Abstract:
Systems and methods for managing contract labor activities are disclosed. A system and method could include the capability to receive a contract labor request and disseminate information regarding the contract labor request to vendors. A system and method could also include the capability to receive and distribute resumes of candidates from vendors and generate a message containing a purchase order for the services of the selected candidate. A system and method could further include the capability to receive a compensation request associated with the purchase order and generate a message for invoicing when the compensation request is approved.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Serial No. 60/210,590, filed Jun. 8, 2000, entitled  Outsourcing System.    
       TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to contract labor and, more specifically, to a system and method for managing contract labor activities.  
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Typically when a company needs contract labor, a variety of forms must be completed and sent between various persons in the company, such as, for example, the requesting manager, the resource manager, and the resource approver. Upon receiving approval for the contract labor, the resource manager selects, usually by using notebooks and/or personal knowledge, one or more vendors that supply contract labor and sends them an e-mail or fax describing the need. The vendors then fax resumes to the resource manager, who screens them and forwards the acceptable ones to the requesting manager. The requesting manager then screens the resumes and interviews the appealing candidates. Upon finding an appropriate candidate, the manager notifies the resource manager, who negotiates with the vendor for the candidate&#39;s services. Once the negotiations are complete, the company sends a purchase order to the vendor.  
           [0004]    During the consultant&#39;s performance, she periodically submits time sheets to the requesting manager. The requesting manager then approves the time sheets, and they are sent to the vendor, which generates an invoice and faxes it to the company&#39;s accounting department. Upon receiving the invoice, the accounting department makes arrangements to pay the vendor and/or consultant.  
           [0005]    Unfortunately, because of the numerous exchanges of information during the contract labor activities, it may be difficult to associate documents with the appropriate contract labor request or to even know the status of the contract labor request. For example, the requesting manager may have difficulty determining the status of the contract labor request if she cannot reach the resource manager. As another example, the resource manager may have difficulty determining which contract labor request is associated with received documents, such as resumes. As a further example, the accounting department may not know which purchase order is associated with an invoice and/or whether the expense for the invoice has been approved. As still a further example, the vendor may not know the status of candidates it has submitted or with which contract an approved time card is associated. Thus, the process of acquiring, managing, and billing for contract labor is a disjoined process, which usually results in delay and frustration.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention substantially reduces or eliminates at least some of the disadvantages and problems associated with previously developed systems and methods for managing contract labor activities. Accordingly, the present invention, provides a system and method that, at least for some parts of the system and process, have better organization and access to information regarding contract labor activities.  
           [0007]    In particular embodiments, a system for managing contract labor activities includes a communication interface, a memory, and a processor. The communication interface is adapted to be coupled to a communication network and is operable to receive information from and send information to the communication network. The memory is coupled to the communication interface and is operable to store information received through the communication interface. The processor is coupled to the memory and is operable to receive a contract labor request, receive a list of vendors associated with the contract labor request, associate the list with the contract labor request, and generate a message containing information in the contract labor request for at least one of the vendors.  
           [0008]    In certain embodiments, a method for managing contract labor activities includes receiving a contract labor request through a communication interface and receiving a list of vendors associated with the contract labor request through the communication interface. The method also includes associating the list with the contract labor request and generating a message containing information in the contract labor request for at least one of the vendors.  
           [0009]    In other embodiments, a system for managing contract labor activities also includes a communication interface, a memory, and a processor. The communication interface is adapted to be coupled to a communication network and is operable to receive information from and send information to the communication network. The memory is coupled to the communication interface and is operable to store information received through the communication interface. The memory is further operable to store purchase orders for contract labor requests. The processor is coupled to the memory and is operable to receive a compensation request, associate the compensation request with a purchase order, generate a message containing information from the compensation request, receive a message indicating that the compensation request is approved, and generate a second message containing information from the compensation request.  
           [0010]    The present invention possesses several technical features and advantages. For example, in particular embodiments, the present invention allows the different activities of the contract labor process to be centrally controlled. Thus, the forms used and information gathered may have a fairly consistent format, which allows ease of use for those using and managing the system. Additionally, individuals may access the information to determine the status of the items for which they are responsible. Moreover, the information from one person regarding a contract labor request may be readily associated with that from other persons regarding the same contract labor request. As another example, in certain embodiments, the present invention allows at least certain aspects of the contract labor process to be handled electronically. This allows the process to proceed quickly and reduces the probability of lost documents or information. Furthermore, this allows individuals to readily access the information to determine the status of the items for which they are responsible. Moreover, this allows the collection and utilization of information regarding the various aspects of the contract labor process, such as billing rates for labor and the quality and capabilities of the vendors. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the invention allows certain individuals in the contract labor process to review comments of individuals that participate later in the process. This allows the earlier participants to learn what subsequent participants expect and need and, thus, to provide better performance the next time. Other embodiments may possess none, one, some, or all of these technical features and advantages and/or additional technical features and advantages.  
           [0011]    Other technical features and advantages will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art from the following figures, description, and claims.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    To provide a more complete understanding of the present invention, especially when considered in light of the following written description, and to further illuminate its technical features and advantages, reference is now made to the following drawings, in which:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a system for managing contract labor activities;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram for one embodiment of a contract labor activity handled by the system;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram for one embodiment of another contract labor activity handled by the system;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 illustrates a form that a requesting manager would fill out to initiate a contract labor request in the system;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 illustrates a form that a vendor would fill out during a contract labor activity;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 illustrates a form that a consultant would fill out during a contract labor activity; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a contracts computer for the system.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a system  10  for managing contract labor activities. In general, system  10  includes an organization  20 , a communication network  30 , a variety of vendors  40   a - z,  and a consultant  50 . Organization  20  is the entity that requires the contract labor, vendors  40   a - z  are entities that supply contract labor, and consultant  50  is the person performing the contract labor. Communication network  30  allows organization  20 , vendors  40   a - z,  and consultant  50  to exchange information with each other.  
         [0021]    In operation, organization  20  submits, through communication network  30 , a contract labor request to at least some of vendors  40   a - z.  The selected ones of vendors  40   a - z  then submit, again through communication network  30 , information regarding candidates for the position. Organization  20  then selects one of the candidates and sends the vendor that submitted the selected candidate a purchase order for the candidate&#39;s services. This candidate becomes consultant  50 .  
         [0022]    Consultant  50  then performs work for organization  20 . At some points in time, consultant  50  submits, again through communication network  30 , time sheets, which are one example of compensation requests, to organization  20 . The time sheets are reviewed by organization  20  and, if correct, are approved and forwarded to the appropriate one of vendors  40   a - z.  The vendor then submits an invoice to organization  20 , which pays the vendor and/or consultant.  
         [0023]    In more detail, organization  20  includes a variety of individuals who participate in contract labor activities—a requesting manager  22 , a request coordinator  23 , a number of resource managers  24   a - z,  a resource approver  25 , a hiring manager  26 , and an accounts payable (A/P) processor  27 , each of which has a computer coupled to a communication network  21  of organization  20 . Organization  20  also has a contracts computer  28  to coordinate the contract labor activities.  
         [0024]    In operation, when requesting manager  22  needs contract labor, she uses her computer to access contracts computer  28 , through communication network  21 . Contracts computer  28  then provides a contract labor request (CLR) form to her computer, which displays it in a graphical user interface (GUI). Requesting manager  22  may then complete the CLR form on her computer and submit it to contracts computer  28 . Contracts computer  28  sends the CLR form to the computer of one of resource managers  24   a - z.  The selected resource manager may then review the form in a GUI and notify contracts computer  28  if any errors are detected. If the resource manager detects any errors, contracts computer has the requesting manager correct the errors before proceeding with the CLR.  
         [0025]    Once the selected resource manager verifies the CLR form, contracts computer  28  computes the dollar amount of the contract labor request, based in part on the estimated regular work hours and over time hours, and submits this to resource approver  25 . Resource approver  25  may determine whether to approve or disapprove the contract labor request.  
         [0026]    Upon approval of the CLR, contracts computer  28  notifies request coordinator  23  that a new CLR form has been submitted. Request coordinator  23  may then use her computer to examine the CLR form in a GUI and allocates it to one of resource managers  24   a - z.  The selected one of resource managers  24   a - z  is then notified of the allocation and uses her computer to access the form in contracts computer  28  and display it in a GUI. Upon reviewing the form, the selected resource manager retrieves a list of available vendors, possibly a subset of vendors  40   a - z,  from contracts computer  28  and selects some or all of the vendors on this list for the contract labor request. Once the vendors have been identified for this contract labor request, contracts computer  28  generates a message, typically an e-mail, that is sent to each of the selected vendors, through communication network  30 .  
         [0027]    The selected ones of vendors  40   a - z  may then retrieve the contract labor request from contracts computer  28 , through communication network  30 . Upon receipt of the contract labor request, each selected vendor may determine the persons whom it believes may be able to fulfill the contract labor request. The vendors may then submit resumes of these candidates to contracts computer  28 .  
         [0028]    Upon receiving the resumes, contracts computer  28  notifies, typically by e-mail, the selected resource manager that resumes have been received. The resource manager may examine the resumes by having her computer access them in contracts computer  28  and display them in a GUI. The resource manager may determine to discard some of the resumes at this time. After this, the remaining resumes are made available to hiring manager  26 . Hiring manager  26  may use her computer to access the remaining resumes in contracts computer  28  and display them in a GUI. Hiring manager  26  may determine which of the candidates that she wishes to interview. The hiring manager notifies the contracts computer  28  of the resumes that are no longer under consideration.  
         [0029]    Hiring manager  28  may then interview the candidates. After this, the hiring manager fills out an evaluation form, which may include, for example, the date, the time, the location, the interview mode, and any comments, on each of the candidates and submits the evaluation forms to contracts computer  28 . Furthermore, the hiring manager typically selects one of the candidates to fulfill the CLR.  
         [0030]    Upon the selection of a candidate, the selected resource manager performs the final negotiation for the services of the candidate, such as for the actual billing rate, and submits the final terms for approval. Once resource approver  25  approves the final terms, the resource manager may enter the hiring information, and a welcome package and a purchase order will be sent to the vendor. A purchase order may, for example, include the purchase order number, the purchase order date, the candidate&#39;s name and social security number, the vendor&#39;s name, remit to code, and address, the billing rates, the hours, the labor amount, the expense amount, the purchase order amount, the start date and the end date. This completes the contract labor request procurement process.  
         [0031]    Another aspect of managing contract labor activities is the submission, approval, and payment of time sheets for services rendered by consultant  50 . In this process, consultant  50  uses her computer to retrieve a time sheet from contracts computer  28 , through communication network  30 . The consultant may view the time sheet in a GUI, fill it in, and submit it to contracts computer  28 . Upon receiving the time sheet, contracts computer  28  will notify hiring manager  26  of the received time sheet. The hiring manager may then access the time sheet in contracts computer  28  using her computer and view it in a GUI. Upon examining the time sheet, the hiring manager may determine whether to approve or disapprove the time sheet. If the time sheet is disapproved, the consultant is notified and is allowed to make corrections. Once the time sheet is approved, contracts computer  28  notifies the associated vendor of the approved time sheet and allows the vendor to view the time sheet. The vendor may use her computer to generate and submit an invoice, which may include the invoice number, the tax, the total amount, and any comments, to contracts computer  28 , which forwards the invoice to A/P processor  27  for payment. A/P processor  27  may then make arrangements for payment of the invoice.  
         [0032]    System  10  has a variety of useful features. For example, by centrally controlling the information for the contract labor activities, the format of the information may be readily controlled, and the information may be accessed by the various individuals and computers. Moreover, the information from one person regarding a CLR may be readily associated with that from other persons regarding the same CLR. Additionally, because most, if not all, of the information is maintained and transferred electronically, the information is readily available to the various individuals. Thus, they may be readily updated as to the status of a CLR. Furthermore, the data may be readily manipulated to generate reports and statistics. A variety of other features exist.  
         [0033]    In other embodiments, system  10  may have a variety of additional features. For example, the system may allow any of requesting manager  22 , request coordinator  23 , resource managers  24   a - z,  resource approver  25 , and/or hiring manager  26  to view the status of contract labor requests for which they are responsible. In a particular embodiment, requesting manager  22  may determine whether a contract labor request that she has submitted has been assigned to a resource manager, approved, submitted to vendors  40   a - z,  and/or filled. As another example, resource manager  24  may view all of the contract labor requests for which she is responsible and determine their status, such as open, pending, or closed. Additionally, vendors  40   a - z  may review the contract labor requests that are currently available and contract labor requests on which they have consultants working. As a further example, consultants may use system  10  to submit other types of compensation requests, such expense reports for travel, to organization  20  for reimbursement. As a further example, a corporate administrative system (CAS), which may, for example, be a legacy system, may be included. The CAS would manage budgetary information for the contract labor requests and may be responsible for determining who the appropriate resource approver is based on the requesting manager and amount of the request. As an additional example, contracts computer  28  may maintain a database of labor rates and/or vendors. The labor rates may be organized by experience, job skill, geographic region, and/or any other appropriate factor. This information may prove helpful in projecting how much a CLR will actually cost and in negotiating rates for contract labor. The vendors may be organized by size, consultant specialty, geographic location, and/or any other appropriate factor. This information may prove helpful in choosing the vendors to which the CLR will be sent. As still a further example, each individual may have to undergo an authentication sequence to gain access to contracts computer  28 , such as by using a username and password. Thus, access to contracts computer  28  may be controlled in general, and individuals that are legitimate are only given access to the information that they require. Moreover, this allows contracts computer  28  to provide each user with individualized information. A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0034]    The components of system  10  may have a variety of forms, structures, and/or arrangements. For example, the different persons within organization  20  may be co-located, widely disbursed, or have any other geographic proximity to each other. Additionally, communication network  30  may be the Internet, the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a frame relay network, or any other type of network that allows data communications. Moreover, communication network may be a collection of different networks. Furthermore, although the devices with which the persons in FIG. 1 communicate with each other have been described as computers, these devices could be personal computers, personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, portable computers, or any other type of device for sending and receiving data. The computers may communicate with the communication networks by any type of wireline or wireless link. A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0035]    In other embodiments, the elements of system  10  may have a variety of different configurations. For example, requesting manager  22  and hiring manager  26  may be the same person. As another example, a person other than the hiring manger may perform some of all of the interviews, in which case the interview form probably include the name and contact information for the interviewer. As a further example, small organizations may not have numerous resource managers  24   a - z  and, thus, may not need resource coordinator  23 . As an additional example, the computer that consultant  50  uses may be part of organization  20 . As still a further example, the computers that allow the persons of organization  20  to communicate with each other may be connected to communication network  30 . Thus, some or all of the persons of organization  20  may be remote from each other. A variety of other configurations exist.  
         [0036]    Additionally, although system  10  has been discussed in the context of a web-based system that uses and e-mails to send notifications and GUI&#39;s, possibly with the help of a web browser, such as Internet Explorer 4.0 or Netscape Navigator 4.0, to present information, a variety of other manners, such as fax or mail, may be used to send information between different entities in system  10 , such as the vendors  40   a - z  and organization  20 . Furthermore, some or all of the information may be presented in plain text format, in verbal format, in hard copy format, and/or any other appropriate type of format.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram for one embodiment of the operation of system  10 . At step  202 , the requesting manager, using her computer, requests a CLR form from the contracts computer, and at step  204 , the contracts computer sends the CLR form to the requesting manager&#39;s computer. The requesting manager enters information into the CLR form at step  205  and submits the CLR form to the contracts computer at step  206 . At step  208 , the contracts computer sends the CLR form to one of the resource managers, who verifies the requirements in the form at step  210 . If corrections are required, the resource manager submits the corrections to the contracts computer at step  212 . The contracts computer then sends the corrections to the requesting manager at step  214 , who makes the corrections at step  216 . The requesting manager submits the CLR form again at step  218 .  
         [0038]    At step  220 , the contracts computer computes the dollar amount of the CLR. Next, the contracts computer sends a confirmation to the requesting manager at step  222  and sends the dollar amount of the CLR to the resource approver at step  224 . The resource approver approves the amount at step  226  and sends the approval to the contracts computer at step  228 .  
         [0039]    At step  230 , the contracts computer sends a message regarding unallocated, approved CLRs to the request coordinator. The request coordinator requests the unallocated, approved CLRs from the contracts computer at step  232  and receives the unallocated, approved CLRs at step  234 . The request coordinator allocates the unallocated, approved CLRs between the resources managers at step  236  and sends the allocation information to the contracts computer at step  238 . The contracts computer then notifies the selected resource manager that she has been allocated a CLR at step  239 . The resource manager requests the allocated CLR at step  240 , and the contracts computer sends the allocated CLR to the resource manager at step  240 . The resource manager then identifies potential vendors at step  242  and submits the vendor list to the contracts computer at step  244 .  
         [0040]    Upon receiving the list of identified vendors, the contracts computer, at step  246 , sends them a message indicating that they may participate in the CLR, and sends the CLR to an identified vendor at step  250  upon its request at step  248 . The identified vendor may then select resumes for the CLR at step  251  and submit the resumes to the contracts computer at step  252 .  
         [0041]    The contracts computer then allows the resumes to be viewed by the selected resource manager at step  254 . The resource manager may then filter the resumes at step  256  and notify the contracts computer of the rejected resumes at step  258 . The contracts computer then notifies the vendors of the rejected resumes at step  260  and sends the accepted resumes to the hiring manager&#39;s computer at step  262 . The hiring manager&#39;s computer may present the resume information in summary fashion, such as with name, bill rate, and availability of each candidate, and/or with the full detail of each resume. The hiring manager may then filter the resumes again at step  264  and notify the contracts computer of the accepted resumes at step  266 . The contracts computer then notifies the vendors of the rejected resumes at step  267 . Next, the hiring manager interviews the candidates at step  268 . After interviewing the candidates, the hiring manager requests evaluation forms from the contracts computer at step  270 . The contracts computer sends the evaluation forms to the hiring manager at step  272 . The hiring manager then enters evaluation information at step  274  and submits the evaluation forms to the contracts computer at step  276 . During this step, one of the candidates is typically selected for hire. At step  280 , the contracts computer sends the evaluation forms to the resource manager, who can then add her own comments at step  282  and submit the evaluation forms to the contracts computer at step  284 . At step  286 , the contracts computer sends the evaluation forms for each candidate to the associated vendor.  
         [0042]    Assuming the hiring manager has selected a candidate, the resource manager negotiates the final rate for the candidate at step  290  and enters hiring information at step  291 . The resource manage submits the hiring information to the contracts computer at step  292 . At step  294 , the contracts computer sends the hiring information to the resource approver for final approval. The resource approver approves the information at step  296  and sends the approval to the contracts computer at step  298 . The contracts computer sends a purchase order, which could be created by the resource manager and/or contracts computer, and welcome package to the vendor at step  306  and closes the CLR for bid at step  308 .  
         [0043]    The process shown in FIG. 2 has several advantages. One advantage is that individuals may review the comments that others make and, thus, learn what others expect. For example, the resource manager and the vendors may review the comments of the hiring manager and, thus, learn the types of candidates in which she is interested. As another example, the requesting manager may review the comments of the resource manager and learn how to appropriately complete a CLR form. Another advantage is that the resource manager may draw upon the database for information in negotiating certain issues of the contract, such as the contract. Note that the database will be updated, and thus become more accurate, as each contract is established. A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0044]    Although a variety of steps have been discussed with respect to FIG. 2, in other embodiments, steps may be added, deleted, and/or reordered. For example, the request coordinator may assign a resource manager to the CLR form before the resource manager verifies the information in the CLR form. As another example, the CLR may be allocated to a resource manager before or during approval by the resource approver. As a further example, the resource manager may not filter the resumes before they are sent to the hiring manager. As an additional example, the resource manager may verify the reference information before sending the selected resumes to the hiring manager. As another example, the CLR may be returned to the requesting manager with the computed cost of the project before being allocated to a resource manager. As still a further example, some or all of the notification steps may be deleted if the persons in system  10 , or their computers, at least somewhat regularly poll contracts computer  28  to receive undated information regarding CLRs. As an additional example, additional notification steps may be included if individuals do not respond within a certain time period and/or if no activity occurs on a CLR within a certain time period. As another example, some information may be sent without waiting for individuals or their computers to request it from contracts computer  28 , such as the CLR for the identified vendors. As a further example, some or all of the forms may be stored on the individual&#39;s computers and, thus, do not have to be requested from the contracts computer. As an additional example, steps  242 - 246  may be replaced by a step that sends a message regarding the CLR to all of the vendors. As another example, steps  294 - 298  may not be necessary if the hiring information indicates to the contract computer that the CLR will fall within preapproved guidelines from the resource approver. A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0045]    Additionally, in other embodiments, a variety of other functions are available for system  10 . For example, the requesting managers may be able to review the status, such as, for example, pending, submitted, open, on hold, cancelled, or filled, of the CLRs they have created. A CLR is pending from the time it is created until it is submitted to a resource manager. The CLR becomes open once the resource manager approves it. As another example, the hiring manager may review the same status items for the CLRs for which she is responsible. Furthermore, the hiring manager may review: 1) submitted, rejected, approved, and invoiced time sheets and expense reports; 2) open, pending, and closed purchase orders; and 3) submitted invoices. Additionally, the hiring manager may be able to use system  10  to schedule interviews for candidates and keep track of the interview schedule. The hiring manager also may be able to fill out an evaluation on each candidate as they are interviewed and decide whether to hire, reject, or keep considering the candidate. Furthermore, the hiring manager may be able to provide comments as to why she rejected the resumes, and these may be provided to the resource manager and/or vendor. As an additional example, the request coordinator and the resource manager may be able to review the status of all the CLRs for which they are responsible. Furthermore, the resource manager may be able to view and edit the list of suppliers and review the status of purchase orders, including invoices, for which she is responsible. As a further example, the vendor may use system  10  to review its profile information, review CLRs on which it is capable of proffering candidates, review the status of candidates that it has proffered, review CLRs on which it successfully proffered a candidate, review purchase orders for its services, and create and submit invoices. As still a further example, system  10  may allow consultant  50  to create time sheets and expense reports and review submitted, rejected, and approved time sheets and expense reports. As another example, the contracts computer may be able to verify the information in the CLR form and/or determine whether the CLR should receive final approval. Furthermore, the contracts computer may be able to allocate the CLR to the resource managers, identify vendors for the CLR, and/or submit the purchase order to the A/P processor. These options may be presented to the various individuals in a menu, toolbar, or other appropriate manner. Also, in certain embodiments, only part of the information in a form, such as a CLR form, a time sheet, and/or a purchase order, may be sent to a requestor. A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram for a contract labor billing process handled by system  10 . At step  350 , the consultant, using her computer, requests a time sheet from the contracts computer, which sends the time sheet to the consultant&#39;s computer at step  352 . The consultant enters her time information into the time sheet displayed on her computer at step  354  and submits the time sheet to the contracts computer at step  356 . The contracts computer notifies the hiring manager of an unapproved time sheet at step  358 , and the hiring manager requests the time sheet in step  360 . At step  362 , the contracts computer sends the time sheet to the hiring manager, who may approve the time sheet at step  364 . At step  366 , the hiring manager submits the approved time sheet to the contracts computer, which then sends the approved time sheet to the vendor, or the accounts receivable personnel of the vendor, at step  368 . The vendor requests an invoice from the contracts computer at step  370 , and the contracts computer sends the invoice to the vendor&#39;s computer at step  372 . At step  374 , the vendor completes the invoice displayed on its computer. The vendor then submits the invoice to the contracts computer at step  376 . At step  378 , the contracts computer sends the invoice to the A/P processor, who makes arrangements to transfer funds to the vendor at step  380 , assuming the invoice is appropriate.  
         [0047]    Although a variety of steps have been shown with regard to the submission, approval, and payment of time sheets, in other embodiments, steps may be added, deleted, and/or reordered. For example, if the hiring manager does not approve the time sheet at step  364 , the hiring manager may enter comments regarding why the time sheet was rejected and send the time sheet back to the contracts computer, which will then notify the consultant of the rejected time sheet. The consultant may then revise the time sheet and resubmit it. As a further example, the contracts computer may not need to notify the hiring manager of an unapproved time sheet if the hiring manager, or her computer, polls the contracts computer on a somewhat regular basis. As another example, the contracts computer may notify the consultant on a regular basis regarding the submission of time sheets. A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0048]    Additionally, in other embodiments, a variety of other financial functions may be handled by system  10 . For example, the consultant may be able to submit expense reports, such as for travel, in much the same way a time sheet is submitted. As a further example, the A/P processor may be able to send a message, such as an electronic funds transfer, to transfer funds to the account of the vendor and/or consultant to satisfy the invoice. As another example, the contracts computer may automatically create an invoice for the vendor so that the transfer of funds may be accelerated. A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 4 illustrates a CLR form  400  that a requesting manager would fill out to initiate a CLR in system  10 . As shown, CLR form  400  contains fields  402 - 472 . The CLR order number is automatically generated by the contracts computer in field  402 . Fields  404 - 470  need to be completed by the requesting manager. Fields  404 - 418  allow the entry of information regarding the requesting manager and the project for which the request is being made. For example, the requesting manager enters his name in field  404  and the account codes for the project in fields  412 - 414 . Fields  420 - 432  allow entry of information regarding the application process for the CLR. For example, the requesting manager enters the date that resumes are due in field  424 . Fields  434 - 452  allow entry of detailed information regarding the CLR. For example, field  434  allows the requesting manager to indicate how many positions are available, and field  436  allows the requesting manager to specify where the work will be performed. Furthermore, fields  438 - 446  allow the requesting manager to indicate the skills and experience that are required for the project. For example, for a technical CLR, field  442  allows the requesting manger to indicate what platform, such as PC, server, mainframe, on which the consultant will work, and field  444  allows the requesting manager to specify any skill, such as DB2, Oracle, or Sybase, required. In addition, fields  448  and  450  allow the requesting manager to indicate the time period for the project. Fields  454 - 470  allow the entry of more detailed information regarding the work. For example, field  462  allows the resource manager to indicate whether the position is one that can become permanent, and field  470  indicates whether overtime hours are anticipated.  
         [0050]    Upon the completion of CLR form  400 , the requesting manager may submit the form to the contracts computer by activating the submit button  474 . As discussed previously, once the CLR form is submitted, a resource manager will review the CLR form to determine whether it has been appropriately filled out. If the form has not been appropriately filled out, the resource manager may enter comments in field  472  and send the CLR form to the contracts computer, which will send it to the requesting manager. The requesting manager may then make corrections to CLR form  400  and resubmit it.  
         [0051]    Although FIG. 4 illustrates CLR form  400  for system  10 , a variety of other forms may be useful. These forms may have more, less, and/or different arrangements of information than CLR form  400 . For example, some of the information may be automatically filled in for the requesting manager, such as, for example, her name and contact information, which might be determined based on her username. Additionally, different forms may be required for different types of contract laborers, such as, for example, professional, technical, and/or clerical. As another example, other forms may include the department or organization of the requesting manager, comments from the requesting manager, a title for the project, an address for the project, the tax status of the project, the experience desired for the project, the anticipated hours for the project, and the anticipated expenses for the project. As a further example, the form may be used only to submit initial orders for a CLR and, thus, not require field  420 , may not request required skills and, thus, not require field  440 , and/or may not require detailed over time information. A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 5 illustrates a resume information form  500  that vendors  40   a - z  would fill out for a candidate. Resume information form  500  includes fields  502 - 526  that need to be completed by the vendor. In field  502 , the recruiter who is completing the form for the vendor would enter their name. In fields  504 - 516 , the recruiter enters identification information regarding the candidate. For example, the recruiter would enter the billing rate for the candidate in field  514  and the skills the candidate possesses in field  516 . In fields  518 - 522 , the recruiter would enter reference information for the candidate. Field  524  allows the recruiter to enter the availability date of the candidate, and field  526  allows the recruiter to indicate whether the candidate is willing to become a permanent employee. Upon completing resume information form  500 , the recruiter may submit the form to the contracts computer by activating button  530 .  
         [0053]    In other embodiments, more, less, and/or different arrangements of information may be supplied on resume information form  500 . For example, resume information form  500  may call for multiple references and/or an e-mail address for the candidate. As another example, resume information form  500  may not require the phone numbers for the candidate. As a further example, resume information form  500  may require educational background of the candidate. As an additional example, a traditional resume may be sent along with or in place of resume information form  500 . A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 6 illustrates a time sheet form  600  that a consultant may complete to be compensated for her time. As shown, time sheet from  600  includes fields  602 - 628 . Fields  602 - 616  contain information regarding the consultant and the project on which she is working. For example, field  612  will contain the name of the consultant&#39;s supervisor in organization  20 , and fields  614 - 616  will contain account codes for the project. In fields  618 - 628 , the consultant enters the days and times that she worked, making any remarks in field  623 . Once the consultant has completed time sheet form  600 , she may submit it for payment by activating button  632 .  
         [0055]    As discussed previously, once the consultant has submitted time sheet form  600 , it will be relayed to the hiring manager for the consultant by the contracts computer. The hiring manager may then review the time sheet form and determine whether it has been completed appropriately. If the time sheet form is unsuitable, the hiring manager may notify the contracts computer that the time sheet is disapproved. The contracts computer would notify the consultant that the time sheet requires correction. The consultant would then be able to retrieve time sheet form  600  and make any appropriate corrections.  
         [0056]    In other embodiments, time sheet form  600  may include fewer, greater, and/or different arrangement of fields. For example, time sheet form  600  may contain a field indicating the status of the time sheet form, such as new, saved, submitted, rejected, or approved, a field indicating which time sheet this is for the consultant, and/or a field indicating the purchase order number. As a further example, the time sheet form may not possess the location and department fields. Moreover, some of the fields in time sheet form  600  may be automatically filled in for the consultant. For example, information such as the vendor name, the consultant name, the social security number, the location, the department, and the supervisor may be automatically filled in for the consultant when the time sheet form is retrieved from the contracts computer. A variety of other examples exist.  
         [0057]    [0057]FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of contracts computer  28  for system  10 . As shown, contracts computer  28  includes a communication interface  92 , a memory  94 , and a processor  98 . Communication interface  92  is adapted to be coupled to a communication network and is capable of receiving information from and sending information to the communication network. Coupled to communication interface  92  is memory  94 . Memory  94  includes software  96 , which contains instructions for processor  98 , and a database  97 . Database  97  contains the forms, such as, for example, CLR form  400 , resume information form  500 , and time sheet form  600 , for operating system  10 . Additionally, database  97  includes all of the completed forms that have been submitted by each of the persons in system  10 . Coupled to memory  94  is processor  98 . Processor  98  is able to respond to the requests from the various persons using system  10  and to forward the correct forms, messages, notifications, and/or information to the various persons using system  10 .  
         [0058]    The components of contracts computer  28  may have a variety of different configurations. For example, communication interface  92  may be an Ethernet card, a modem, a transceiver, any other type of device that allows information to be exchanged with a communication network. Memory  94  may be random access memory (RAM), rewritable compact disk memory (CD-RW), a hard drive, or any other type of electromagnetic or optical volatile or not volatile device for storing information. Database  97  may be relational, flat, hierarchical, or have any other useful structure. Processor  98  may be a complex instruction set computer (CISC), a reduced instruction set computer (RISC), a biological computer, an atomic computer, or any other type of device for manipulating information.  
         [0059]    In particular embodiments, database  97  also contains information, such as, for example, billing rates, regarding previous contract labor requests and/or information regarding vendors, such as size, labor specialty, and geographic location. This information may be useful in negotiating billing rates and selecting vendors, for example. Additionally, in certain embodiments, software  96  and database  97  may be implemented according to the Distributed Internet Architecture by Microsoft to perform contract labor activities. Furthermore, software  96  may include any of a variety of commercially available software packages for facilitating the functions of system  10 , such as, for example, Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 (operating system), Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0, Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 (database), Active Server Pages (HTML page implementation), Microsoft Transaction Server 2.0, VBScript, Microsoft SMTP Service (e-mail), Microsoft Excel (time sheet and invoice generation), Microsoft Word (purchase order generation), SA File Up (resume upload), JavaScript (validations), Site Server 3.0 (authentication), Secure Sockets Layer (encryption of authentication information and other information), an X500 directory (housing information about requesting mangers, hiring mangers, request coordinators, resource managers, and resource approvers), and EDI Asset (invoice handling). Additionally, in certain embodiments, the functions of contracts computer  28  may be distributed between several computers, such as, for example, an internal computer to serve the organization side personnel, an external computer to serve the vendor side personnel and the consultants, a component computer to perform the business functions, a membership computer to authenticate vendor personnel and consultants, and a database computer to house the information.  
         [0060]    Although several embodiments of the present invention have been discussed, numerous additions, deletions, substitutions, and/or alterations to the invention may be readily suggested to one of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the appended claims. It is intended therefore that the appended claims encompass such additions, deletions, substitutions, and/or alterations.