A system and method of component procurement efficiently provides a centralized
location for storing and retrieving component data. The engineering method is for
procuring a manufactured component through a plurality of development stages. According
to one embodiment, the method includes providing a database for storing information
related to procuring the manufactured component, sharing the database among a plurality
of relevant parties such as a manufacturer and a supplier and inputting data into
the database by at least one of the relevant parties during a development stage
of the manufactured component. The method also includes modifying the database
at each development stage if necessary. The database holds data related to procurement
of components for a computer system and is accessible to a manufacturer and at
least one outside vendor. The database includes a pointer for locating data related
to at least one of the development stages. The data in the database includes procurement-related
data such as production information, testing information, regulatory information,
and cost information. The database is stored on a memory and includes a plurality
of partitions, each partition relating to manufacturing the component. The database
also includes a plurality of fields within each partition, the plurality of fields
for logging information related to a plurality of manufacturing development stages.
The database also includes a plurality of storage locations for storing data related
to the plurality of partitions.