Patent Document ID: 7529688
Application ID: 09957831
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer-implemented cost savings analysis system, comprising: one or more databases storing historical transaction data; a server system coupled to the one or more databases, the server system operable to: receive a user input specifying a cost savings goal for one or more transactions; and access the historical transaction data within the one or more databases needed to generate a baseline price for each of the one or more transactions, wherein the baseline price is generated based on data selected from the group consisting of the historical transaction data and data manually input by an authorized user; and an analysis module coupled with the server system, the analysis module operable to: determine the historical transaction data to generate the baseline price for each of the one or more transactions; responsive to a determination that the historical transaction data exists to generate the baseline price for each of the one or more transactions, generate the baseline price based on the historical transaction data for each of the one or more transactions that the historical transaction data exists; responsive to a determination that the historical transaction data does not exist to generate the baseline price for each of the one or more transactions, generate the baseline price according to manual input by the authorized user for each of the one or more transactions that the historical transaction data does not exist, wherein the authorized user is required to provide a reason for the baseline price; determine a weighted cost savings goal for each of the one or more transactions based on the specified cost savings goal for the one or more transactions and a percentage of total costs an organization allocates to a transaction type associated with each of the one or more transactions; determine a variation between the generated baseline price and an actual price for each of the one or more transactions, wherein the actual price reflects a per-item price for each of the one or more transactions; compare the determined variations for each of the one or more transactions with the weighted cost savings goal for each of the one or more transactions; generate a cost savings result of the comparison of the determined variations for each of the one or more transactions and the weighted cost savings goal for each of the one or more transactions; and alert the user when the generated cost savings result reaches a certain threshold.