Patent ID: 7363250

Claim:
A method of procuring goods and services through a computer based market center system having a website accessible by a plurality of entities via the Internet, the method comprising: arranging with a plurality of suppliers, each having an Internet website, to participate in offering goods and services to the entities via the website of the market center system; negotiating with at least a subset of said suppliers prices for their respective goods and services at which said entities can purchase the respective goods and services; allowing said entities to place orders with any of the at least a subset of suppliers for respective goods and services via purchaser websites and the market center website; and allowing said entities an option of obtaining via purchaser websites and the market center website a price quotation from any of the at least a subset of suppliers; collecting information on said purchases made by said entities via said computer based market center system and on quotes received directly from said suppliers by said entities and analyzing said information at said computer based market center system; and determining if any of said quotes were for goods or services having a previously negotiated price and if so, whether said quotes for that good or service were at prices more favorable than said previously negotiated prices.