9.4 Competitive Substitution

Go up to Market Operating Model

Competitive Substitution allows the Governed Node Service Market to replace one qualified implementation with another qualified implementation for the same governed function.

Competitive Substitution does not mean unrestricted replacement. The substitute Qualified Node must satisfy the same governed function, policy constraints, evidence obligations, jurisdictional constraints, residency constraints, sovereignty constraints, service-level expectations, Non-Functional Characteristic Profile requirements, and Qualification Evidence requirements that apply to the work.

Competitive Substitution supports cost competition, resilience, provider diversity, operational continuity, and reduced dependence on a single implementation or provider. It also protects the market from treating cheaper service as acceptable when the lower cost results from omitted evidence, weaker controls, reduced Reliability, reduced Securability, or Under-Compliance.

The market uses Competitive Substitution only within an eligible set. A financial_node that lacks the required qualification, fails a required Non-Functional Characteristic, violates a jurisdictional or residency constraint, or carries an unresolved suspension status does not represent a valid substitute.

Competitive Substitution also requires evidence of continuity. The market must preserve records showing which Qualified Node received the work assignment, which selection criteria applied, which Qualification Profile supported eligibility, which evidence obligations applied, and which Work Performed Event and Evidence Reference supported the completed work.

Example

A semantic validation Node becomes unavailable during an FX processing window. The market selects another Qualified Node that satisfies the same governed function, jurisdictional constraint, policy obligation, Evidence Reference requirement, Interoperability expectation, Performance expectation, and applicable Cost Rule. The substitute Node performs the work and records the required Work Performed Event and Evidence Reference.