A method (and visual user interface) of evaluating and selecting suppliers
for procurement, includes structuring supplier information on a visual
interface of a display, and providing an analysis capability for
facilitating evaluation and selection of one or more suppliers for buying
goods and services. The visual interface allows a user to directly
manipulate data points in the visual interface to explore an information
space of potential suppliers and to discover patterns, anomalies, and
trends in support of the evaluation.