Webservice Operations

The XVergabe Bidder Interface specifies five web service operations. Table 1 summarizes the function of each operation. The web service operations are specified in the file xvergabe-service.wsdl.

Operation

Description

subscribe

By calling this operation, a bidder can subscribe a tendering procedure. After subscription, he is able to retrieve messages concerning the procedure by calling getMessages.

sendMessage

By calling this operation, a bidder can send messages to the platform. Such messages include offers and inquiries (see Table 2).

getMessages

By calling this operation, a bidder can retrieve all messages from the platform directed at him concerning a specified tendering procedure. A message may contain a reference to a document file that the bidder can download via getDocument.

getDocument

By calling this operation, a bidder can download binary documents from the platform (tendering documents, answers to inquiries, …).

getTenderIDs

Returns a list of the IDs of all tendering procedures the bidder has subscribed for. These IDs are needed to call the other operations.

Table 1 - Web service operations provided by the XVergabe Bidder Interface.

Messages

The operations sendMessage and getMessages define a relatively open interface for exchanging messages between bidder client and tendering platform. Table 2 lists the type of messages that can be exchanged. Some messages are to be sent from client to platform, others from platform to client. The structure of the messages is specified in the file xvergabe-messages.xsd

Message

Sender

Receiver

Description

ClientInquiry

client

platform

Contains a document sent from client to the platform. This document can for example contain questions concerning a tendering procedure. These questions can then be answered via a ServerInquiry.

InvitationToParticipation

platform

client

Contains the documents needed to take part in a participation contest of a tendering procedure.

InvitationToTender

platform

client

Contains the tendering documents needed to take part in the bidding phase of a tendering procedure.

Notice

platform

client

Contains the notice information of a tendering procedure.

Offer

client

platform

Contains the offer documents. With this message a bidder takes part in the bidding phase of a tendering procedure.

OfferDeliveryReceipt

platform

client

Contains an affirmation for the duly received offer documents.

OfferWithdrawal

client

platform

With this message, a bidder can withdraw a previously submitted offer.

OfferWithdrawalReceipt

platform

client

Contains an affirmation for the duly received offer withdrawal.

Participation

client

platform

Contains the participation documents. With this message a bidder takes part in the participation phase of a tendering procedure.

ParticipationDeliveryReceipt

platform

client

Contains an affirmation for the duly received participation documents.

ParticipationWithdrawal

client

platform

With this message, a bidder can withdraw a previously submitted participation.

ParticipationWithdrawal-DeliveryReceipt

platform

client

Contains an affirmation for the duly received participation withdrawal.

Response

platform

client

Technical response of the platform to a request by a bidder client. May contain an error code.

ResultNotice

platform

client

Contains information about the result of a tendering procedure. If a bidder won a procedure, he may be notified via ResultNotice.

ServerInquiry

platform

client

Contains a document sent from the platform to the client. This document can for example contain answers to bidder questions previously sent via ClientInquiry.

TenderMetaInformation

platform

client

Contains meta information about a tendering procedure. This message is sent each time some attribute of a tendering procedure changes so that all bidders are up to date.

Table 2 - Messages that are exchanged between bidder client and tendering platform via sendMessage and getMessages.