Form management in an electronic procurement system
View Patent ↗A single instance, multi-tenant procurement system, includes an access module to provide access to a plurality of end users associated with an organization to their respective accounts, each account being customized by a super user of the organization, a search engine to execute searches for products offered by one or more suppliers, a transaction module to process and track one or more requisitions generated by the plurality of end users, a business rules module to apply business rules established between the organization and the one or more suppliers to process the requisitions, and a data repository to store data generated on the system.
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
at a server apparatus hosting an electronic procurement system:
receiving a user request from a buyer for access to the electronic procurement system, wherein the buyer user belongs to a first buyer organization;
granting the buyer user access to the electronic procurement system;
receiving a request from the buyer user to add a new item to a database of items in the electronic procurement system, wherein the database and the new item are accessible to buyer users of the electronic procurement system from the first buyer organization or one or more second buyer or supplier organizations;
receiving data for the new item by entry of the new item data into a field accessible by the buyer user and storing the new item data in the database for access by buyer users of the electronic procurement system from the first buyer organization and one or more second buyer and supplier organizations; and
providing an option to the buyer user to associate a supplier with the new item
wherein if the buyer user selects the option to associate a supplier with the new item, then providing a list of known suppliers for selection or allowing the buyer user to manually enter the supplier; or if the buyer user does not select the option to associate a supplier with the new item, then querying a super user to associate a supplier with the new item.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the database is one from which users of the electronic procurement system order items.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: defining the new item to include at least one of: a description, a price, a currency, a catalog number, a product size, packaging data, details, a brand, a quantity, a delivery date or time, a reorder flag, supplier data, and shipping data.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: checking user privileges to determine if the buyer user may add the new item.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the step of: sending a response to the buyer user, the response indicating whether the user privilege allows the buyer user to add the new item.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: receiving search queries directed to the new item.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of: executing the search queries if the buyer user is of the same organization with which the new item is associated.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the step of: checking whether the step of executing the search queries is in accordance with business rules.
9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of: returning search query results.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the storing step further comprises: checking by the server apparatus hosting the electronic procurement system whether the new item is already stored in the database.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of: adding the new item by the server apparatus hosting the electronic procurement system if not already stored in the database.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the new item data comprises non-supplier data.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associating step includes associating a supplier that exists in the database.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: submitting purchase requisitions and purchase orders directed to the new item and flagging the new item for routing during a workflow process to an appropriate approver of the first buyer organization.
15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: receiving invoices including the new item.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: settling orders including the new item.