# Intelligent Procurement Scheduling System for Items Involving Public Procurement
## 3 Results and Discussion
Threshold for Buying FrequencyThe quasi-linear relationship identified for buying frequency (with a critical threshold observed between 1 and 6) indicates that beyond this range, significant changes in procurement duration can occur. Organizations can use this  
Figure 3: Plots showing the variation in input variables. (**a**) Buying frequency (per annum). (**b**) Competition (numbers). (**c**) Criticality factor. (**d**) Tender value (lakh rupees). (**e**) Variants (numbers). insight to optimize their procurement cycles, avoiding frequent small orders that could prolong the procurement period. _Impact of Competition:_ The finding that increased competition reduces procurement duration suggests that encouraging more suppliers to participate in tenders can expedite the process. Organizations might consider strategies to broaden their supplier base and foster competitive bidding environments. _Inter-Departmental Follow-Ups:_ Streamlining inter-departmental follow-ups and ensuring prompt responses can reduce delays, particularly for highcriticality items. _Complexity of High-Value Tenders:_ The observation that procurement periods increase with higher tender values (above 5 million rupees) underscores the need for meticulous planning and additional scrutiny for high-value procurements. Organizations can prepare for these complexities by allocating more time and resources to manage these tenders. _Handling Variants:_ The limited impact of the number of variants on procurement duration within a certain range (6 to 12) suggests that organizations can manage multiple variants without significant delays. This insight helps in planning bulk procurements where multiple variants are involved, ensuring that procurement timelines remain unaffected. _Resource Optimization:_ The ability to predict procurement durations accurately enables organizations to optimize their human, material and financial resources. This leads to more efficient operations, reduced wastage, and better financial management, particularly for critical projects requiring timely procurement. To provide a comprehensive view of the relationships between various input combinations and their corresponding output, surface plots are presented in Figures 4-13. These plots offer a three-dimensional representation, allowing for a nuanced understanding of how different combinations of input parameters influence the procurement period. The surface plots highlight the intricate and often non-linear nature of these relationships, emphasizing the need for a sophisticated modeling approach like fuzzy logic to capture the nuances of the procurement process. Figure 4 shows the relationship between the number of variants available in the scope of supply and the tender value. The plot helps to identify how different combinations of these two variables affect the procurement period, indicating that a higher number of variants might complicate the procurement process, especially when coupled with higher tender values. Figure 5 demonstrates how the frequency of procurement for a specific item interacts with the level of competition (number of suppliers). Understanding this relationship is crucial for optimizing procurement timelines, as frequent purchasing coupled with high competition may lead to quicker decision-making. The relationshipbetween the frequency of procurement and the criticality of the item is illustrated in Figure 6. This plot highlights how often critical items are procured and the impact of their criticality on the procurement process. High criticality and high buying frequency indicate a need for streamlined procedures. Figure 7 shows the interaction-between buying frequency per annum and the tendered value. The visualization helps in understanding how frequent purchases of high-value items require different handling compared to lower-value items. The surface plot between competition and criticality shown in Figure 8 helps us to understand how the availability of suppliers (competition) affects the procurement of highly critical items.