The research methodology is more quantitative than qualitative (21). The official ebXML specifications are the strict guidelines for this research and the findings will be a collection of software tools including algorithms and a negotiation system. The official ebXML example data (CPPs) will be the core input data. A comparison between the official ebXML output example (example CPA) and the output of this research will go into the summary in the thesis.
The research is also of type ``design and demonstration'' research methodology (23). The research will construct and describe a new operational software system. A formative evaluation of the usefulness of the outcome will be conducted by a qualified person or company. The concrete evaluation procedure and test cases are not defined yet.