Basketball contract: applying the SIPRES method in the process of evaluating the negotiation template

In a negotiation process, knowing the preferences of the decision-maker and building a negotiation offer scoring system are very challenging tasks. There are many different methods that can be used to develop such a negotiation support tool, including, but not limited to, techniques based on the multiattribute utility theory (MAUT) or the outranking relation, for instance SAW, AHP or PROMETHEE II. In this paper we present the procedure of evaluating the negotiation template using an unconventional and inventive method called SIPRES, which combines the key elements of the revised Simos’ procedure and the ZAPROS method to elicit the negotiator’s preferences over some reference solutions. This transparent and easy to implement technique – thanks to the ZAPROS-like approach applied within it – allows the decision-makers to define their preferences in a simple manner, providing an effective method for analysing the trade-offs between the alternatives using selected reference alternatives only. Simultaneously, the revised Simos’ procedure, applied in the method, allows for determining the cardinal scores of the alternatives. Thus, sophisticated negotiation analyses can be carried out. As an illustrative example the problem of basketball contract negotiations is discussed.