Vendor selection system and vendor selection program

Abstract

This system efficiently supports the selection of contractors for pipeline maintenance work and improves the quality of maintenance work. [Solution] The vendor selection system 1 includes a storage unit 20 that stores vendor list information DL, which includes vendor resource information DR, which is information relating to at least one of the human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, or financial resource information DR4 of vendor C, and work plan information DP1 relating to the work plan for the maintenance work, and a vendor selection unit 30 that selects a vendor C from the vendor list information DL that can be requested to perform the maintenance work based on the work plan information DP1.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a contractor selection system and a program for contractor selection.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, in the maintenance management of pipelines, it is important to collect information for grasping the state of the pipelines. As such a monitoring system for information collection, for example, a monitoring system as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.

[0003] In the monitoring system, a reporting device attached to control equipment such as water and sewage facilities to be monitored constantly monitors its operating state. When an abnormality occurs in the control equipment, the reporting device transmits an abnormality signal and identification information of the monitoring target to a central monitoring device via a public line or a dedicated line. The monitoring device displays the failure occurrence location, failure items, measurement data, etc. on a display. The monitoring device diagnoses the cause of the failure based on the acquired information and determines an appropriate countermeasure.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, the monitoring system identifies the cause of a failure or the like that has occurred in the water and sewage facilities and determines an appropriate countermeasure plan, but does not perform maintenance management such as repair of the failure. Therefore, the person in charge of the management of the water and sewage facilities must formulate a maintenance plan in view of the urgency, location, cause of the failure, etc. of the repair of the failure and select a contractor capable of dealing with the repair of the failure.

[0006] The selection of the aforementioned contractor requires a comprehensive evaluation of multiple factors, including whether they possess the technology to address the failure, whether they have sufficient time and personnel, and whether they can perform the work at the location of the faulty equipment. Therefore, when selecting a contractor from among multiple contractors, the selection process becomes complicated, reducing the efficiency of maintenance operations. Furthermore, if a contractor is selected based on a simplified evaluation that avoids excessive complexity, the quality, cost, and delivery time of the repairs may not meet the expected standards, potentially leading to a decline in the quality of maintenance operations. Therefore, the contractor selection system needs to efficiently support the selection of contractors to handle the maintenance operations of the pipelines and improve the quality of maintenance operations.

[0007] The objective of this invention is to provide a configuration that efficiently supports the selection of contractors for pipeline maintenance work and improves the quality of maintenance work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A contractor selection system for selecting a contractor to perform pipeline maintenance work according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores contractor list information, which includes contractor resource information, which is information relating to at least one of the contractor's human resources, physical resources, technical resources, or financial resources, and work plan information relating to the work plan for the maintenance work, and a contractor selection unit that selects a contractor from the contractor list information that can be requested to perform the maintenance work based on the work plan information (first configuration).

[0009] In the above configuration, a contractor to perform the maintenance work is selected from the contractor list information, which contains the contractor resource information, based on the work plan information. That is, the contractor selection unit selects a contractor to perform the maintenance work from among contractors who can respond to the contents of the work plan, such as the location, construction period, work content, and budget, based on human resources, material resources, technical resources, or financial resources. Thus, a contractor suitable for the maintenance work is selected with high accuracy. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of the maintenance work.

[0010] In the first configuration described above, the vendor list information includes the vendor resource information and vendor location information, which is information about the vendor's locations. The vendor selection unit selects the vendor using the vendor location information and the vendor resource information as selection criteria (second configuration).

[0011] In the configuration described above, the contractor is selected based on the content of the work plan, the contractor's location information, and the contractor's resource information. Specifically, the contractor selection unit comprehensively evaluates the contractor's geographical location, which is the first selection criterion, and the contractor's service supply capacity, which is based on the contractor's human resources, material resources, technical resources, or financial resources, such as personnel, technology, owned equipment, and financial status, which is the second selection criterion, and selects the contractor. As a result, a contractor suitable for the maintenance work, both geographically and in terms of service supply capacity, is selected with high accuracy. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of the maintenance work.

[0012] In the second configuration described above, the vendor resource information includes evaluation scores for various tasks related to the maintenance and management operations (third configuration).

[0013] In the above configuration, contractors are selected based on evaluation scores that assess their ability to handle various tasks related to the maintenance work. Specifically, the contractor selection unit comprehensively evaluates the cost, duration, quality, etc., of each contractor when requesting various tasks related to the maintenance work, and selects the contractor accordingly. As a result, a contractor best suited to the maintenance work is accurately selected for each type of task. This streamlines the contractor selection process and improves the quality of the maintenance work.

[0014] In the second configuration described above, the contractor selection unit selects a contractor using at least one of the following items in the contractor resource information as an evaluation indicator (fourth configuration).

[0015] In the above configuration, the contractor is selected using predetermined items in the contractor resource information as evaluation indicators. That is, the contractor selection unit selects the contractor using at least one of the following as an evaluation indicator: cost, construction period, quality, etc. Therefore, a contractor suitable for the evaluation indicators that should be prioritized in the maintenance work is selected with high accuracy. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of the maintenance work.

[0016] In the second configuration described above, the contractor selection unit selects a contractor for each task included in the work plan (fifth configuration).

[0017] In the configuration described above, multiple contractors are selected for each task included in the work plan. That is, the contractor selection unit comprehensively evaluates the first selection criterion, the contractor's geographical location, and the second selection criterion, the contractor's service supply capacity, for each of the multiple tasks included in the work plan, and selects a contractor. As a result, a suitable contractor is accurately selected for each of the multiple tasks included in the work plan. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of maintenance and management work.

[0018] In the fifth configuration described above, the system further includes a work plan creation unit for each of the tasks that each contractor is responsible for (sixth configuration).

[0019] In the above configuration, a work plan is created for each contractor selected for each task included in a single work plan. In other words, when different contractors are selected for each of the multiple tasks included in the work plan, the work plan creation unit creates a work plan for each contractor according to the content of their work, so that work is appropriately divided among contractors. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of maintenance work.

[0020] In any one of the above configurations 1 to 5, the system further includes an output unit that outputs a list of selected vendors, which is a list of vendors selected by the vendor selection unit (configuration 7).

[0021] In the above configuration, a selected contractor list selected by the contractor selection unit from the contractor list is extracted, so that the examination and confirmation work for the selected contractors is facilitated. Thereby, the contractor selection work can be made efficient.

[0022] In the first configuration, it further has a format conversion unit that converts work reports created by a plurality of contractors selected based on the work plan into work reports in a predetermined format (eighth configuration).

[0023] In the above configuration, even if work reports in different formats are submitted from a plurality of contractors in charge of the work in one work plan, they are automatically converted into a predetermined format, so that it is easy to check the report contents of each work. Also, it becomes easier to discover deficiencies in the description contents of each work report, deficiencies in work contents, etc. Thereby, the quality of the maintenance management work can be improved.

[0024] A contractor selection program for selecting a contractor who undertakes the maintenance management work of a pipeline according to an embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to store contractor resource information, which is information regarding at least one of the human resources, physical resources, technical resources, or financial resources of the contractor, and work plan information regarding the work plan of the maintenance management work, and based on the work plan information, selects a contractor who can be entrusted with the maintenance management work from the contractor list information (ninth configuration).

[0025] In the above program for selecting a contractor, the computer is caused to select a contractor to whom work is to be commissioned based on the work plan information from the contractor list information in which the contractor resource information regarding the management resources of a contractor including at least one of the human resources, physical resources, technical resources, or financial resources of a plurality of contractors is registered. That is, the program for selecting a contractor causes the computer to select a contractor having human resources, physical resources, technical resources, or financial resources of a contractor that can handle the location, construction period, work content, budget, etc., which are the contents of the work plan. Therefore, a contractor suitable for the maintenance management work is accurately selected. As a result, the work of selecting a contractor can be made efficient and the quality of the maintenance management work can be improved.

[0026] In the ninth configuration, the program for selecting a contractor causes the computer to select the contractor using at least one of the items of cost, construction period, and quality in the contractor resource information as an evaluation index (tenth configuration).

[0027] In the above configuration, the program for selecting a contractor causes the computer to select the contractor using a predetermined item in the contractor resource information as an evaluation index. That is, the program for selecting a contractor causes the computer to select the contractor using at least one of cost, construction period, quality, etc. as an evaluation index. Therefore, a contractor suitable for the evaluation index to be prioritized in the maintenance management work is accurately selected. As a result, the work of selecting a contractor can be made efficient and the quality of the maintenance management work can be improved.

[0028] In the tenth configuration, the program for selecting a contractor causes the computer to create a work plan document for each work item for which the contractor is in charge (eleventh configuration).

[0029] In the above configuration, the vendor selection program causes the computer to create a work plan for each selected vendor for each task included in one of the work plans. In other words, when the vendor selection program causes the computer to select different vendors for each of the multiple tasks included in the work plan, it causes the computer to create a work plan for each vendor according to the content of their work, so that work is divided appropriately among the vendors. This makes the vendor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of maintenance work. [Effects of the Invention]

[0030] A contractor selection system for selecting a contractor to perform pipeline maintenance work according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores contractor list information, which includes contractor resource information, which is information relating to at least one of the contractor's human resources, physical resources, technical resources, or financial resources, and work plan information relating to the work plan for the maintenance work, and a contractor selection unit that selects a contractor who can be commissioned to perform the maintenance work based on the work plan information and the contractor list information.

[0031] A contractor selection program for selecting a contractor to perform pipeline maintenance work according to one embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to store contractor resource information, which is information relating to at least one of the contractor's human resources, physical resources, technical resources, or financial resources, and work plan information relating to the work plan for the maintenance work, and selects a contractor who can be commissioned to perform the maintenance work based on the work plan information and the contractor list information.

[0032] This will streamline the contractor selection process and improve the quality of maintenance and management services. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0033] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a vendor selection system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2]Figure 2 shows an example of vendor list information created by the vendor selection unit of the vendor selection system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the vendor selection method using the vendor selection system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the vendor selection system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the vendor selection method using the vendor selection system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a functional block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the vendor selection system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the vendor selection method using the vendor selection system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0034] The following describes each embodiment with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of those parts will not be repeated. Note that the dimensions of the components in each drawing do not faithfully represent the dimensions of the actual components or the dimensional ratios of each component.

[0035] Furthermore, in the following explanation, the expressions "fix," "connect," and "attach" (hereinafter referred to as "fixing, etc.") include not only cases where components are directly fixed to each other, but also cases where they are fixed to each other via other components. In other words, in the following explanation, the expressions "fixing, etc." include both direct and indirect fixing of components to each other.

[0036] (Overall structure of the vendor selection system) Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a contractor selection system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The contractor selection system 1 obtains work plan information DP1 related to the work plan of maintenance work from a maintenance work support system S that supports maintenance work of pipelines such as water pipes, and selects candidate contractors to whom maintenance work will be ordered based on the work plan information DP1.

[0037] The maintenance and management operations for the aforementioned pipelines include, for example, pipeline patrols, inspections, surveys, and repair work on facilities and equipment. The aforementioned pipelines include not only water pipes, but also pipelines for sewage or agricultural water, gas pipes, electrical pipes, and other pipelines made of pipe materials. These maintenance and management operations are managed by the Maintenance and Management Support System S. The Maintenance and Management Support System S creates work plan information DP1.

[0038] (Work plan information) Work plan information DP1 includes pipeline maintenance information DT1 and response type information DT2.

[0039] The pipeline maintenance information DT1 includes, for example, information regarding the classification of work in maintenance operations, information regarding the type of work, information regarding survey methods, information regarding the work target, information regarding the work group, information regarding the client for the maintenance operations, information regarding the site manager, information regarding the work date and time, information regarding the equipment used, and information regarding related documents. The pipeline maintenance information DT1 may also include information on the selection of the site manager in association with the work group or the work date and time. Furthermore, the pipeline maintenance information DT1 may include information on the selection of the work target from the GIS information in association with the work target.

[0040] The information relating to the classification of the work includes information indicating the classification of the work, such as inspection, survey, accident response, etc. The information relating to the type of work includes information indicating the type of work, such as pipeline patrol, valve inspection, aqueduct inspection, etc. The information relating to the survey method includes information indicating the survey method, such as visual inspection, continuous monitoring, use of equipment, etc. The information relating to the work object includes information identifying the work object (pipe, valve, pipeline, facility, etc.), location information of the work object, evaluation indicators such as the degree of deterioration of the work object, and GIS information of the work object. The information relating to the work object may also include, for example, information relating to pipelines (pipeline information).

[0041] The information relating to the work groups includes, for example, information obtained when the work is grouped. This grouping may include grouping by predetermined period (e.g., one day), by site manager, by client, by type of work that can be handled, by survey method, or any other grouping based on predetermined items.

[0042] The information regarding the client for the maintenance work includes information regarding the entity that owns the pipeline. The information regarding the site manager includes information regarding the work that can be performed, the survey methods, the equipment owned, the personnel that can be provided, the costs, and the available dates. The information regarding the work date and time includes information regarding the date and time on which the work is scheduled to be performed. The information regarding the equipment used includes information regarding the equipment necessary for the work. The information regarding related documents includes information regarding documents related to the work (inspection formats, work precautions, etc.).

[0043] The response type information DT2 is information regarding how the maintenance work will be carried out. DT2 includes information such as whether it is a routine response or an emergency response. In other words, DT2 includes information regarding the priority and timing of the maintenance work. DT2 may include information regarding a two-stage response (routine response and emergency response) or information regarding a three-stage or more response.

[0044] Work plan information DP1 is created based on pipeline maintenance information DT1 and response type information DT2 related to the maintenance work. Work plan information DP1 has a type of response (e.g., normal response, emergency response) for the maintenance work based on the response type information DT2. Specifically, normal response work plan information DP1 is a work plan that handles the maintenance work in a normal manner. Emergency response work plan information DP1 is a work plan that handles the maintenance work in an emergency. Emergency response work plan information DP1 is work plan information DP1 with a level of urgency higher than the standard.

[0045] With the above configuration, the contractor selection system 1 can select an appropriate contractor from among multiple contractors according to the type of maintenance work required. That is, for example, if the work plan information DP1 is for normal response, the contractor selection system 1 selects a contractor from among multiple contractors who are capable of normal response. If the work plan information DP1 is for emergency response, the contractor selection system 1 selects a contractor from among multiple contractors who are capable of emergency response. In this way, contractor selection can be performed considering the type of response in pipeline maintenance work, making it possible to select a contractor suitable for the maintenance work and improving the efficiency of the maintenance work.

[0046] (Vendor selection system) The vendor selection system 1 includes an information acquisition unit 10, a storage unit 20, a vendor selection unit 30, and an output unit 40. The vendor selection system 1 may be configured, for example, by a computer device, or it may have a computer device and a portable terminal capable of exchanging data with the computer device via a communication device.

[0047] The information acquisition unit 10 acquires work plan information DP1 from the maintenance support system S regarding pipeline maintenance operations, specifically for pipeline repair, laying, etc., which need to be outsourced to external contractors. The information acquisition unit 10 is configured to communicate with the maintenance support system S and external storage devices, etc., via internet lines, intranets, wired communications, wireless communications, telephone lines, etc. (not shown). The information acquisition unit 10 may acquire the work plan information DP1 from a storage unit (not shown) within the maintenance support system S, or from an external storage device, etc., or may acquire the work plan information P1 through input operations to an input unit (not shown). The information acquisition unit 10 outputs the acquired work plan information DP1 to the storage unit 20.

[0048] The storage unit 20 stores the work plan information DP1 acquired from the information acquisition unit 10. The storage unit 20 also stores contractor list information DL, which is information about multiple contractors capable of handling pipeline maintenance work managed by the maintenance support system S. Note that the contractor list information DL may be acquired by the information acquisition unit 10 from the maintenance support system S or an external storage device. In the following description, the multiple contractors included in the contractor list information DL are collectively referred to as multiple contractors C (see Figure 2).

[0049] (List of vendors) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vendor list information DL includes vendor location information DB1, which is information about the locations of multiple vendors C. The vendor list information DL also includes vendor resource information DR, which is information about the management resources of vendor C, such as human resource information DR1, which is information about human resources; physical resource information DR2, which is information about physical resources; technical resource information DR3, which is information about technical resources; or financial resource information DR4, which is information about financial resources. In this embodiment, the vendor list information DL includes vendor location information DB1, human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, and financial resource information DR4 as vendor resource information DR.

[0050] The vendor location information DB1 includes, for example, information about the addresses, telephone numbers, size, functions, operational status, and service areas of each location of facilities owned by vendor C, such as the head office, branches, subsidiaries, warehouses, and research laboratories of multiple vendors C.

[0051] Human Resources Information DR1 is information concerning factors that affect the quality and safety of work, such as the work performance capabilities, work management capabilities, and safety management capabilities of personnel belonging to multiple contractors C. Human Resources Information DR1 includes, for example, the number of personnel belonging to multiple contractors C, the number of personnel who can be involved in maintenance work, the number of personnel who can be deployed to maintenance work, the qualifications, expertise, years of experience, past performance, presence or absence of education and training programs for each person, the number of people at each location, the status of safety education, compliance with laws and regulations, and whether or not there are any compliance violations.

[0052] Physical Resource Information DR2 is information concerning the equipment, materials, and other infrastructure necessary to realize the work environment at the site, owned by multiple contractors C. Physical Resource Information DR2 includes, for example, equipment, machinery, vehicles, and work machines that can be used for maintenance work owned by multiple contractors C, storage space such as warehouses and material storage areas, material stockpiles, material procurement capabilities, equipment procurement capabilities, daily progress records for each task, inventory stability, etc.

[0053] Technical resource information DR3 is information regarding the precision and efficiency of work, including the expertise, construction techniques, quality, efficiency, and innovativeness of multiple contractors C. Technical resource information DR3 includes, for example, information on the work that multiple contractors C can handle, the technologies they possess, their track record of receiving orders, the technical content of the orders they receive, their work quality level, the number of patents they hold, the status of their adoption of the latest technologies, their proprietary technologies, and the status of their manuals and work procedures.

[0054] Financial Resource Information DR4 is information regarding the economic stability, financial strength, and other aspects of the business sustainability of multiple companies C. Financial Resource Information DR4 includes, for example, financial statements of multiple companies C such as their financial strength, retained earnings, borrowings, loans, cash flow, securities, real estate, insurance, fund management, relationships with banks, order status for other businesses, and management status in other business areas.

[0055] Multiple contractors C are evaluated based on information regarding detailed items included in each of the following: Human Resources Information DR1, Physical Resources Information DR2, Technical Resources Information DR3, and Financial Resources Information DR4. Furthermore, Human Resources Information DR1, Physical Resources Information DR2, Technical Resources Information DR3, and Financial Resources Information DR4 include evaluation points for various anticipated tasks in the maintenance and management of the pipeline.

[0056] (Evaluation scores for various tasks) Human Resources Information DR1 includes evaluation scores for each type of work, such as the number of personnel who can be involved in maintenance work, the qualifications, expertise, years of experience, and past performance of each personnel. Physical Resources Information DR2 includes evaluation scores for each type of work, such as the facilities, equipment, vehicles, and work machinery that can be used for maintenance work owned by multiple contractors C, the storage space for warehouses and material storage areas, the ability to procure materials, the ability to procure equipment, and the daily progress performance for each type of work. Technical Resources Information DR3 includes evaluation scores for each type of work, such as the types of work that can be handled, the technologies that are possessed, the track record of receiving orders, the quality level of work, the number of patents held, the status of the introduction of the latest technologies, and proprietary technologies. Financial Resources Information DR4 includes evaluation scores for each type of work, such as the financial strength of multiple contractors C.

[0057] Human resource information DR1 is scored as follows: for example, 5 points if there are 10 or more personnel who can be involved in work T1, 3 points if there are 5 or more but less than 10 people, and 1 point if there are fewer than 5 people. Physical resource information DR2 is scored as follows: for example, 5 points if there are 3 or more machines available for work T1, 3 points if there are 2 or fewer machines, and 1 point if there are 0 machines. Technical resource information DR3 is scored as follows: for example, 5 points if the company can handle work T1, and 1 point if it cannot. Financial resource information DR4 is scored as follows: for example, 5 points if the financial strength of contractor C is 300 percent or more of the expenditure for work T1, 3 points if it is 200 percent or more but less than 300 percent, and 1 point if it is 100 percent or more but less than 200 percent.

[0058] The vendor location information DB1, human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, and financial resource information DR4 are composed of information obtained through information provided by vendors wishing to register in the vendor list information DL, surveys conducted by the administrator of the vendor list information DL, and surveys conducted by research companies. The vendor list information DL is updated regularly. In addition, the vendor list information DL is updated as needed based on information provided by registered vendors. By reflecting the current status of registered vendors, the vendor list information DL ensures that vendors who cannot undertake maintenance work are not selected. Therefore, the vendor selection system 1 can select from vendors who can undertake maintenance work.

[0059] The contractor selection unit 30 selects at least one candidate contractor from the contractor list information DL to order maintenance work T1 based on the work plan information DP1. If there are no contractors capable of performing work T1 based on the work plan information DP1 or contractors that meet the predetermined criteria based on the work plan information DP1, the contractor selection unit 30 requests the maintenance support system S to revise the work plan information DP1. The contractor selection unit 30 includes a contractor base selection unit 31 and a contractor resource selection unit 32.

[0060] The contractor base selection unit 31, based on the information regarding the work target included in the pipeline maintenance management information DT1 of the work plan information DP1, selects at least one contractor C1 from the contractor list information DL whose location is within the service area of ​​the work target, using the contractor base information DB1 as the first selection criterion (see Figure 2). The contractor base selection unit 31 creates a primary contractor list information DL1 of the at least one contractor C1 selected from the contractor list information DL. The contractor base selection unit 31 outputs the primary contractor list information DL1 to the contractor resource selection unit 32 (see Figure 2).

[0061] Next, the contractor resource selection unit 32, based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1 of the work plan information DP1, selects at least one contractor C2 from contractors C1 included in the primary contractor list information DL1, using the contractor resource information DR as the second selection criterion (see Figure 2).

[0062] The contractor resource selection unit 32 selects at least one human resource selection contractor from the primary contractor list information DL1 that has information that matches the information regarding work groups, site managers, and work dates and times of contractors included in the pipeline maintenance management information DT1, using the human resource information DR1, which is one of the second selection conditions, as a selection criterion.

[0063] Furthermore, the contractor resource selection unit 32 selects at least one physical resource selection contractor that has information that matches the information regarding the work targets and equipment used that correspond to the physical resources of contractors included in the pipeline maintenance management information DT1, using the physical resource information DR2, which is one of the second selection conditions, as a selection criterion.

[0064] Furthermore, the contractor resource selection unit 32 selects at least one technical resource selection contractor that has information that matches the information regarding the classification of work, type of work, survey method, and related documents of contractors included in the pipeline maintenance management information DT1 from the primary contractor list information DL1, using the technical resource information DR3, which is one of the second selection conditions, as a selection criterion.

[0065] Furthermore, the contractor resource selection unit 32 selects at least one financial resource selection contractor from the primary contractor list information DL1 that has information that matches the information regarding the client of maintenance work corresponding to the financial resources of the contractors included in the pipeline maintenance information DT1, using financial resource information DR4, which is one of the second selection conditions, as a selection condition.

[0066] The contractor resource selection unit 32 selects a contractor as contractor C2 that is included in at least one of the selected human resource contractors, physical resource contractors, technical resource contractors, and financial resource contractors. In other words, based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1, the contractor resource selection unit 32 selects at least one contractor C2 from the first contractor list information DL1 that satisfies all of the selection conditions for human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, and financial resource information DR4. The contractor resource selection unit 32 then creates a second contractor list information DL2 for at least one contractor C2.

[0067] If the maintenance work is an emergency, the contractor resource selection unit 32 may select at least one contractor C3 capable of emergency response from the second-level contractor list information DL2, using the human resource information DR1 as a third selection criterion. The contractor resource selection unit 32 creates a third-level contractor list information DL3 of at least one contractor C3 (see Figure 2). If the maintenance work is a normal operation, the contractor resource selection unit 32 selects at least one contractor C2 included in the second-level contractor list information DL2.

[0068] Furthermore, the contractor resource selection unit 32 may rank the evaluations of each item of the contractor resource information DR corresponding to work T1 for each contractor C2 included in the second-level contractor list information DL2, or contractor C3 included in the third-level contractor list information DL3, based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1. The contractor resource selection unit 32 aggregates the evaluation scores for each item of human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, and financial resource information DR4 for each contractor C2 or contractor C3. The contractor resource selection unit 32 creates a contractor ranking information DLR for work T1 for contractors C2 or contractor C3 that can be requested to perform work T1 (see Figure 2). The contractor resource selection unit 32 outputs the created contractor ranking information DLR to the output unit 40.

[0069] Furthermore, the vendor resource selection unit 32 selects the vendor with the highest ranking in the available vendor ranking information DLR as the vendor CF to request work T1.

[0070] The output unit 40 outputs the contractor ranking information DLR and work plan information DP1 created by the contractor selection unit 30. The output unit 40 outputs the contractor ranking information DLR for contractor C2 included in the second-tier contractor list information DL2, which can be requested to perform normal work T1, or for contractor C3 included in the third-tier contractor list DL3, which can be requested to perform emergency work T1, to the maintenance support system S or an external storage device. The output unit 40 also outputs the work plan information DP1 to the contractor CF to whom work T1 is requested. If work T1 is requested from multiple contractor CFs, the output unit 40 outputs the work plan information DP1 to each of the multiple contractor CFs.

[0071] In the above configuration, the contractor selection unit 30 selects a contractor CF to perform maintenance work T1 based on the work plan information DP1 from the contractor list information DL, which contains contractor resource information DR regarding the management resources of multiple contractors C, including information on human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, or financial resource information DR4 of those contractors C. In other words, the contractor selection unit 30 selects a contractor CF to perform the maintenance work T1 from among contractors C2 that can handle the content of the work plan information DP1, such as the location, construction period, work content, budget, etc., based on the human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, or financial resource information DR4.

[0072] In other words, based on the work plan information DP1, a contractor CF is selected using the contractor base information DB1 and contractor resource information DB1 as selection criteria. Specifically, the contractor selection unit 30 selects a contractor CF by comprehensively evaluating the first selection criterion, which is the geographical conditions of multiple contractors C, and the second selection criterion, which is the service supply capacity of multiple contractors C2 based on human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, or financial resource information DR4, which includes personnel, technology, owned equipment, financial status, etc. Furthermore, instead of selecting from contractors who want to undertake maintenance work as in the bidding method, the selection is made from contractors who can undertake maintenance work, thus increasing the number of contractor options compared to the bidding method. Therefore, a contractor suitable for the maintenance work both geographically and in terms of service supply capacity is selected with high accuracy. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of maintenance work.

[0073] Furthermore, contractor CF is selected based on an evaluation score that assesses the contractor C's ability to handle various tasks related to the aforementioned maintenance work. In other words, the contractor selection unit 30 selects contractor CF by comprehensively evaluating the cost, construction period, quality, etc., of each contractor C2 when various tasks related to the aforementioned maintenance work are requested. Moreover, the contractor selection system 1 outputs the second-stage contractor list information DL2 or the third-stage contractor list information DL3 selected by the contractor selection unit 30 from the second-stage contractor list information DL2, making it easier to review and confirm the selected contractor C2. Thus, a contractor suitable for the aforementioned maintenance work is selected with high accuracy for each of the aforementioned tasks. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of the maintenance work.

[0074] (Vendor selection method) Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the vendor selection method using the vendor selection system 1. The vendor selection method includes selecting vendors from vendor list information and outputting a vendor selection list.

[0075] When the flowchart shown in Figure 3 starts, first, in step SA1, the information acquisition unit 10 (see Figure 1) acquires work plan information DP1 from the maintenance support system S (see Figure 2). The information acquisition unit 10 may acquire the work plan information DP1 from an external storage device (not shown), or it may acquire the work plan information DP1 by an input operation to an input unit (not shown). The information acquisition unit 10 outputs the work plan information DP1 to the storage unit 20.

[0076] Next, in step SA2, the contractor selection unit 31 of the contractor selection unit 30 (see Figure 1) selects at least one contractor C1 from the contractor list information DL, using the contractor base information DB1 as the first selection criterion, based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1 of the work plan information DP1 (see Figure 2). The contractor base selection unit 31 creates the primary contractor list information DL1 for at least one contractor C1. Furthermore, the contractor base selection unit 31 outputs the primary contractor list information DL1 to the contractor resource selection unit 32 (see Figure 1).

[0077] In the subsequent step SA3, the contractor resource selection unit 32 of the contractor selection unit 30 selects at least one contractor C2 from contractors C1 included in the primary contractor list information DL1, based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1 and using the contractor resource information DR as the second selection criterion (see Figure 2). The contractor resource selection unit 32 then creates the secondary contractor list information DL2 for at least one contractor C2.

[0078] In the following step SA4, the vendor resource selection unit 32 determines whether the response type information DT2 contains information related to emergency response (see Figure 1). If the vendor resource selection unit 32 determines that the response type information DT2 does not contain information related to emergency response (the result is NO in step SA4), the process proceeds to step SA6.

[0079] On the other hand, if the vendor resource selection unit 32 determines that the response type information DT2 contains information related to emergency response (if YES is obtained in step SA4), the process proceeds to step SA5. In step SA5, the vendor resource selection unit 32 selects at least one vendor C3 capable of emergency response from the second vendor list information DL2, using the human resource information DR1 as the third selection criterion. The vendor resource selection unit 32 then creates a third vendor list information DL3 for at least one vendor C3 and proceeds to step SA6.

[0080] In step SA6, the contractor resource selection unit 32 creates a list of available contractors DLR based on the pipeline maintenance information DT1, ranking them by evaluating each item in the contractor resource information DR corresponding to work T1 for each contractor C2 included in the second contractor list information DL2 or contractor C3 included in the tertiary contractor list information DL3. The contractor resource selection unit 32 then selects the contractor with the highest ranking as contractor CF to request work T1, and proceeds to step SA7.

[0081] In step SA7, the output unit 40 outputs the list of available contractors DLR to the maintenance support system S, outputs the work plan information DP1 to the contractor CF, and ends this flow (END).

[0082] In the above configuration, the contractor selection unit 30 selects a contractor CF to perform maintenance work T1 based on the work plan information DP1 from a contractor list information DL in which contractor resource information DR, which includes information on the management resources of multiple contractors C, such as human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, or financial resource information DR4. In other words, the contractor selection unit 30 selects a contractor CF from among contractors C2 that can handle the content of the work plan information DP1, such as the location, construction period, work content, budget, etc., and can be requested to perform the maintenance work T1 based on the human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, or financial resource information DR4. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of maintenance work.

[0083] (Program for selecting vendors) The vendor selection program in the embodiment of the present invention is any program that causes the server and mobile terminals, etc., constituting the vendor selection system 1 to execute the flow shown in Figure 3. By executing this program on the server and mobile terminals, etc., the vendor selection system 1 in this embodiment can be realized. In this case, the server may be a general-purpose computer or a dedicated computer. The computer, for example, is equipped with a CPU, and performs calculation processing using the CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0084] The pipeline maintenance support program according to this embodiment causes the computer to store contractor resource information DR, which is information relating to at least one of the human resources, physical resources, technical resources, or financial resources of contractor C, and work plan information DP1 relating to the work plan of the maintenance work, and based on the work plan information DP1, it causes the computer to select contractor CF from contractor list information DL to whom work T1 of the maintenance work can be requested.

[0085] In the above-described contractor selection program, the computer is instructed to select a contractor CF to perform work T1 based on the work plan information DP1 from the contractor list information DL, which contains the contractor resource information DR regarding the management resources of multiple contractors C, including at least one of the human resources, material resources, technical resources, or financial resources of the contractors. In other words, the contractor selection program instructs the computer to select a contractor CF that has the human resources, material resources, technical resources, or financial resources to handle the contents of the work plan information DP1, such as location, construction period, work content, budget, etc.

[0086] In this way, a suitable contractor for the aforementioned maintenance work can be selected with high accuracy. This streamlines the contractor selection process and improves the quality of maintenance work.

[0087] [Embodiment 2] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the contractor selection system 100 of Embodiment 2. The contractor selection system 100 of this embodiment differs from the contractor selection system 1 of Embodiment 1 in that it selects a contractor CF using at least one item of cost, construction period, and quality in the contractor resource information DR as an evaluation indicator. In the following, components similar to those of the contractor selection system 1 of Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their explanation is omitted. In this embodiment, the maintenance and management work is assumed to be normal maintenance and management work.

[0088] (Vendor selection system) As shown in Figure 4, the vendor selection system 100 includes an information acquisition unit 10, a storage unit 20, a vendor selection unit 30, and an output unit 40.

[0089] The contractor selection unit 30 selects candidate contractors CF to order maintenance work T1 from the contractor list information DL based on the work plan information DP1. The contractor selection unit 30 includes a contractor base selection unit 31, a contractor resource selection unit 32, and a specific evaluation indicator selection unit 33.

[0090] The specific evaluation indicator selection unit 33, based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1 of the work plan information DP1, selects at least one contractor C4 from contractor C2 included in the second contractor list information DL2 in a fourth selection condition in which at least one item of cost, construction period, and quality in the contractor resource information DR is used as an evaluation indicator. In this embodiment 2, at least one contractor C4 is selected in a fourth selection condition in which construction period is used as an evaluation indicator.

[0091] The Specific Evaluation Indicator Selection Unit 33 selects at least one contractor C4 from contractor C2 in the Second Contractor List Information DL2 based on at least one of the following: the evaluation score for the items related to the construction period in the Human Resources Information DR1, which is the fourth selection criterion, such as the number of personnel who can be involved in maintenance work and the number of people at the base; the evaluation score for the items related to the construction period in the Physical Resources Information DR2, such as the daily progress amount for each task and the stability of inventory; the evaluation score for the items related to the construction period in the Technical Resources Information DR3, such as the tasks that can be handled, construction technology, work procedures and the status of manual development; or the evaluation score for the items related to the construction period in the Financial Resources Information DR4, such as the speed of fundraising. The Specific Evaluation Indicator Selection Unit 33 then creates the Fourth Contractor List Information DL4 with at least one contractor C4.

[0092] In the above configuration, the contractor selection unit 30 selects at least one contractor C4 using at least one of the following as evaluation indicators in the contractor resource information DR: cost, construction period, quality, etc., as a fourth selection criterion. Therefore, a suitable contractor is accurately selected based on the evaluation indicators that should be prioritized in the maintenance work. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of the maintenance work.

[0093] (Vendor selection method) Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the vendor selection method using the vendor selection system 1. The vendor selection method will be explained below using Figure 5. In Figure 5, steps SB1 to SB5 are the same as steps SA1 to SA5 in Figure 3 of Embodiment 1. Steps SB7 and SB8 are the same as steps SA6 and SA7 in Figure 3 of Embodiment 1. Therefore, the explanation of steps SB1 to SB5, SB7, and SB8 will be omitted.

[0094] As shown in Figure 5, in step SB6, the specific evaluation indicator selection unit 33 selects at least one contractor C4 from contractors C2 included in the second contractor list information DL2 based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1, using the construction period in the contractor resource information DR as an evaluation indicator (see Figure 4). The specific evaluation indicator selection unit 33 creates the fourth contractor list information DL4 for at least one contractor C4 and proceeds to step SB7.

[0095] In the above configuration, the contractor selection unit 30 selects at least one contractor C4 using at least one of the following as an evaluation indicator in the contractor resource information DR: cost, construction period, quality, etc., as a fourth selection criterion. Therefore, a suitable contractor is selected with high accuracy based on the evaluation indicators that should be prioritized in the maintenance work. This makes the contractor selection process more efficient and improves the quality of the maintenance work.

[0096] (Program for selecting vendors) The vendor selection program in the embodiment of the present invention is any program that causes the server and mobile terminals, etc., constituting the vendor selection system 1 to execute the flow shown in Figure 5. By executing this program on the server and mobile terminals, etc., the vendor selection system 1 in this embodiment can be realized. In this case, the server may be a general-purpose computer or a dedicated computer. The computer, for example, is equipped with a CPU, and performs calculation processing using the CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0097] The contractor selection program according to this embodiment causes a computer to select a contractor using at least one of the following items from the contractor resource information DR as an evaluation indicator: cost, construction period, and quality.

[0098] The aforementioned vendor selection program accurately selects vendors that are suitable based on the priority evaluation indicators for the maintenance and management work. This streamlines the vendor selection process and improves the quality of maintenance and management work.

[0099] [Embodiment 3] Figure 6 is a functional block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the vendor selection system 200 of Embodiment 3. The vendor selection system 200 of this embodiment differs from the vendor selection system 1 of Embodiment 1 in that it selects a vendor for each of the multiple tasks included in the work plan information DP1, and further includes a work plan creation unit 50 for each person in charge, an input / output unit 60, and a format conversion unit 61. In the following, components similar to those of the vendor selection system 1 of Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. In this embodiment, the maintenance work is assumed to be normal maintenance work. Also, in this embodiment, the work plan information DP1 includes multiple tasks TA and TB.

[0100] (Vendor selection system) As shown in Figure 6, the vendor selection system 200 includes an information acquisition unit 10, a storage unit 20, a vendor selection unit 30, a work plan creation unit 50 for each assigned person, an input / output unit 60, and a format conversion unit 61.

[0101] The contractor selection unit 30 selects at least one candidate contractor from the contractor list information DL based on the work plan information DP1 to order the maintenance work T1. The contractor selection unit 30 includes a contractor base selection unit 31 and a contractor resource selection unit 34.

[0102] The vendor resource selection unit 34 determines whether the work plan information DP1 contains multiple tasks. If the vendor resource selection unit 34 determines that the work plan information DP1 contains multiple tasks TA and TB, it selects a vendor for each determined task TA and TB.

[0103] The contractor resource selection unit 34 selects at least one contractor C2A from contractor C1 included in the primary contractor list information DL1, using the contractor resource information DR as a second selection criterion, based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1 in the work TA of the work plan information DP1. The contractor resource selection unit 34 then creates a secondary contractor list A information DL2A of at least one contractor C2A.

[0104] Furthermore, the contractor resource selection unit 34, based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1 in the work TB of the work plan information DP1, selects at least one contractor C2B from contractor C1 included in the primary contractor list information DL1, using the contractor resource information DR as a second selection criterion. The contractor resource selection unit 34 then creates a secondary contractor list B information DL2B of at least one contractor C2B.

[0105] The vendor resource selection unit 34 determines the vendor with the highest rank in the available vendor ranking A information DLRA, which is created from the second vendor list A information DL2A based on the evaluation of each item in the vendor resource information DR corresponding to work TA, as vendor CFA to request work TA from. The vendor resource selection unit 34 also determines the vendor with the highest rank in the available vendor ranking B information DLRB, which is created from the second vendor list B information DL2B based on the evaluation of each item in the vendor resource information DR corresponding to work TB, as vendor CFB to request work TB from.

[0106] The assigned work plan creation unit 50 creates work plan information for each task included in the work plan information DP1, for each contractor responsible for that task. If the work plan information DP1 includes multiple tasks TA and TB, the assigned work plan creation unit 50 creates a first work plan information DPA to send to contractor CFA responsible for task TA, and a second work plan information DPB to send to contractor CFB responsible for task TB. The assigned work plan creation unit 50 outputs the created first work plan information DPA and second work plan information DPB to the input / output unit 60.

[0107] The input / output unit 60 outputs the vendor ranking A information DLRA, vendor ranking B information DLRB, first work plan information DPA, and second work plan information DPB created by the vendor selection unit 30. The input / output unit 60 outputs the vendor ranking A information DLRA for vendor C2A, which is included in the second-tier vendor list A information DLA that can be requested to perform normal work TA, and the vendor ranking B information DLRB for vendor C2B, which is included in the second-tier vendor list B information DLB that can be requested to perform normal work TA, to the maintenance support system S or an external storage device. The input / output unit 60 also outputs the first work plan information DPA to vendor CFA that requests work TA, and outputs the second work plan information DPB to vendor CFB that requests work TB.

[0108] The input / output unit 60 obtains the first work report RA for work TA from contractor CFA and the second work report RB for work TB from contractor CFB. The input / output unit 60 also has a format conversion unit 61.

[0109] The format conversion unit 61 converts the format of the work report into a predetermined format. The format conversion unit 61 determines whether the first work report RA for work TA and the second work report RB for work TB are in the predetermined format. If at least one of the first work report RA for work TA and the second work report RB for work TB is not in the predetermined format, the format conversion unit 61 converts them into the predetermined format.

[0110] In the configuration described above, a contractor CFA and CFB are selected for each work TA and TB included in the work plan information DP1. That is, the contractor selection unit 30 comprehensively evaluates the geographical conditions of multiple contractors C1, which is the first condition, and the service supply capacity of multiple contractors C2, which is the second condition, for each of the multiple work TAs and TBs included in the work plan information DP1, and selects a contractor CFA and CFB. Thus, suitable contractors CFA and CFB are selected with high accuracy for each of the multiple work TAs and TBs included in the work plan information DP1.

[0111] Furthermore, when the task-specific work plan creation unit 50 selects different contractors CFA and CFB for each of the multiple tasks TA and TB included in the work plan information DP1, it creates a first work plan information DPA and a second work plan information DPB for each contractor CFA and CFB responsible for the work content of each contractor, thereby ensuring appropriate work distribution among contractors CFA and CFB. This streamlines the contractor selection process and improves the quality of maintenance and management operations.

[0112] Furthermore, even if multiple contractors (CFA and CFB) submit first work reports (RA) and second work reports (RB) in different formats, they are automatically converted to the prescribed format, making it easier to verify the contents of each work report (TA) and work report (TB). Additionally, deficiencies in the content of each work report (RA, RB) and in the work itself are more easily detected. This improves the quality of maintenance and management operations.

[0113] (Vendor selection method) Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the vendor selection method using vendor selection system 1. Note that steps SC1, SC2, SC4, and SC5 in Figure 7 are the same as steps SA1, SA2, SA4, and SA5 in Figure 3 of Embodiment 1. Therefore, the explanation of steps SC1, SC2, SC4, and SC5 is omitted.

[0114] In step SC3, the contractor resource selection unit 34 of the contractor selection unit 30 selects at least one contractor C2A from contractor C1 included in the primary contractor list information DL1, based on the pipeline maintenance management information DT1 and using the contractor resource information DR as the second selection criterion. The contractor resource selection unit 34 creates secondary contractor list A information DL2A for at least one contractor C2A (see Figure 6). Similarly, the contractor resource selection unit 34 selects at least one contractor C2B from contractor C1 included in the primary contractor list information DL1. The contractor resource selection unit 34 creates secondary contractor list B information DL2B for at least one contractor C2B (see Figure 6).

[0115] In step SC6, the contractor resource selection unit 34 creates the contractor ranking A information DLRA, which is ranked based on the evaluation of each item in the contractor resource information DR corresponding to work TA of contractor C2A included in the second contractor list A information DL2A, using the pipeline maintenance management information DT1. Similarly, the contractor resource selection unit 34 creates the contractor ranking B information DLRB, which is ranked based on the evaluation of each item in the contractor resource information DR corresponding to work TB of contractor C2B (see Figure 6). Furthermore, the contractor resource selection unit 34 determines the contractor with the highest ranking in the contractor ranking A information DLRA as contractor CFA to request work TA, and the contractor with the highest ranking in the contractor ranking B information DLRB as contractor CFB to request work TB, and proceeds to step SC7.

[0116] In step SC7, the task-specific work plan creation unit 50 creates the first work plan information DPA and the second work plan information DPB, and then proceeds to step SC8.

[0117] In step SC8, the input / output unit 60 outputs the list of available contractors A information DLRA and the list of available contractors B information DLRB to the maintenance support system S, outputs the first work plan information DPA to contractor CFA, outputs the second work plan information DPB to contractor CFB, and then proceeds to step SC9.

[0118] In step SC9, the input / output unit 60 obtains the first work report RA from contractor CFA and the second work report RB from contractor CFB, and then proceeds to step SC10.

[0119] In step SC10, the format conversion unit 61 converts the format of the work report (RA) or (RB) that differs from the predetermined format to the predetermined format, and this flow ends (END).

[0120] In the configuration described above, multiple contractors are selected for each task TA and TB included in the work plan information DP1, thereby accurately selecting the most suitable contractor for each task TA and TB. This streamlines the contractor selection process and improves the quality of maintenance and management operations.

[0121] Furthermore, even if work reports are submitted in different formats by multiple contractors (CFA and CFB), they are automatically converted to the designated format, making it easy to verify the contents of each work TA and TB report. Additionally, deficiencies in the content of each work RA and RB report, as well as deficiencies in the work itself, can be easily detected. This improves the quality of maintenance and management operations.

[0122] (Program for selecting vendors) The vendor selection program in the embodiment of the present invention is any program that causes the server and mobile terminals, etc., constituting the vendor selection system 1 to execute the flow shown in Figure 7. By executing this program on the server and mobile terminals, etc., the vendor selection system 1 in this embodiment can be realized. In this case, the server may be a general-purpose computer or a dedicated computer. The computer, for example, is equipped with a CPU, and performs calculation processing using the CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0123] The pipeline maintenance support program according to this embodiment causes the computer to create a first work plan information DPA and a second work plan information DPB for each work TA and TB that contractors CFA and CFB are responsible for, respectively.

[0124] In the aforementioned vendor selection program, when the computer is instructed to select different vendors CFA and CFB for each of the multiple tasks TA and TB included in the work plan information DP1, it creates a first work plan information DPA and a second work plan information DPB according to the work content of each vendor, thereby ensuring appropriate work distribution among vendors CFA and CFB. This streamlines the vendor selection process and improves the quality of maintenance and management operations.

[0125] (Other embodiments) Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above are merely examples for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it is possible to carry out the invention by appropriately modifying the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0126] In the above embodiment, the contractor selection system 1 obtains work plan information DP1 from the maintenance and management support system S. However, the contractor selection system may also be configured to create the work plan information DP1.

[0127] In the above embodiment, the vendor selection system 1 includes an information acquisition unit 10, a storage unit 20, a vendor selection unit 30, and an output unit 40. However, the vendor selection system does not necessarily have to have at least one of the information acquisition unit, storage unit, vendor selection unit, and output unit.

[0128] In the above embodiment, the pipeline maintenance information DT1 includes, for example, information regarding the classification of work in maintenance operations, information regarding the type of work, information regarding survey methods, information regarding the work target, information regarding the work group, information regarding the client for maintenance operations, information regarding the site manager, information regarding the work date and time, information regarding the equipment used, and information regarding related documents. However, the pipeline maintenance information may include information other than that described above, or may contain only some of the information described above. Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes examples of each of the above types of information, each of the above types of information may include other examples, or may include only some of the examples.

[0129] In the above embodiment, the vendor resource information DR consists of human resource information DR1, physical resource information DR2, technical resource information DR3, and financial resource information DR4. However, the vendor resource information may also include resource information other than human resource information, physical resource information, technical resource information, and financial resource information.

[0130] In the above embodiment, the human resources information DR1 includes information such as the number of personnel belonging to multiple contractors C, the number of personnel who can be involved in maintenance work, the number of personnel who can be deployed to maintenance work, the qualifications, expertise, years of experience, past performance, presence or absence of education and training programs for each personnel, the number of people at each location, the status of safety education, compliance with laws and regulations, and whether or not there are compliance violations. However, the human resources information may include information other than that described above, or may contain only some of the information described above. Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes examples of each of the above pieces of information, each of the above pieces of information may include other examples, or may include only some of the examples.

[0131] In the above embodiment, the physical resource information DR2 includes, for example, equipment, machinery, vehicles and work machines that can be used for maintenance work owned by multiple contractors C, storage space such as warehouses and material storage areas, stockpiled material, material procurement capacity, equipment procurement capacity, daily progress for each operation, inventory stability, etc. However, the physical resource information may include information other than that described above, or may include only some of the information described above. Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes examples of each of the above types of information, each of the above types of information may include other examples, or may include only some of the examples.

[0132] In the above embodiment, the technical resource information DR3 includes, for example, information such as the work that multiple vendors C can handle, the technologies they possess, their track record of receiving orders, the technical content of the orders received, the quality level of their work, the number of patents they hold, the status of their adoption of the latest technologies, their proprietary technologies, and the status of their manuals and work procedures. However, the technical resource information may include information other than that described above, or it may contain only some of the information described above. Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes examples of each of the above types of information, each of the above types of information may include other examples, or it may include only some of the examples.

[0133] In the above embodiment, the financial resource information DR4 includes, for example, financial statements of multiple companies C such as their financial strength, retained earnings, borrowings, loans, cash flow, securities, and real estate, as well as information such as insurance, fund management, relationships with banks, order status for other businesses, and management status in other business areas. However, the financial resource information may include information other than that described above, or may include only some of the information described above. Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes examples of each of the above types of information, each of the above types of information may include other examples, or may include only some of the examples.

[0134] In the above embodiment, the vendor resource selection units 32 and 34 select vendor C2 from among a plurality of vendors C1 selected by the vendor base selection unit 31 of the vendor selection unit 30. However, it is also possible to have a configuration in which the vendor base selection unit selects from among the vendors selected by the vendor resource selection unit.

[0135] In the above embodiment, in the case of emergency response work T, the contractor selection unit 30 selects a contractor C3 capable of emergency response from among the selected contractors C2. However, it is also possible to configure the contractor selection unit to select a contractor from among the contractors selected as capable of emergency response. [Industrial applicability]

[0136] This invention can be used in a contractor selection system for selecting a contractor to perform maintenance and management work on pipelines. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0137] 1, 100, 200 Vendor Selection System 10 Information acquisition department 20 Memory section 30 Vendor Selection Department 31. Contractor Base Selection Department 32, 34 Vendor Resource Selection Department 33. Selection Department for Specific Evaluation Indicators 40 Output section 50. Department for Creating Work Plans by Responsibility 60 Input / output section 61 Format conversion section S Maintenance and Management Support System DP1 Work Plan Information DPA (Disaster Plan of Action) 1st Work Plan Information DPB (Disaster Plan for Business) Second Work Plan Information DT1 pipeline maintenance management information DT2 Compatibility Information DL vendor list information DL1 Primary Vendor List Information DL2 Second-tier vendor list information DL2A Second List of Vendors A Information DL2B Second List of Vendors B Information DL3 Third-Round Vendor List Information DL4 4th Edition Vendor List Information DLRA Service Provider Ranking (A) DLRB Available Contractor Ranking B Information DLR (Digital Lighting) Service Provider Ranking Information DR1 Human resource information DR2 Physical resource information DR3 Technical Resource Information DR4 Financial resource information T, TA, TB work C Multiple vendors C1, C2, C2A, C2B, C3, C4: At least one vendor CFA and CFB have selected their respective contractors. RA 1st work report RB 2nd work report

Claims

1. A contractor selection system for selecting a company to be contracted to perform maintenance and management work on pipelines, A storage unit that stores vendor list information, which includes vendor resource information, which is information relating to at least one of the human resources, physical resources, technical resources, or financial resources of the said vendor, and work plan information relating to the work plan of the said maintenance work, A contractor selection unit selects contractors from the contractor list information that can be commissioned to perform the maintenance work based on the aforementioned work plan information, Having, Vendor selection system.

2. In the vendor selection system described in claim 1, The aforementioned list of vendors is This includes the aforementioned vendor resource information and vendor location information, which is information regarding the vendor's locations. The aforementioned contractor selection department, The aforementioned vendors are selected based on the vendor location information and the aforementioned vendor resource information. Vendor selection system.

3. In the vendor selection system described in claim 2, The aforementioned vendor resource information is This includes evaluation scores for various tasks related to the aforementioned maintenance and management operations, Vendor selection system.

4. In the vendor selection system described in claim 2, The aforementioned contractor selection department, The contractor is selected using at least one of the following items from the aforementioned contractor resource information as an evaluation indicator: cost, construction period, and quality. Vendor selection system.

5. In the vendor selection system described in claim 2, The aforementioned contractor selection department, Select the contractor for each task included in the aforementioned work plan. Vendor selection system.

6. In the vendor selection system described in claim 5, The aforementioned contractors further have a work plan creation department that creates a work plan for each of the tasks they are responsible for. Vendor selection system.

7. In the vendor selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The system further includes an output unit that outputs a list of selected vendors, which is a list of vendors selected by the vendor selection unit. Vendor selection system.

8. In the vendor selection system described in claim 1, The system further includes a format conversion unit that converts work reports prepared by multiple contractors selected based on the aforementioned work plan into work reports in a predetermined format. Vendor selection system.

9. A contractor selection program for selecting a company to be contracted to perform maintenance and management work on pipelines, On the computer, The system stores vendor list information, which includes vendor resource information relating to at least one of the vendor's human resources, physical resources, technical resources, or financial resources, and work plan information relating to the work plan for the maintenance and management operations. Based on the aforementioned work plan information, select a contractor from the aforementioned contractor list information who can be entrusted with the maintenance work. A program for selecting vendors.

10. A vendor selection program according to claim 9, To the aforementioned computer, The contractor is selected using at least one of the following items from the aforementioned contractor resource information as an evaluation indicator: cost, construction period, and quality. A program for selecting vendors.

11. A vendor selection program according to claim 10, To the aforementioned computer, Each of the aforementioned contractors will be required to create a work plan for each task they are responsible for. A program for selecting vendors.

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