Supplier selection: A hybrid model using DEA, decision tree and neural network

As the most important responsibility of purchasing management, the problem of vendor evaluation and selection has always received a great deal of attention from practitioners and researchers. This management decision is a challenge due to the complexity and various criteria involved. This paper presents a hybrid model using data envelopment analysis (DEA), decision trees (DT) and neural networks (NNs) to assess supplier performance, The model consists of two modules: Module 1 applies DEA and classifies suppliers into efficient and inefficient clusters based on the resulting efficiency scores. Module 2 utilizes firm performance-related data to train DT. NNs model and apply the trained decision tree model to new suppliers. Our results yield a favorable classification and prediction accuracy rate. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.