Virtual procurement folder

A computer implemented method for facilitating procurement of goods and/or services, the procurement including a plurality of states representing a sequential flow for procuring the goods and/or services, the method comprising:

• accepting a procurement type input by a user;
• creating, by a computer, a virtual procurement folder in a database based on the accepted procurement type including a plurality of data fields corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of states;
• requesting procurement items associated with any respective state of the plurality of states without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential order;
• completing the requested procurement items based on a new record input by the user;
• recording, by the computer, the completed procurement items in the virtual procurement folder in the database in accordance with the data field corresponding to the respective state;
• changing to a different state from said respective state, said different state not being a next sequential state from said respective state in the sequential flow;
• requesting procurement items associated with said different state;
• completing the requested procurement items associated with said different state;
• and
• recording, by the computer, the completed procurement items associated with said different state in the virtual procurement folder in the database in accordance with the data field corresponding to said different state.

A method comprising:

• accepting a procurement type input by a user;
• creating, by a computer, a virtual procurement folder in a database based on the accepted procurement type having a plurality of data fields corresponding, respectively, to a plurality of states in a sequential flow for procuring goods and/or services;
• completing procurement items based on a new record input by the user and associated with a respective state, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow;
• identifying a current state of the plurality of states and changing the current state to the respective state if the current state is not the respective state;
• and
• storing, by the computer, the completed procurement items in the virtual procurement folder in the database in accordance with the data field corresponding to the respective state, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow.

An apparatus comprising:

• an automated procurement system comprising
• a computer, comprising:
• means for accepting, by the computer, a procurement type input,
• means for creating a virtual procurement folder via a database based on the accepted procurement type having a plurality of data fields corresponding, respectively, to a plurality of states in a sequential flow for procuring goods and/or services,
• means for completing procurement items based on a new record input and associated with a respective state, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow,
• means for identifying a current state of the plurality of states and changing the current state to the respective state if the current state is not the respective state, and
• means for storing, by the computer, the completed procurement items in the virtual procurement folder via the database in accordance with the data field corresponding to the respective state, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow.

A method comprising:

• accepting a procurement type input by a user;
• creating, by a computer, a virtual procurement folder in a database based on the accepted procurement type having a plurality of data fields corresponding, respectively, to a plurality of states in a sequential flow for procuring goods and/or services;
• accepting a new record input by the user and associated with a respective state of the plurality of states;
• changing to the respective state of the plurality of states, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow;
• completing procurement items associated with the respective state, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow;
• and
• storing, by the computer, the completed procurement items in the virtual procurement folder in the database in accordance with the data field corresponding to the respective state, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow.

An apparatus comprising:

• a computer, comprising:
• means for accepting, by the computer, a procurement type input,
• means for creating a virtual procurement folder via a database based on the procurement type having a plurality of data fields corresponding, respectively, to a plurality of states in a sequential flow for procuring goods and/or services;
• means for accepting a new record associated with a respective state of the plurality of states;
• means for selecting the respective state of the plurality of states, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow;
• means for completing procurement items associated with the respective state, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow;
• and
• means for storing, by the computer, the completed procurement items in the virtual procurement folder via the database in accordance with the data field corresponding to the respective state, without regard to order of the respective state in the sequential flow.