System and method for facilitating bilateral and multilateral decision-making

A computer readable storage medium containing instructions which when loaded into a digital computer establish an apparatus for facilitating evaluation, in connection with the procurement or delivery of products or services, in a context of at least one of (i) a financial transaction and (ii) operation of an enterprise, such context involving a member of a first class of parties in a first role and a member of a second class of counterparties in a second role, such instructions which when executed by the digital computer cause the computer to perform:

• a. a first computer process using conjoint analysis for deriving, from responses to forced choice questions, such responses attributable to each party and to each counterparty, a preference profile for each such party and counterparty;
• b. a second computer process for analyzing the preference profiles of the parties and the counterparties to derive a list by which parties and counterparties are matched according to preferences determined by conjoint analysis of responses of both the parties and the counterparties to forced choice questions.

Apparatus for facilitating evaluation, in connection with the procurement or delivery of products or services, in a context of at least one of (i) a financial transaction and (ii) operation of an enterprise, such context involving a member of a first class of parties in a first role and a member of a second class of counterparties in a second role, the apparatus comprising:

• a. conjoint analysis means for deriving, from responses to forced choice questions, such responses attributable to each party and to each counterparty, a preference profile for each such party and counterparty;
• b. matching means for analyzing the preference profiles of the parties and the counterparties to derive a list by which parties and counterparties are matched according to preferences determined by conjoint analysis of responses of both the parties and the counterparties to forced choice questions.