Improving Purchasing Productivity at IBM with a Normative Decision Support System

Paul S. Bender
Paul S. Bender
Bender Management Consultants, 300 East 59th Street, New York, New York 10022
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,
Richard W. Brown
Richard W. Brown
Resource Management Systems, 93 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115
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,
Michael H. Isaac
Michael H. Isaac
IBM Corporation, 22 Water Street, White Plains, New York 10601
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,
Jeremy F. Shapiro
Jeremy F. Shapiro
Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
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Paul S. Bender

Bender Management Consultants, 300 East 59th Street, New York, New York 10022

Search for more papers by this author

Richard W. Brown

Resource Management Systems, 93 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115

Search for more papers by this author

Michael H. Isaac

IBM Corporation, 22 Water Street, White Plains, New York 10601

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Jeremy F. Shapiro

Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

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Published Online:1 Jun 1985https://doi.org/10.1287/inte.15.3.106

Abstract

A computerized vendor selection system was implemented for the purchasing department of IBM's Poughkeepsie manufacturing facility. The system, called the Vendor Selection System (VSS), employs advanced mixed integer optimization techniques within a flexible but structured environment to help purchasing personnel to make better contract decisions. They can use the VSS without prior training in computer science or programming and achieve significant savings.

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Volume 15, Issue 3

May-June 1985

Pages 1-146

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Published Online:June 01, 1985

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Paul S. Bender, Richard W. Brown, Michael H. Isaac, Jeremy F. Shapiro, (1985) Improving Purchasing Productivity at IBM with a Normative Decision Support System. Interfaces 15(3):106-115.

https://doi.org/10.1287/inte.15.3.106

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Improving Purchasing Productivity at IBM with a Normative Decision Support System

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Volume 15, Issue 3

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