A method for conducting engineering process analysis is a unified part of evaluating buy/sell transactions for non-commodity materials or items and is particularly suited to the matching of buyers and sellers for non-commodity materials or items, defined as materials or items that cannot solely be distinguished by price alone, in that subtle differences in features or chemical/physical characteristics will influence the performance of a particular process or design that utilizes the material or item. In the system, databases describing the materials or items available in a marketplace are linked with an automated methodology to evaluate the performance of a process or design with any one or combination of the materials or items. Accordingly, an "intelligent exchange", is provided in which key decision support tools enable the procurement of the material or item optimal with respect to the performance of the process. Examples are the evaluation of sources and suppliers of (a) coal, for use in steam electric equipment for electrical power production, (b) crude oil, for use in refining of gasoline and other petroleum derived fuels, (c) electronic components, for use in engineering circuitry design, and (d) paper pulp, for use in paper manufacture.