Abstract: The method and system of the present invention provide an electronic platform that enables any participant in a trading network to trade with any other participant in the trading network according to its own individual trading rules. The trading rules are individual and private, and each participant may have a plurality of rules that govern trading. The trading rules may include Buy-side trading rules that govern partner selection and offer to sell evaluation, and Sell-side trading rules that govern how a participant responds to a request. The trading rules may be applied by the system in a manner that automates the purchasing process, or may be used to rank a participant's choices according to the participant's preferences. The trading network is preferably integrated the participants' internal systems.