Guide to the ePO Modules

Introduction

This guide offers an overview of the ePO modules including the reasoning behind the division of the Ontology into modules, their purpose, and the contents of each module.

Modular Approach

In general, the Ontology is compartmentalised into the primary ePO core module that contains the majority of concepts found in the Ontology, and a number of smaller specialized modules. Each of these modules builds upon the concepts of the core module in order to represent a different part of the e-Procurement process.

As a convention, concepts that belong to a specific module also share a specific prefix. For example, all the concepts that belong to the ePO core module use the prefix epo while all the concepts belonging to the eCatalogue use the prefix epo-cat. Please note however that all ePO concepts regardless of module (and prefix) use the same URI namespace:

http://data.europa.eu/a4g/ontology#

ePO also reuses concepts from other ontologies and vocabularies, using their own prefix. For example, all the ePO modules use the class adms:Identifier (along with specific attributes and properties) from the Asset Description Metadata Schema (ADMS) in order to represent the identification of different ePO concepts. Another example is the reuse of a number of concepts from the Core Criterion and Core Evidence Vocabulary (CCCEV). In order for the ePO modules to use these concepts, they have to be imported to each of the turtle and XML/RDF files that represent each module.

The Modularization of the Ontology per domain/procurement phase offers the following advantages as opposed to just having one Ontology file:

  • Accessibility for Business. For example, if someone wants to use the Ontology for querying information on eForms, they should only use the eNotice module. If someone wants to query information about the ESPD request, they should use the eAccess module,etc.

  • Maintenance: Splitting the Ontology into Modules reduces the complexity of the Ontology and consequently, makes the individual modules easier to maintain and manage( WG meeting 7/1/21, WG meeting 14/12/21).

  • Reusability

    • When developing a new ePO module, that module should only reuse the common concepts found on ePO Module, thus facilitating the development process.

    • In order for ePO concepts to be reusable by other ontologies, they should be as generalised and uncoupled as possible.

ePO core

Description

ePO core is the main module of ePO ontology containing the fundamental parts of ePO. All the other ePO modules import the core module in order to use its concepts.

Conceptual Model

The Μain objects over time diagram (Figure 1) depicts the most important Classes of each procurement phase and their relations. The agent hierarchy diagram (Figure 2) depicts the different agents represented in ePO.

mainObjects

Figure 1: The Μain objects over time diagram.

agentHierarchy

Figure 2: The agent hierarchy diagram.

In order to be able to understand the different parts of these diagrams and how to read them please refer to the guide to the ePO Conceptual Model. The ePO core conceptual model itself can be found here, and the ePO glossary here.

Prefixes and Imports

All concepts that were created for the core module use the epo prefix. The concepts imported by other ontologies use the following prefixes:

  • adms: Used for Identifiers

  • cccev: Used for classes such as cccev:Criterion, cccev:InformationConcept, cccev:Requirement, with associated predicates and attributes.

  • dcterms: Used for the dct:Location class, attributes dct:description, dct:title, and other concepts.

  • foaf: Used to represent individuals such as foaf:Agent and foaf:Person.

  • org: Used for the org:Organization class.

  • rdf: Used for rdf:PlainLiteral datatype, and to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • rdfs: Used to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • skos: Used for the skos:notation attribute for class adms:Identifier, and the skos:prefLabel attribute for classes cccev:InformationConcept and cccev:Requirement.

  • vann: Used for annotating descriptions in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • xsd: Used to define the datatypes of the attributes in ePO. ( for information on datatypes see this section of the Conceptual model guide)

The prefixes and imports of the core module (ePO 4.0.2) are listed below:

@prefix : <http://data.europa.eu/a4g/ontology#> .
@prefix adms: <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms#> .
@prefix cccev: <http://data.europa.eu/m8g/> .
@prefix dcterms: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
@prefix foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/> .
@prefix org: <http://www.w3.org/ns/org#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .
@prefix vann: <http://purl.org/vocab/vann/> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
owl:imports cccev:,
      dcterms:,
      vann:,
      <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core>,
      <http://www.w3.org/2006/time>,
      <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms>,
      <http://www.w3.org/ns/locn>,
      org:,
      <http://www.w3.org/ns/person>,
      foaf: ;

eCatalogue

Description

The eCatalogue module contains classes related to the concept of an eCatalogue. It covers the needs for e Catalogue in post-award and some of the needs of eCatalogue for pre-award.

Conceptual Model

The main eCatalogue diagram (Figure 3) shows the most important classes of the eCatalogue module such as epo-cat:Catalogue, epo-cat:CatalogueLine, and epo-cat:Item. To be able to understand the different parts of this diagram and how to read it please refer to the Guide to the ePO Conceptual Model The eCatalogue conceptual model itself can be found here, and the eCatalogue glossary here.

catalogue

Figure 3: The main eCatalogue class diagram.

Prefixes and Imports

All concepts that were created for the eCatalogue module use the epo-cat prefix.

The eCatalogue module also makes use of the following ePO modules:

  • epo: Required concepts taken from the ePO core module.

  • ful: Required concepts taken from the eFulfilment module.

  • ord: Required concepts taken from the Ordering module.

The concepts imported by other ontologies use the following prefixes:

  • adms: Used for Identifiers

  • cccev: Used for classes such as cccev:Criterion, cccev:InformationConcept, cccev:Requirement, and others, with associated predicates and attributes. dcterms: Used for the dct:Location class, attributes dct:description, dct:title, and other concepts.

  • foaf: Used to represent individuals such as foaf:Agent and foaf:Person.

  • org: Used for the org:Organization class.

  • rdf: Used for rdf:PlainLiteral datatype, and to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • rdfs: Used to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • skos: Used for the skos:notation attribute for class adms:Identifier, and the skos:prefLabel attribute for classes cccev:InformationConcept and cccev:Requirement.

  • vann: Used for annotating descriptions in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • xsd: Used to define the datatypes of the attributes in ePO. ( for information on datatypes see this section of the Conceptual model guide)

The prefixes and imports of the eCatalogue module (ePO 4.0.2) are listed below:

@prefix : <http://data.europa.eu/a4g/ontology#> .
@prefix adms: <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms#> .
@prefix cccev: <http://data.europa.eu/m8g/> .
@prefix dcterms: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
@prefix foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/> .
@prefix org: <http://www.w3.org/ns/org#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .
@prefix vann: <http://purl.org/vocab/vann/> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
owl:imports cccev:,
     dcterms:,
     vann:,
     <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core>,
     <http://www.w3.org/2006/time>,
     <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms>,
     <http://www.w3.org/ns/locn>,
     org:,
     <http://www.w3.org/ns/person>,
     foaf:,
     :core,
     :ord,
     :ful ;

eOrdering

Description

The eOrdering module contains classes specific to the Ordering phase of procurement, including order response.

Conceptual Model

The Order diagram (Figure 4) shows the most important classes of the eOrdering module such as epo-ord:Order, epo-ord:OrderLine, epo-ord:AllowanceChargeInformation, and epo-ord:DeliveryInformation. To be able to understand the different parts of this diagram and how to read it please refer to the Guide to the ePO Conceptual Model. The eOrdering conceptual model itself can be found here, and the eOrdering glossary here.

order

Figure 4: The Order diagram.

Prefixes and Imports

All concepts that were created for the eOrdering module use the epo-ord prefix.

The eOrdering module also makes use of the following ePO modules:

  • epo: Required concepts taken from the ePO core module.

  • ful: Required concepts taken from the eFulfilment module.

  • cat: Required concepts taken from theeCatalogue module.

The concepts imported by other ontologies use the following prefixes:

  • adms: Used for Identifiers

  • cccev: Used for classes such as cccev:Criterion, cccev:InformationConcept, cccev:Requirement, and others, with associated predicates and attributes. dcterms: Used for the dct:Location class, attributes dct:description, dct:title, and other concepts.

  • foaf: Used to represent individuals such as foaf:Agent and foaf:Person.

  • org: Used for the org:Organization class.

  • rdf: Used for rdf:PlainLiteral datatype, and to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • rdfs: Used to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • skos: Used for the skos:notation attribute for class adms:Identifier, and the skos:prefLabel attribute for classes cccev:InformationConcept and cccev:Requirement.

  • xsd: Used to define the datatypes of the attributes in ePO. ( for information on datatypes see this section of the Conceptual model guide)

The prefixes and imports of the eORdering module (ePO 4.0.2) are listed below:

@prefix : <http://data.europa.eu/a4g/ontology#> .
@prefix cccev: <http://data.europa.eu/m8g/> .
@prefix dcterms: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
@prefix foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/> .
@prefix org: <http://www.w3.org/ns/org#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
owl:imports :cat,
       :core,
       :ful,
       cccev:,
       dcterms:,
       <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core>,
       <http://www.w3.org/2006/time>,
       <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms>,
       <http://www.w3.org/ns/locn>,
       org:,
       <http://www.w3.org/ns/person>,
       foaf: ;

eFulfilment

Description

The eFulfilment module contains classes specific to the handling, storage, packing, and shipping of orders.

Conceptual Model

The despatch advice diagram (Figure 5) shows the most important classes of the eFulfilment module such as epo-ful:DespatchAdvice, epo-ful:Consignment, epo-ful:TransportHandlingUnit, epo-ful:ShipmentInformation, and others. To be able to understand the different parts of this diagram and how to read it please refer to the Guide to the ePO Conceptual Model. The eFulfilment conceptual model itself can be found here, and the eFulfilment glossary here.

despatch

Figure 5: The despatch advice diagram.

Prefixes and Imports

All concepts that were created for the eFulfilment module use the epo-ful prefix.

The eFulfilment module also makes use of the following ePO modules:

  • epo: Required concepts taken from the ePO core module.

  • ord: Required concepts taken from the eOrdering module.

  • cat: Required concepts taken from the eCatalogue module.

The concepts imported by other ontologies use the following prefixes:

  • adms: Used for Identifiers

  • cccev: Used for classes such as cccev:Criterion, cccev:InformationConcept, cccev:Requirement, and others, with associated predicates and attributes. dcterms: Used for the dct:Location class, attributes dct:description, dct:title, and other concepts.

  • foaf: Used to represent individuals such as foaf:Agent and foaf:Person.

  • org: Used for the org:Organization class.

  • rdf: Used for rdf:PlainLiteral datatype, and to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • rdfs: Used to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • skos: Used for the skos:notation attribute for class adms:Identifier, and the skos:prefLabel attribute.

  • xsd: Used to define the datatypes of the attributes in ePO. ( for information on datatypes see this section of the Conceptual model guide)

The prefixes and imports of the eFulfilment module (ePO 4.0.2) are listed below:

@prefix : <http://data.europa.eu/a4g/ontology#> .
@prefix adms: <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms#> .
@prefix cccev: <http://data.europa.eu/m8g/> .
@prefix dcterms: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
@prefix foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/> .
@prefix org: <http://www.w3.org/ns/org#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
owl:imports :cat,
     :core,
     :ord,
     cccev:,
     dcterms:,
     <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core>,
     <http://www.w3.org/2006/time>,
     <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms>,
     <http://www.w3.org/ns/locn>,
     org:,
     <http://www.w3.org/ns/person>,
     foaf: ;

eContract

Description

The eContract module contains classes related to the concept of a Contract, used in the contract phase of eProcurement

Conceptual Model

The contract class diagram (Figure 6) shows the most important classes of the eContract module. To be able to understand the different parts of this diagram and how to read it please refer to the Guide to the ePO Conceptual Model. The eContract conceptual model itself can be found here, and the eContract glossary here.

contract

Figure 6: The contract class diagram.

Prefixes and Imports

All concepts that were created for the eContract module use the epo-con prefix.

The eContract module also makes use of the following ePO modules:

  • epo: Required concepts taken from the ePO core module.

  • not: Required concepts taken from the eNotice module.

  • cat: Required concepts taken from the eCatalogue module.

The concepts imported by other ontologies use the following prefixes:

  • adms: Used for Identifiers

  • cccev: Used for classes such as cccev:Criterion, cccev:InformationConcept, cccev:Requirement, and others, with associated predicates and attributes. dcterms: Used for the dct:Location class, attributes dct:description, dct:title, and other concepts.

  • foaf: Used to represent individuals such as foaf:Agent and foaf:Person.

  • org: Used for the org:Organization class.

  • rdf: Used for rdf:PlainLiteral datatype, and to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • rdfs: Used to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • skos: Used for the skos:notation attribute for class adms:Identifier, and the skos:prefLabel attribute.

  • xsd: Used to define the datatypes of the attributes in ePO. ( for information on datatypes see this section of the Conceptual model guide)

The prefixes and imports of the eContract module (ePO 4.0.2) are listed below:

@prefix : <http://data.europa.eu/a4g/ontology#> .
@prefix cccev: <http://data.europa.eu/m8g/> .
@prefix dcterms: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
@prefix foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/> .
@prefix org: <http://www.w3.org/ns/org#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .
 @prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
owl:imports :cat,
      :core,
      :not,
      cccev:,
      dcterms:,
      <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core>,
      <http://www.w3.org/2006/time>,
      <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms>,
      <http://www.w3.org/ns/locn>,
      org:,
      <http://www.w3.org/ns/person>,
      foaf: ;

eAccess

Description

The eAccess module models The ESPD Request document, which is used by Buyers to express the Exclusion and Selection criteria, as well as particular requirements, that the Economic Operators will need to fulfil in the context of a tender;

Conceptual Model

The access class diagram (Figure 7) shows the most important classes of the eAccess module. To be able to understand the different parts of this diagram and how to read it please refer to the Guide to the ePO Conceptual Model. The eAccess conceptual model itself can be found here, and the eAccess glossary here.

access

Figure 7: The access class diagram.

Prefixes and Imports

All concepts that were created for the eAccess module use the epo-acc prefix.

The eAccess module also makes use of the following ePO modules:

  • epo: Required concepts taken from the ePO core module.

  • sub: Required concepts taken from the eSubmission module.

The concepts imported by other ontologies use the following prefixes:

  • adms: Used for Identifiers

  • cccev: Used for classes such as cccev:EvidenceType cccev:EvidenceTypeList.

  • dcterms: Used for the dct:Location class, attributes dct:description, dct:title, and other concepts.

  • eli: Used for concepts such as classes eli:LegalExpression and eli:LegalResource.

  • foaf: Used to represent individuals such as foaf:Agent and foaf:Person.

  • org: Used for the org:Organization class.

  • rdf: Used for rdf:PlainLiteral datatype, and to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • rdfs: Used to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • skos: Used for the skos:notation attribute for class adms:Identifier, and the skos:prefLabel attribute.

  • xsd: Used to define the datatypes of the attributes in ePO. ( for information on datatypes see this section of the Conceptual model guide)

The prefixes and imports of the eAccess module (ePO 4.1.0) are listed below:

@prefix : <http://data.europa.eu/a4g/ontology#> .
@prefix adms: <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms#> .
@prefix cccev: <http://data.europa.eu/m8g/> .
@prefix dcterms: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
@prefix eli: <http://data.europa.eu/eli/ontology#> .
@prefix foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/> .
@prefix org: <http://www.w3.org/ns/org#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
owl:imports :core,
      :sub,
      eli:,
      cccev:,
      dcterms:,
      vann:,
      <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core>,
      <http://www.w3.org/2006/time>,
      <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms>,
      <http://www.w3.org/ns/locn>,
      org:,
      <http://www.w3.org/ns/person>,
      foaf: ;

eSubmission

Description

The eSubmission module models The ESPD Response document.

Conceptual Model

The eSubmission class diagram (Figure 8) shows the most important classes of the eSubmission module, such as epo-sub:ESPDResponse. To be able to understand the different parts of this diagram and how to read it please refer to the Guide to the ePO Conceptual Model. The eSubmission conceptual model itself can be found here, and the eSubmission glossary here.

submission

Figure 8: The submission class diagram.

Prefixes and Imports

All concepts that were created for the eSubmission module use the epo-sub prefix.

The eSubmission module also makes use of the following ePO modules:

  • epo: Required concepts taken from the ePO core module.

  • acc: Required concepts taken from the eAccess module.

The concepts imported by other ontologies use the following prefixes:

  • adms: Used for Identifiers

  • cccev: Used for classes such as cccev:SupportedValue.

  • dcterms: Used for the dct:Location class, attributes dct:description, dct:title, and other concepts.

  • foaf: Used to represent individuals such as foaf:Agent and foaf:Person.

  • org: Used for the org:Organization class.

  • rdf: Used for rdf:PlainLiteral datatype, and to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • rdfs: Used to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • skos: Used for the skos:notation attribute for class adms:Identifier, and the skos:prefLabel attribute.

  • xsd: Used to define the datatypes of the attributes in ePO. ( for information on data types see this section of the Conceptual model guide)

The prefixes and imports of the eSubmission module (ePO 4.1.0) are listed below:

@prefix : <http://data.europa.eu/a4g/ontology#> .
@prefix cccev: <http://data.europa.eu/m8g/> .
@prefix dcterms: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
@prefix foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/> .
@prefix org: <http://www.w3.org/ns/org#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
owl:imports :acc,
     :core,
     cccev:,
     dcterms:,
     <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core>,
     <http://www.w3.org/2006/time>,
     <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms>,
     <http://www.w3.org/ns/locn>,
     org:,
     <http://www.w3.org/ns/person>,
     foaf: ;

eNotice

Description

The eNotice module contains classes related to eNotices and eForms. It is structured in three packages: notice core, eForms standardisation, and standard Forms standardisation. The standardisation of the notices was done taking into account the notice types: planning, competition, direct award prenotification, result, contract modification and completion. This is the so-called “phase organisation of the notices”.

Conceptual Model

The notice and cv mapping class diagram (Figure 9) shows some of the most important classes of the eNotice module, such as the different specialisation classes of epo:eNotice. To be able to understand the different parts of this diagram and how to read it please refer to the Guide to the ePO Conceptual Model. The eNotice conceptual model itself can be found here, and the eNotice glossary here.

notice

Figure 9: The notice and cv mapping class diagram.

Prefixes and Imports

All concepts that were created for the eNotice module use the epo-not prefix.

The eNotice module also makes use of the following ePO modules:

  • epo: Required concepts taken from the ePO core module.

  • con: Required concepts taken from the eContract module.

The concepts imported by other ontologies use the following prefixes:

  • adms: Used for Identifiers

  • org: Used for the org:Organization class.

  • rdf: Used for rdf:PlainLiteral datatype, and to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • rdfs: Used to define all the concepts of the Ontology in the turtle and XML/RDF files.

  • skos: Used for the skos:notation attribute for class adms:Identifier, and the skos:prefLabel attribute.

  • xsd: Used to define the datatypes of the attributes in ePO. ( for information on datatypes see this section of the Conceptual model guide)

The prefixes and imports of the eNotice module (ePO 4.1.0) are listed below:

@prefix : <http://data.europa.eu/a4g/ontology#> .
@prefix org: <http://www.w3.org/ns/org#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
owl:imports :con,
    :core,
    <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core>,
    <http://www.w3.org/2006/time>,
    <http://www.w3.org/ns/adms>,
    <http://www.w3.org/ns/locn>,
    org:,
    <http://www.w3.org/ns/person>;