# US 12,223,542 B1 · Bid solicitation system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,223,542 B1 - Document ID: US12223542B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 17/517,191 - Filed: 2021-11-02 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-02 - Applicants: Richard A. Krause - Inventors: Richard A. Krause - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12223542B1 ## CPC - G06F 16/258: {Data format conversion from or to a database} - G06Q 30/08: Auctions - G06Q 10/06312: {Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling} - G06Q 10/06313: {Resource planning in a project environment} - G06Q 30/0611: {Request for offers or quotes} - G06Q 40/12: Accounting - G06Q 50/08: Construction - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract The Bid Solicitation System and Method according to the present invention solicits vendors involved with all aspects of construction materials, equipment, and services wishing to be alerted of construction projects of wide variety provided vendor capabilities meet certain parameters established by the Bid Solicitation System and Method. The vendor, after reviewing the detailed requirements including time of delivery or services, can choose whether it wishes to provide a bid to be considered. To be part of the process, the vendor is first required to fill out an extensive application and provide a reasonable amount of backup support documentation all of which is verified by the Bid Solicitation System and Method. The system then generates a Request for Bid and delivers the Request for Bid to applicable vendors that provide such item(s) to support a conventional or automated construction processes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bid solicitation system comprising, in combination: a plurality of networked computers being in communication with one another and configured to implement a plurality of non-transitory, computer-implementable, software-based components allowing inter-component communication therebetween; a project design, basic schedule constraints, and existing conditions of site software component configured to provide information concerning a project design for enabling said bid solicitation system to perform its function in soliciting bids required for a construction of a project from the project design; and a centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component configured to: receive said information from the project design, basic schedule constraints, and existing conditions of site software component; accumulate said information received from the project design, basic schedule constraints, and existing conditions of site software component; analyze said information for errors to properly enable and support downstream automation processes to support a complete construction of the project design in an automated manner; alert a user if corrections are required for supporting the project design and the complete construction thereof; convert said information into a standardized data format that enables peripheral software components in networked, inter-component communication with the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component to perform automated peripheral software component functions; label and organize said information in a manner for enabling and supporting peripheral software components in networked, inter-component communication with the project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component to perform peripheral software component functions; send said information as labeled and organized to at least one downstream software component configured to: receive said information from the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component; and solicit vendors involved with all aspects of construction materials, equipment, and services wishing to be alerted in connection with the construction of the project. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The bid solicitation system of claim 1 wherein the vendors are vetted before being solicited by the at least one downstream software component. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The bid solicitation system of claim 2 wherein the vendors are vetted by at least one prequalification software component configured to provide a portal for the vendors to obtain prequalification to participate in the project design and construction thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The bid solicitation system of claim 3 wherein the vendors are rated based on vendor information provided to the prequalification software component, the vendors being rated by a vendor evaluation and confirmation software component in communication with the vendor prequalification software component. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The bid solicitation system of claim 4 comprising an invite to vendors software component in communication with the vendor evaluation and confirmation software component and the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component configured to (a) interpret information concerning products and quantities needed to construct the project along with schedule and sequence information sent thereto from the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component and (b) receive and store a vendor rating to be utilized as a resource. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The bid solicitation system of claim 5 comprising a vendor invitation to bid acceptance software component configured to query whether vendor invitations are accepted, whereby accepted invitations to bid initiate a transfer of information of detailed bid documents from a send final and complete bid documents software component, and whereby declined invitations to bid operate to eliminate vendors from said bid solicitation system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The bid solicitation system of claim 6 wherein the send final and complete bid documents software component is in communication with the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component and the vendor invitation to bid acceptance software component, the send final and complete bid documents software component being configured to send the detailed bid documents, including detailed quantity of material and equipment details, to accepted vendors to compile pricing in an automated manner, the detailed bid documents comprising detailed information concerning product specifications along with associated quantities needed for the project and setting forth required dates for delivery and installation scheduling as governed by the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The bid solicitation system of claim 6 comprising a final bid submission by vendors software component in communication with the vendor invitation to bid acceptance software component for allowing vendors to transmit final bid submissions, the final bid submissions being required to confirm vendor commitments for timely competition of vendor contributions to the project design. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The bid solicitation system of claim 8 comprising an evaluation of bids and project delivery time software component in communication with the final bid submission by vendors software component configured to: compile all information and evaluate a lowest responsible bidder who can also meet the scheduled time of completion for a respective line item of the lowest responsible bidder; and initiate and complete a legal contracting process with the lowest responsible bidder in an automated manner. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The bid solicitation system of claim 9 wherein the evaluation of bids and project delivery time software component is configured to rank bids and provide a listing of criteria with exemplary indicators for each bidder. ### Claim 11 A bid solicitation system operable within a computer network environment configured to implement a plurality of non-transitory, computer-implementable, software-based components allowing inter-component communication therebetween, the bid solicitation system comprising, in combination: at least one computer for implementing the plurality of non-transitory, computer-implementable, software-based components; a project design, basic schedule constraints, and existing conditions of site software component configured to provide information concerning a project design for enabling the bid solicitations to perform its function in soliciting bids required for a construction of a project from the project design; and a centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component configured to: receive said information from the project design, basic schedule constraints, and existing conditions of site software component; accumulate said information received from the project design, basic schedule constraints, and existing conditions of site software component; analyze said information for errors to properly enable and support downstream automation processes to support a complete construction of the project design in an automated manner; alert a user if corrections are required for supporting the project design and the complete construction thereof; convert said information into a standardized data format that enables peripheral software components in networked, inter-component communication with the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component to perform automated peripheral software component functions; label and organize said information in a manner for enabling and supporting peripheral software components in networked, inter-component communication with the project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component to perform peripheral software component functions; send said information as labeled and organized to at least one downstream software component configured to: receive said information from the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component; and solicit vendors involved with all aspects of construction materials, equipment, and services wishing to be alerted in connection with the construction of the project. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The bid solicitation system of claim 11 wherein the vendors are vetted before being solicited by the at least one downstream software component. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The bid solicitation system of claim 12 wherein the vendors are vetted by at least one prequalification software component configured to provide a portal for the vendors to obtain prequalification to participate in the project design and construction thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The bid solicitation system of claim 13 wherein the vendors are rated based on vendor information provided to the prequalification software component, the vendors being rated by a vendor evaluation and confirmation software component, the vendor evaluation and confirmation software component being in communication with the vendor prequalification software component. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The bid solicitation system of claim 14 comprising an invite to vendors software component in communication with the vendor evaluation and confirmation software component and the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component configured to (a) interpret information concerning products and quantities needed to construct the project the project along with schedule and sequence information sent thereto from the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component and (b) receive and store a vendor rating to be utilized as a resource. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The bid solicitation system of claim 15 comprising a vendor invitation to bid acceptance software component configured to query whether vendor invitations are accepted, whereby accepted invitations to bid initiate a transfer of information of detailed bid documents from a send final and complete bid documents software component, and whereby declined invitations to bid operate to eliminate vendors from said bid solicitation system. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The bid solicitation system of claim 16 wherein the send final and complete bid documents software component is in communication with the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component and the vendor invitation to bid acceptance software component, the send final and complete bid documents software component being configured to send the detailed bid documents, including detailed quantity of material and equipment details, to accepted vendors to compile pricing in an automated manner, the detailed bid documents comprising detailed information concerning product specifications along with associated quantities needed for the project and setting forth required dates for delivery and installation scheduling as governed by the centralized project material, equipment, labor, service requirements software component. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The bid solicitation system of claim 16 comprising a final bid submission by vendors software component in communication with the vendor invitation to bid acceptance software component for allowing vendors to transmit final bid submissions, the final bid submissions being required to confirm vendor commitments for timely competition of vendor contributions to the project design. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The bid solicitation system of claim 18 comprising an evaluation of bids and project delivery time software component in communication with the final bid submission by vendors software component configured to: compile all information and evaluate a lowest responsible bidder who can also meet the scheduled time of completion for a respective line item of the lowest responsible bidder; and initiate and complete a legal contracting process with the lowest responsible bidder in an automated manner. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The bid solicitation system of claim 19 wherein the evaluation of bids and project delivery time software component is configured to rank bids and provide a listing of criteria with exemplary indicators for each bidder.