Vendor performance management system and method for determining a vendor's contribution value and vendor services score

1. A computer implemented method of assessing vendor performance, comprising:

storing a set of data related to a service agency in an electronic database, the set of data having a plurality of at least six datasets;

storing in a first one of the datasets a total-budget value, the total-budget value representative of a sum of money the agency has paid for a plurality of service items provided by a plurality of vendors in a plurality of cases wherein each of the plurality of service items is substantially the same type of service item as the other service items and wherein each vendor provides one or more service items in each of one or more cases of the plurality of cases assigned to the vendor;

storing, for each case assigned to each vendor, in a second one of the datasets an amount-paid value, the amount-paid value representative of the corresponding payment from the service agency;

storing, for each case assigned to each vendor, in a third one of the datasets a case-score value, the case-score value representing a value of the service items provided by each vendor;

storing in a fourth one of the datasets a total-case-score value, the total-case-score value formed by summing the case-score values stored in the third one of the datasets;

storing, for each case assigned to each vendor, in a fifth one of the datasets a vendor-service-score value, the vendor-service-score value corresponding to a certain relative value added to the case via the provision of the one or more service items of the plurality of service items provided by each vendor in exchange for a corresponding payment from the service agency;

storing in a sixth one of the datasets a total-vendor-services-score value, the total-vendor-services-score value formed by summing the vendor-services-score values stored in the fifth one of the datasets;

iteratively selecting each vendor of the plurality of vendors;

executing instructions with a computing device, the instructions stored in a memory associated with the computing device, the execution of the instructions arranged to carry out the act of forming a vendor-score-contribution value associated with each of the plurality of vendors, the vendor-score-contribution value formed by:

mathematically combining the total-budget value, the vendor-service-score value of the selected vendor, and the total-vendor-services-score value to form a case value;

distributing the case value to the one or more service items of the plurality of service items provided by the selected vendor; and

computing a net contribution of the selected vendor by mathematically combining the distributed case value from the amount-paid value corresponding to the one vendor; and

outputting a report, the report reflecting the computed net contribution of at least one vendor of the plurality of vendors.

2. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein forming the vendor-score-contribution value comprises:

generating a budget-allocation value, the budget-allocation value generated by multiplying the total-budget value by a quotient formed by summing each case-score value related to the one vendor and dividing the sum by the total-case-score value;

generating a case-distribution value, the case-distribution value generated by multiplying the budget-allocation value by a quotient formed by summing each vendor-service-score value related to the one vendor and dividing the sum by the total-vendor-services-score value; and

generating the vendor-score-contribution value by subtracting the amount-paid value from the case-distribution value.

3. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting a first vendor and a second vendor; and

comparing the vendor-score-contribution value associated with the first vendor to the vendor-score-contribution value associated with the second vendor.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

sorting the vendors according to the vendor-score-contribution values of each of the plurality of vendors;

forming the report to reflect the sorted vendors.

5. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein storing the case-score value comprises:

selecting one vendor of the plurality of vendors;

iteratively selecting a representation of value provided to a client as a result of the one vendor providing a service item to the client;

scaling the representation of value to place the representation of value within a certain range;

weighting the scaled representation of value by multiplying the scaled representation of value by a weighting factor;

summing the weighted and scaled representation of value of each iteration; and

storing the summed, weighted, and scaled representations of value in a case-score value memory.

6. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein storing the vendor-service-score value comprises:

selecting one vendor of the plurality of vendors;

selecting the amount-paid value corresponding to the one vendor;

scaling the amount-paid value to place the amount-paid value within a first certain range;

weighting the scaled the amount-paid value by multiplying the scaled amount-paid value by a first weighting factor;

selecting a representation of value of the service item provided to a client;

scaling the representation of value to place the representation of value within a second certain range;

weighting the scaled the representation of value by multiplying the scaled the representation of value by a second weighting factor;

summing the weighted and scaled amount-paid value with the weighted and scaled representation of value; and

storing the sum in a vendor-service-score value memory.

7. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein a vendor performance assessment is presented on an electronic display.

8. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein the service agency is a vocational rehabilitation agency.

9. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein the service agency is a corporation.

10. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein the service items are career counseling hours.

11. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein the service items are prosthetic limbs.

12. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein the vendor-service-score value is a quantity of service items provided.

13. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein the electronic database is a SQL database.

14. A computing system, comprising:

a central processing unit, a memory, and an input/output port configured in hardware and software as several modules, said modules including:

a modeling and initialization module configured to;

store a set of data related to a service agency in an electronic database configured in the memory, the set of data having a plurality of at least six datasets;

store in a first dataset a total-budget value, the total-budget value representative of a sum of money the agency has paid for a plurality of service items provided by a plurality of vendors in a plurality of cases wherein each of the plurality of service items is substantially the same type of service item as the other service items and wherein each vendor provides one or more service items in each of one or more cases of the plurality of cases assigned to the vendor;

store, for each case assigned to each vendor, in a second one of the datasets an amount-paid value, the amount-paid value representative of the corresponding payment from the service agency;

store, for each case assigned to each vendor, in a third one of the datasets a case-score value, the case-score value representing a value of the service items provided by each vendor; and

store in a fourth one of the datasets a total-case-score value, the total-case-score value formed by summing the case-score values stored in the third one of the datasets;

a vendor value data module configured to:

store, for each case assigned to each vendor, in a fifth one of the datasets a vendor-service-score value, the vendor-service-score value corresponding to a certain relative value added to the case via the provision of the one or more service items of the plurality of service items provided by each vendor in exchange for a corresponding payment from the service agency; and

store in a sixth one of the datasets a total-vendor-services-score value, the total-vendor-services-score value formed by summing the vendor-services-score values stored in the fifth one of the datasets; and

a vendor value contribution data module configured to:

iteratively select each vendor of the plurality of vendors;

form a vendor-score-contribution value associated with each of the plurality of vendors, the vendor-score-contribution value formed by:

mathematically combine the total-budget value, the vendor-service-score value of the selected vendor, and the total-vendor-services-score value to form a case value;

distribute the case value to the one or more service items of the plurality of service items provided by the selected vendor; and

compute a net contribution of the selected vendor by mathematically combining the distributed case value from the amount-paid value corresponding to the one vendor; and

output a report, the report reflecting the computed net contribution of at least one vendor of the plurality of vendors.

15. The computing system according to claim 14 , further comprising:

an electronic display, the electronic display configured to display the vendor-score-contribution value.

16. The computing system according to claim 14 wherein the service agency is a vocational rehabilitation agency.

17. The computing system according to claim 14 wherein the service agency is a corporation.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose stored contents configure a computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing a set of data related to a service agency in an electronic database, the set of data having a plurality of at least six datasets;

storing in a first one of the datasets a total-budget value, the total-budget value representative of a sum of money the agency has paid for a plurality of service items provided by a plurality of vendors in a plurality of cases wherein each of the plurality of service items is substantially the same type of service item as the other service items and wherein each vendor provides one or more service items in each of one or more cases of the plurality of cases assigned to the vendor;

storing, for each case assigned to each vendor, in a second one of the datasets an amount-paid value, the amount-paid value representative of the corresponding payment from the service agency;

storing, for each case assigned to each vendor, in a third one of the datasets a case-score value, the case-score value representing a value of the service items provided by each vendor;

storing in a fourth one of the datasets a total-case-score value, the total-case-score value formed by summing the case-score values stored in the third one of the datasets;

storing, for each case assigned to each vendor, in a fifth one of the datasets a vendor-service-score value, the vendor-service-score value corresponding to a certain relative value added to the case via the provision of the one or more service items of the plurality of service items provided by each vendor in exchange for a corresponding payment from the service agency;

storing in a sixth one of the datasets a total-vendor-services-score value, the total-vendor-services-score value formed by summing the vendor-services-score values stored in the fifth one of the datasets;

iteratively selecting each vendor of the plurality of vendors;

forming a vendor-score-contribution value associated with each of the plurality of vendors, the vendor-score-contribution value formed by:

mathematically combining the total-budget value, the vendor-service-score value of the selected vendor, and the total-vendor-services-score value to form a case value;

distributing the case value to the one or more service items of the plurality of service items provided by the selected vendor; and

computing a net contribution of the selected vendor by mathematically combining the distributed case value from the amount-paid value corresponding to the one vendor; and

outputting a report, the report reflecting the computed net contribution of at least one vendor of the plurality of vendors.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18 wherein forming the vendor-score-contribution value comprises:

generating a budget-allocation value, the budget-allocation value generated by multiplying the total-budget value by a quotient formed by summing each case-score value related to the one vendor and dividing the sum by the total-case-score value;

generating a case-distribution value, the case-distribution value generated by multiplying the budget-allocation value by a quotient formed by summing each vendor-service-score value related to the one vendor and dividing the sum by the total-vendor-services-score value; and

generating the vendor-score-contribution value by subtracting the amount-paid value from the case-distribution value.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18 , further comprising:

sorting the vendors according to the vendor-score-contribution values of each of the plurality of vendors;

forming the report to reflect the sorted vendors.