are then released to the Internet for electronic responses by users representing vendors who access the system. Vendors with profiles matching the requests are actively notified of the requests preferably through response-prompting electronic mail. Using the system, users profiled by the system as buyers for the purchasing organizations process the electronic responses into awards. The system then notifies the awardees and makes available information about the awards to other vendors. The system enables each purchasing organization to have its own unique electronic catalog of goods and services to simplify and standardize the procurement process within the organization, while the system uses a basic catalog, preferably the NIGP code, as a backbone for screening and communicating with vendors. Further, because the system operates with one virtual server and database, compilation and sharing of any data that is stored on the system are possible. For example, vendor performance, user workload data can be compiled and shared within an agency or agencies using data search, compilation and representation software tools that known in the art. Similarly, users are preferably restricted, in accordance with user identifications used to access the commerce system, to a subset of data records in the database.
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