searching the scheduling decision data to identify time slots with control marks e g insource marks and outsource marks time slots with control marks are acted on otherwise time slots without control marks are ignored time slots that are acted on are published to the negotiation facility at step 403 the next step 404 will be negotiating a scheduling task according to the scheduling decision when the negotiation facility 103 receives the negotiation information from the recorder facility it starts the corresponding negotiation with other printshops a number of negotiation schemes among printshops can be adopted if it is an outsourcing request the negotiation facility will start searching for a provider if the decision maker has also annotated the task with the name of a printshop then the negotiation facility 103 could start the negotiation 404 with this printshop as a possible first provider if it is an in sourcing request the negotiation facility 103 will start searching for a customer if the decision maker has annotated the free time slot with the name of a printshop then the negotiation facility 103 could start the negotiation 404 with this printshop as a possible first customer when the negotiation facility 103 receives exploratory information it will not publish this information to the other printshops but will use it to search for.