Abstract: A collaborative system and method allows members of a group to collaborate on a project such as a bid or proposal. According to a first embodiment, a complex instrument trading engine (CITE) facilities negotiation between two or more parties. A set of tools and techniques are provided in order to facilitate negotiation and execution of complex instruments such as contracts between corporations and governments. According to a second embodiment, referred to as a dynamic collaborative environment, a user can define a group and a virtual private network environment including user-selected tools that facilitate communication, research, analysis, and electronic transactions within the group. The environment can be destroyed easily when it is no longer needed. Multiple environments can co-exist on the same physical network of computers.