Method and computer system for controlling communications between contracting parties

A computer system for controlling communications between at least one first contracting party and potential second contracting parties on the basis of third party information from an agent, the third party information including at least the identity of the at least one first contracting party and a description of the contractual subject matter, comprising:

• a first data base provided with an input interface for the agent by which third party information is received, the first data base being provided with a private section and a public section, at least the identity of the first contracting party being stored in the private section and the description of the contractual subject matter being stored in the public section, and further with a queries interface by which potential second contracting parties may query the public section;
• an accounts maintenance device for keeping credit accounts for each agent inputting third party information;
• a second data base including an input interface by which second contracting parties may input bids for being granted access to the private section of the first data base regarding specific third party information, each bid including at least a statement of a closing fee offered by that second contracting party to close a contract with the first contracting party, and each bid having associated therewith a predetermined bid fee;
• an accounts maintenance device for keeping credit accounts for every second contracting party submitting a bid;
• a collective storage for collecting bid fees, each submission of a bid into the second data base causing the transfer of the associated bid fee from the credit account of the submitting second contracting party to the collective storage;
• and
• an auction device for determining from the second data base at a predetermined point in time the bids having the N highest statements of closing fees, wherein N≧1, for granting to every second contracting party which has submitted one of the N bids access to the private section of the first data base in respect of the third party information relevant to the bid, and for causing the transfer of a predetermined share of all bid fees collected in the collective storage to the credit account of the agent having furnished the relevant third party information.

A computer program product embodied on a machine readable data carrier for controlling communications between at least one first contracting party and potential second contracting parties on the basis of third party information from an agent, the third party information including at least the identity of the first contracting party and a description of contractual subject matter, comprising:

• a first code segment for receiving and storing third party information;
• a second code segment for providing access to the contractual subject matter of the third party information for queries by second contracting parties;
• a third code segment for receiving bids from second contracting parties for access to the identity of the first contracting party, each bid including at least a statement of a closing fee offered by the second contracting party for closing a contract with the first contracting party;
• for receiving a bid fee for each bid from each second contracting party making a bid;
• and for storing the bids and bid fees;
• and
• a fourth code segment for determining the bids with the N highest statements of closing fees at a predetermined time with N≧1;
• for transmitting the identity of the first contracting party to the N second contracting parties making the N bids;
• and for transmitting at least a portion of all bid fees to the agent.