Patent ID: 7472079

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for automatically controlling selection of a grid provider for a grid job, comprising: responsive to a user at a grid client system entering at least one criteria for a particular grid job intended for submission to an grid environment, selecting at least one grid provider of said external grid environment to query for availability to process said particular grid job to meet said at least one criteria by: determining whether a type of said particular grid job matches a particular type assigned to a grid alliance agreement, wherein said grid alliance agreement comprises at least one alliance grid provider to which said grid client agrees to solely submit said type of said particular grid job: and responsive to detecting that said particular grid job is of a type that matches said particular type assigned to said grid alliance agreement, automatically selecting only said at least one alliance grid provider to query; automatically distributing said at least one criteria in a bid request for said particular grid job to said at least one grid provider; storing at least one bid response received from said at least one grid provider; responsive to reaching a deadline for return of responses for said bid request, processing, at said grid client system, said at least one bid response to select a winning bid response for said particular grid job; and automatically distributing said particular grid job from said grid client system to a particular grid provider submitting said winning bid response.