Patent ID: 7010506

Claim:
A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method in connection with an organization having a plurality of entities, and for acquiring a resource for at least two of the entities comprising: receiving, at a computerized centralized agent of the organization, a request for the resource from at least two of the entities; reviewing, by the centralized agent, each request for the resource, such reviewing including: aggregating substanially the same requests for concurrent handling; considering other non-requesting entities expected to make a substanially the same request; determining whether any necessary information has not been provided by the requesting entities in the request, and if so returning the request to the requesting entity for same; and determining whether the request is invalid, and if so returning the request to the requesting entity; selecting a vendor capable of supplying the resource of the requests to the organization; designating, by the centralized agent, at least one individual from the organization to work with the selected vendor in developing and supplying the resource of the requests; producing, by the centralized agent and the designated individual, a single qualified request to be submitted to the selected vendor; submitting the qualified request to the selected vendor; producing an agreement with the selected vendor regarding terms by which the selected vendor agrees to supply the resource of the qualified request to the organization; reviewing, by the centralized agent, the produced agreement in view of the qualified request and approving same, the selected vendor thereafter undertaking to develop and supply the resource of the qualified request according to the approved agreement; and monitoring, by the centralized agent, progress of the selected vendor according to the produced and approved agreement.