Patent ID: 7996298

Claim:
A computer-implemented auction method, comprising: receiving a tender from a buyer over a network, the tender including information relating to a desired good or service; identifying a plurality of suppliers based on the information; anonymously forwarding the tender to the identified suppliers over the network, utilizing a hardware processor; receiving a request for additional information from at least one of file suppliers over the network, and upon receiving the request, determining whether the deadline for requests for additional information has been passed; conditionally forwarding the request for additional information to the buyer over the network based on the determination of whether the deadline for requests for additional information has been passed; receiving a plurality of bids in response to the tender from a plurality of tile suppliers over tile network; consolidating the bids; and forwarding the consolidated bids to the buyer over the network; wherein the information includes a deadline for requests for additional information; wherein the consolidated bids are forwarded in a list; wherein multiple suppliers request additional information, and the requests are collected and consolidated; wherein the deadline for requests for additional information is separate from a deadline for bid submissions by prospective suppliers; wherein the requests are consolidated by listing all of the requests in a single web page; wherein the request for additional information received from the at least one of the suppliers over the network is automatically generated by the at least one of the suppliers as a result of an automated feature that reviews the information and automatically generates and sends the request for additional information for ensuring that the at least one of the suppliers receives a minimal set of information; wherein each of the plurality of suppliers that received the anonymously forwarded tender is sent a bill based on a registration by the supplier for receiving the tenders.