[ebxml-cppa-negot] negotiation protocol

[Martin W Sachs <mwsachs@us.ibm.com>]

A) The BPSS instance currently on the table defines the following responses
from Party B to an offer or counter offer from Party A:

1. Success (a complete CPA has been achieved)
2. Fail (Party B has unresolvable problems with the draft)
3. Counter pending offer:  Party B is going to present a counter offer to
Party A.

This flow requires that:

1. The initial offer include proposals for all negotiable items.
2. Each counter offer include proposals for all open items.


B) Should we allow the negotiation of some items to be deferred until
later?  This would mean that an offer or counter offer might not include
proposals for all open items.  If Party A sends such a counter offer to
Party B, Party B might accept all the items in the proposal but there are
still open items.  If so, who goes next? Possibilities:

   Party B responds with an additional response, "accept", which means "I
   accept your proposals and await your next counter offer for the open
   items".
   Party B has to respond with "counter pending offer" and then submit a
   counter offer for some or all of the open items.  The problem here is
   that there may be some question of which party is in a position to
   submit the next counter offer for some or all open items.
   Both of the above are allowable.

It is possible that we will find other complexities in (B).

Question:  Is (A) sufficiently flexible and powerful for version 1 or do we
need to further consider (B)?

Regards,
Marty

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Martin W. Sachs
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
P. O. B. 704
Yorktown Hts, NY 10598
914-784-7287;  IBM tie line 863-7287
Notes address:  Martin W Sachs/Watson/IBM
Internet address:  mwsachs @ us.ibm.com
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