Patent ID: 8332859

Claim:
A method of managing bidding of chips for a set of resources in a resource management framework on at least one computing device, the method comprising: providing an agent between a first business unit and a resource broker using the at least one computing device, wherein the first business unit is one of a plurality of business units within the resource management framework, wherein the plurality of business units compete for the set of resources via a dynamic auction, wherein each of the set of resources includes distinct levels of service; communicating a required service level from the client to the agent using the at least one computing device, wherein the required service level is a service level necessary to perform a function of the first business unit; using historical data to determine an amount of the set of resources capable of fulfilling the required service level using the at least one computing device; using historical data to determine a likely amount of chips needed to obtain the amount of the set of resources; automatically submitting a first bid from the agent to the resource broker to obtain the amount of the set of resources; after obtaining the amount of the set of resources, monitoring the obtained set of resources to ensure the required service level is met; automatically forcing a bidding process for the set of resources between the first business unit and another business unit in the plurality of business units based upon a likelihood that the required service level will not be met by the acquired set of resources; and automatically submitting a second bid from the agent to the resource broker when the required service level is met, wherein the second bid includes a distinct bid amount from the first bid.