SOURCING OF BILLS OF MATERIALS

A bill of materials (BOM) sourcing system includes one or more data storage locations that store BOM sourcing criteria. The system also includes a sourcing engine that receives a BOM that includes a plurality of part identifiers. The sourcing engine identifies one or more part identifiers included in the BOM and searches supplier data to obtain pricing information associated with the identified parts. Furthermore, the sourcing engine receives sourcing criteria and determines which supplier should be used to supply each identified part based on the pricing information and the sourcing criteria. In addition, the system includes a transaction execution module that receives from the sourcing engine a part identifier for each identified part and the identity of the supplier to be used to supply each identified part. The transaction execution module generates one or more transaction documents based on this information and communicates the one or more transaction documents to the associated suppliers.