Business and Commercial Role-Play:

Data Center Negotiation

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Price range: $0.00 through $6.50

Sanjana Paul, under the supervision of Professor Lawrence E. Susskind

A two-hour, eight-party, multi-issue negotiation simulation centering on a controversial proposal by DataCenter Inc. to build a 500‑megawatt hyperscale data center in a suburban community.

Quantity

Please note: you must order a copy (a.k.a. license/usage fee) for every person participating in the simulation in your course. This simulation has multiple roles, so you will be unable to complete your purchase without meeting the minimum quantity requirement of copies per role.

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PON Teaching Negotiation Resource Center

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Soft copy vs. hard copy

You may order this role simulation in either soft copy (electronic) or hard copy (paper) format. If you select the soft copy option, you will receive an e-mail with a URL (website address) from which you may download an electronic file in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. You will have one week to download your materials from when you receive the email. You are then only authorized to use, print, or share the materials as many times as the number of copies you purchase. The TNRC charges for use of this simulation on a per-participant basis. Therefore, you must purchase a separate copy of this simulation for each person who will be participating, regardless of the number of roles in the simulation. You will only receive a link to one electronic file, which includes all general instructions, confidential instructions, and any teaching notes for the simulation. You should separate out the instructions before distributing to participants.

If you select the hard copy option, you will receive paper copies of this role simulation via the shipping method you select.

For additional information about the soft copy option, please visit our FAQ section, or contact the PON Teaching Negotiation Resource Center at tnrc@law.harvard.edu or 800-258-4406 (within the U.S.) or 301-528-2676 (outside the U.S.).

Please note: At the present time, Teaching Negotiation Resource Center soft copies are compatible with the following versions of the Adobe Acrobat Reader: English, German, French, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Korean. If you have a different version of the Acrobat Reader, you may wish to download one of these at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html, or contact the PON Teaching Negotiation Resource Center at tnrc@law.harvard.edu, 800-258-4406 (within the U.S.), or 301-528-2676 (outside the U.S.) for further assistance. This restriction does not apply to the freely available Teacher’s Package Review Copies.

Ordering a single copy for review

If you wish to review the materials for a particular role simulation to decide whether you’d like to use it, a PDF, or soft copy, version of the Teacher’s Package for the simulation is available as a free download from the description page of most role simulations and case studies. All Teacher’s Packages include copies of all participant materials. In addition, some Teacher’s Packages (but not all) include additional teaching materials such as teaching notes or overhead masters.

Ordering copies for multiple participants

To order multiple copies of a role simulation for use in a course or workshop, simply enter the total number of participants in the box next to “Quantity.” There is no need to calculate how many of each role is required.

If you are ordering hard copies, the Teaching Negotiation Resource Center will calculate the appropriate numbers of each role to provide, based on the total number of participants. For example, if you wish to order a 2-party role simulation for use with a class of 30 students, you would enter “30” in the box next to “Quantity.” You then would receive 15 copies of one role and 15 copies of the other role, for use with your 30 participants. As another example, if you ordered 30 participant copies of a 6-party role simulation, you would receive 5 copies of each role.

In the event that the number of participant copies you order is not evenly divisible by the number of roles in the simulation, you will receive extra copies of one or more roles. Participants receiving the extra roles may partner with other participants playing the same role, thus negotiating as a team. So, for instance, if you ordered 31 copies of a 2-party role simulation, you would receive 15 copies of the first role and 16 copies of the second role. One of the participants playing the second role would partner with another participant playing that same role, and the two would negotiate as a team.

Bulk Pricing Discount

For bulk orders, we offer the following pricing discounts. Please note that these only apply to bulk orders of the same simulation.

  • Between 100-250 copies – 10% discount
  • Between 251-500 copies – 25% discount
  • More than 500 copies – 50% discount
Log In or Register to download the free Teacher's Package Sample.

SCENARIO:

The project promises significant economic benefits—jobs, tax revenue, and tech‑sector growth—but raises serious concerns about energy demand, grid reliability, water use, environmental impacts, and changes to neighborhood character.

In response to intense public scrutiny, the State Siting and Permitting Agency (SSPA) convenes an eight‑member Task Force representing the developer, local government, community residents, environmental advocates, state energy regulators, the renewable energy industry, and the national data center industry. Their mandate is to review the draft Environmental Impact Statement and recommend whether and under what conditions the project should be approved.

Over a structured two‑hour meeting, participants must navigate a packed agenda: making opening statements; discussing environmental issues, economic and community concerns (jobs, tax base, property values, noise, traffic), information gaps and research needs, and stakeholder engagement mechanisms; and, finally, issuing concrete recommendations. The core tensions include whether to allow phased approval tied to grid and environmental performance, how to treat renewable energy accounting, what enforceable safeguards to impose on water use and community quality of life, and how to structure any Community Benefits Agreement and oversight body. The simulation requires participants to reconcile sharply differing priorities—project certainty, environmental integrity, community protection, cost allocation, and regulatory precedent—through multi‑party negotiation, caucusing, and adaptive problem‑solving.

MECHANICS:

This simulation is designed to be conducted in-person or virtually. Including preparation, negotiation, and debrief, the simulation should take approximately two hours.

MATERIALS: 

  • Teaching Notes
  • Draft Environmental Impact Statement
  • Response Memo
  • General Instructions
  • Confidential Instructions for D. Kim, President, Community Residents’ Association
  • Confidential Instructions for T. Brooks, Vice President of Policy, National Data Center Industry Association
  • Confidential Instructions for R. Chen, Vice President of Infrastructure Development, DataCenter Inc.
  • Confidential Instructions for S. Rivera, Director, GreenFuture Alliance (Local Environmental Group)
  • Confidential Instructions for J. Reyes, State Siting and Permitting Agency Representative
  • Facilitator Guide for J. Reyes, SSPA Representative
  • Confidential Instructions for Dr. P. Desai, State Energy Regulatory Commission Representative

MAJOR LESSONS:

  • Shifting from positions to underlying interests.
  • Using facilitation, caucuses, and process design to unlock movement.
  • Defining BATNAs.
  • Designing structural solutions to recurring tensions, especially around phased approval.
  • Navigating contested technical issues, particularly renewable energy accounting and grid impacts.
  • Building enforceable, community-centered agreements through community benefits agreements (CBAs) and oversight mechanisms.
  • Embedding joint fact-finding and adaptive learning into long-term deals.

Data Center Negotiation Attributes

Time required: 2 hours
Numbers of participants: 8
Scoreable: No
Teaching Notes Available: Yes
Neutral third party present: No
Filed in:
Role Simulations