Programmable Policy Objects for Procurement Compliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current procurement systems lack an efficient and user-friendly method for defining, evaluating, and enforcing procurement policies across multiple applications, leading to inconsistencies and difficulties in governing procurement functions within organizations.
Innovation Solution
A procurement policy engine that includes a policy administration application for defining policies in a text-based language, a policy enforcement application for implementing policies, and a policy database for storing and retrieving policy objects, enabling standardized and programmable conditions for procurement operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If procurement policies are defined and enforced across multiple applications using current systems, then policy compliance can be maintained, but the system complexity and difficulty in governing procurement functions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal policy object structure that can be used across multiple procurement applications (e.g., purchase requisition, purchase order, contract management). The policy object includes standardized elements such as condition definitions, evaluation rules, and enforcement actions that can be reused across different application contexts, reducing the need to create separate policy management systems for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the procurement governance system into distinct modular components: policy definitions, policy objects, condition evaluations, and enforcement mechanisms. This segmentation allows each component to be independently developed, maintained, and reused across different procurement applications, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive policy coverage.
2Ease of operation
If procurement policies are manually defined and evaluated, then flexibility in policy creation is maintained, but the time and effort required for policy evaluation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining policy objects with structured condition elements and evaluation rules during policy creation. The system pre-processes and validates policy definitions, organizing them into standardized formats with predefined evaluation logic. This preliminary structuring enables automated evaluation when policies are enforced, eliminating the need for manual evaluation at execution time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables self-service through automated policy evaluation mechanisms that independently assess compliance without requiring manual intervention. The system automatically retrieves relevant policy objects, evaluates them against procurement transactions, and enforces compliance actions, reducing the time and effort required for policy evaluation while maintaining flexibility in policy creation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If consistent procurement governance is implemented across multiple applications, then compliance and consistency are improved, but the difficulty in defining and evaluating policies increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements homogeneity by standardizing the policy object structure across all procurement applications. All policy objects follow a unified format with consistent elements including condition definitions, evaluation rules, and enforcement actions. This homogeneous structure ensures that policies are defined and evaluated consistently across different procurement contexts, improving compliance while reducing the complexity of policy definition through standardization.
4Productivity
If programmable conditions are automated for procurement operations, then productivity and efficiency are improved, but the complexity of the enforcement mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer in the form of standardized policy objects that mediate between procurement applications and enforcement mechanisms. These policy objects serve as intermediaries that translate business rules into structured conditions and evaluation logic, automating the enforcement process while reducing the complexity of direct integration between applications and enforcement systems. The intermediary policy objects can be independently configured and maintained, simplifying the overall enforcement architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
In an example embodiment, definition information is received that includes a definition for each of one or more programmable conditions applicable to an operation. The definition information is translated into one or more objects representing the one or more programmable conditions. The objects include executable code for determining compliance of the operation with the programmable conditions. For each object, a lookup key is generated for the object based on the definition information. A database is checked to determine whether a prior version of the object is stored in the database using the generated lookup key. If stored in the database, the prior version of the object in the database is updated using the object. Otherwise, the object is stored in the database using the generated lookup key.