Method and Apparatus for Consumer Procurement Aggregation

Abstract

A method, system and computer program for accumulating information relating to product demand and consumption for each of a plurality of end users by a buying group representing a single purchase in bulk to disintermediate the supply chain, accumulating the received product demand into a predictive demand schedule by an expert service provider, and transmitting the accumulated predictive product demand schedule to a manufacturer/original source of the product by the expert service provider. Product availability information based upon the accumulated predictive product demand is received from the manufacturer/original source of the product, and is provided to the plurality of end users. One or more product orders are received, the product is ordered from the manufacturer/original source of the product, all aspects of the supply chain being managed by the expert service provider, and the product is shipped to one or more of the plurality of end users.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program causing a general purpose computer to perform a method for providing a supply chain as a service, comprising the steps of:
 accumulating information relating to product demand and consumption for each of a plurality of end users by a buying group representing a single purchase in bulk to disintermediate the supply chain;   accumulating the received product demand into a predictive demand schedule by an expert service provider on behalf of the buying group;   transmitting the accumulated predictive product demand schedule to a manufacturer/original source of the product by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group;   receiving product availability information based upon the accumulated predictive product demand from the manufacturer/original source of the product by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group;   providing the product availability information to the plurality of end users by the buying group;   receiving one or more product orders from one or more of the plurality of end users in accordance with the product availability information;   ordering product from the manufacturer/original source of the product and managing all aspects of the supply chain in accordance with the received one or more product orders by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group; and   shipping the product from the manufacturer/original source of the product to one or more of the plurality of end users in accordance with the received product order for each of the end users.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the buying group comprises one or more expert service providers. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of end users comprise one or more similar demand requirements. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of end users comprise one or more dissimilar demand requirements. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the step of ordering product from the manufacturer/original source of the product is made available by one or more expert service provider in order to provide the supply chain as a service, and disintermediate the supply chain. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the accumulated information related to product demand comprises information related to past, present and future product demand and consumption for each of the plurality of end users. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the predictive demand schedule comprises a plurality of demand schedules. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , where the plurality of demand schedules are transmitted to the manufacturer/original source of the product by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising the steps of:
 transmitting the accumulated product demand by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group to one or more logistics and fulfillment providers;   receiving logistics information by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group from the one or more logistics and fulfillment providers;   providing the product availability information together with the logistics information to the plurality of end users by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group;   receiving one or more product orders from one or more of the plurality of end users by the expert service provider in response to the product availability information;   ordering logistics services by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group from the logistics and fulfillment provider in accordance with the received one or more product orders if it is determined that a product order for the one or more of the plurality of end users is less than a predetermined amount;   shipping the product from the manufacturer/original source of the product to the one or more of the plurality of end users via the logistics providers in accordance with the received product order information.   
     
     
         30 . A single enterprise resource planning (ERP) system incorporating information seamlessly, predicatively between end users, logistics and fulfillment providers and manufacturers or original sources of goods and services, comprising:
 an input for receiving information by a computer system operated by an expert service provider on behalf of a buying group relating to product demand and consumption for each of a plurality of end users;   a predictive engine implemented by a computer processor of the computer system operated by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group for accumulating the received product demand into one or more demand schedules;   an output for transmitting by the computer system on behalf of the expert service provider the one or more demand schedules to a manufacturer/original source of the product;   an optimization engine for receiving product availability information via the input of the computer system from the manufacturer/original source of the product, and for determining one or more options for ordering the products by the computer processor of the computer system;   a procurement system implemented by the expert service provider on the computer processor of the computer system for providing the product availability information and the one or more options for ordering the products to the plurality of end users on behalf of the buying group, for ordering product by the one or more end users from the manufacturer/original source of the product in accordance with the procurement system, and for managing shipping the product from the manufacturer/original source of the product to one or more of the plurality of end users by the expert service provider in accordance with the received product order information for each of the end users.   
     
     
         31 . The single ERP system of  claim 30 , wherein the output for transmitting the one or more demand schedules also transmits the one or more demand schedules to a one or more logistics and fulfillment providers for one or more of the plurality of end users by the expert service provider if it is determined that a product order for the one or more of the plurality of end users is less than a predetermined amount. 
     
     
         32 . The single ERP system of  claim 31 , wherein the procurement system generates the one or more orders in place of the one or more product orders from the one or more of the plurality of end users, resulting in automatic ordering therefore, thus creating a perpetual inventory system between the one or more plurality of individual end users and the one or more logistics providers and manufacturer/original source of the product. 
     
     
         33 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program causing a general purpose computer to perform a method for providing a supply chain as a service, comprising the steps of:
 aggregating specific demand for products and services from multiple individual entities by a buying group to reach one of a desired volume and frequency level;   transmitting the accumulated aggregated product and services demand by an expert service provider on behalf of the buying group to a manufacturer/original source of the product and service;   receiving product and service availability information by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group based upon the accumulated predictive product and service demand from the manufacturer/original source of the product and service;   providing the product and service availability information to the plurality of individual entities by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group;   receiving one or more product and service orders from one or more of the plurality of individual entities by the buying group;   ordering product and services by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group from the manufacturer/original source of the product and services in accordance with the received one or more product and services orders, thereby disintermediating the supply chain and allowing for procurement of product and services directly from manufacturers and original sources of products and services; and   shipping the product and service directly from the manufacturer/original source of the product and service to one or more of the plurality of individual entities in accordance with the received product and service order information for each of the end users for each of the plurality of individual entities if it is determined that the product and service order therefore are greater than a predetermined amount.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein demand is combined from individual entities with common demand requirements in multiple industries by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group to reach one of a desired volume and frequency level in order to disintermediate the supply chain. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising the steps of:
 transmitting the accumulated product and service demand to a one or more logistics and fulfillment providers by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group for one or more of the plurality of individual entities if it is determined that a product order for the one or more of the plurality of individual entities is less than a predetermined amount;   receiving logistics information from the logistics and fulfillment provider by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group;   providing the product and service availability information together with the logistics information by the expert service provider to the plurality of individual entities;   receiving one or more product and service orders from one or more of the plurality of individual entities by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group;   ordering logistics services by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group from the one or more logistics and fulfillment providers in accordance with the received one or more product and service orders for one or more of the plurality of individual entities if it is determined that a product order for the one or more of the plurality of individual entities and final purchasers is less than a predetermined amount;   shipping the product and service from the manufacturer/original source of the product and service to one or more of the plurality of individual entities via the one or more logistics providers in accordance with the received product and service order information for each of the one or more of the plurality of individual entities if it is determined that a product order for the one or more of the plurality of individual entities and final purchasers is less than a predetermined amount.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising the steps of:
 receiving by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group one or more individual entity requirements related to delivery of the product and service; and   providing a most cost efficient method of logistics in accordance with the received end user requirements.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the one or more end user requirements is selected from the group of cost, quality and time. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising the steps of:
 receiving by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group one or more individual entity requirements related to the product; and   providing by the expert service provider on behalf of the buying group a most cost efficient method of procuring the product from the manufacturer/original source of the product in accordance with the received individual entity requirements.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the one or more individual entities are grouped in the buying group for the purpose of procuring products and services as negotiated by the expert service provider from a plurality of providers over an extended period of time. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the buying group is provided for the benefit of the plurality of individual entities.