Patent ID: 7617153

Claim:
A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions, the sequences of instructions including instructions which when executed by a computer system causes the computer system to perform: recording, in the memory, data representing an approved supplier list, an approved commodity list, a time of a roll-out of a targeted commodity, a total number of non-compliant transactions approved by an approver, and a predetermined penalty threshold based on a number of non-compliant purchase transactions approved by the approver; receiving an invoice for payment of a purchase transaction including a supplier identifier, a commodity identifier, and a time of the purchase transaction, the purchase transaction being approved by the approver; comparing the supplier identifier with the approved supplier list; comparing the commodity identifier with the approved commodity list; comparing the time of transaction with the time of the roll-out of the targeted commodity; comparing the total number of non-compliant transactions approved by the approver to the predetermined penalty threshold; determining, based on the comparing of the supplier identifier, whether the invoice is from an approved supplier listed on the approved supplier list; determining, based on the comparing of the commodity identifier, whether the invoice relates to the targeted commodity listed on the approved commodity list; determining, based on the comparing of the time of the purchase transaction, whether the purchase transaction was conducted prior to the roll-out of the targeted commodity; determining, based on the comparing of the total number of non-compliant transactions, whether the predetermined penalty threshold has been exceeded; and if: (1) the invoice is not from an approved supplier listed on the approved supplier list, (2) the invoice relates to the targeted commodity listed on the approved commodity list, (3) the purchase transaction was conducted subsequent to the roll-out of the targeted commodity, and (4) the penalty threshold has been exceeded: generating a penalty notification; and transmitting the penalty notification to at least one of the approver, a business unit of the approver, a cost center, a department, a division, and an approving organization sub-unit via a communication network.