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# General description

This chapter describes the global information flows for flexibility trading between AGR and DSO for grid contraint purposes.
In this respect, UFTP acts as a subset of USEF’s market-based coordination mechanism (MCM), where AGR-DSO trading is an embedded part of the broader mechanism which applies to multiple flexibility services for all relevant market roles.
In order to understand how UFTP is embedded in USEF, we have used some of USEF’s general concepts to describe the UFTP processes.
For further information on these, please see ‘USEF: The Framework explained’ [^B1].
Sections describe the interactions in the different Phases of MCM: [Contract](contract-phase.md), [Plan](plan-phase.md), [Validate](validate-phase.md), [Operate](operate-phase.md) and [Settle](settle-phase.md).

[^B1]: USEF, "Flexibility Value Chain (update 2018)," 8 10 2018. [Online]. Available: [https://www.usef.energy/app/uploads/2018/11/USEF-White-paper-Flexibility-Value-Chain-2018-version-1.0_Oct18.pdf](https://www.usef.energy/app/uploads/2018/11/USEF-White-paper-Flexibility-Value-Chain-2018-version-1.0_Oct18.pdf).
