BuyICT MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides Claude with access to Australian Government ICT procurement opportunities from BuyICT.
Features
- 🔍 Search procurement opportunities across multiple marketplaces
- 📋 Get detailed information about specific opportunities
- 🏪 List available marketplaces (PCS, SMP, CMP, LH, TMP, DC, HMP)
- 🔐 Supports authenticated access to BuyICT ServiceNow instance
Installation
- Clone this repository or navigate to the project directory:
cd buyict_mcp
- Install dependencies:
npm install
- Build the TypeScript code:
npm run build
Configuration
1. Environment Variables
Copy the example environment file and fill in your credentials:
cp .env.example .env
2. Obtaining Session Credentials
To access BuyICT data, you need to provide session credentials from your browser:
- Open https://www.buyict.gov.au in your browser
- Log in (if required for the opportunities you want to access)
- Open Developer Tools (F12)
- Go to the Network tab
- Navigate to the Opportunities page or refresh it
- Look for a request to
/api/now/sp/page?id=opportunities - Click on it and go to the Headers section
- Find and copy the following values to your
.envfile:
From the Cookie header:
JSESSIONID→BUYICT_SESSION_IDglide_user_route→BUYICT_GLIDE_USER_ROUTEglide_node_id_for_js→BUYICT_GLIDE_NODE_IDVALK_SESSION_ID→BUYICT_VALK_SESSION_ID
From request headers:
X-UserToken→BUYICT_USER_TOKENUX-Token→BUYICT_UX_TOKEN
Note: These tokens expire after some time. If you get authentication errors, you'll need to refresh them by repeating this process.
Usage with Claude Desktop
- Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"buyict": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/buyict_mcp/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"BUYICT_SESSION_ID": "your_session_id_here",
"BUYICT_USER_TOKEN": "your_user_token_here",
"BUYICT_UX_TOKEN": "your_ux_token_here"
}
}
}
}
Or, to load from your .env file, use a wrapper script.
-
Restart Claude Desktop
-
The server will now be available with the following tools:
Available Tools
search_opportunities
Search for procurement opportunities with optional filters.
Parameters:
keyword(string, optional): Search term to filter opportunitiesmarketplace(string, optional): Filter by marketplace code (PCS, SMP, CMP, LH, TMP, DC, HMP)page_size(number, optional): Results per page (default: 15, max: 100)page(number, optional): Page number (default: 1)
Example:
Search for cloud computing opportunities in the Cloud Marketplace
get_opportunity_details
Get detailed information about a specific opportunity.
Parameters:
opportunity_id(string, required): The sys_id of the opportunitytable(string, required): Source table name (e.g., u_cmp_procurement)
Example:
Get details for opportunity ID abc123 from the u_cmp_procurement table
list_marketplaces
Get a list of all available marketplaces.
Example:
Show me all available BuyICT marketplaces
Marketplaces
The server supports the following BuyICT marketplaces:
| Code | Name | Table |
|---|---|---|
| PCS | Panel & Catalogue Services | u_pcs_procurement |
| SMP | Software Marketplace | u_smp_procurement |
| CMP | Cloud Marketplace | u_cmp_procurement |
| LH | Labour Hire | u_lh_procurement |
| TMP | Telecommunications Marketplace | u_tmp_procurement |
| DC | Data Centre | u_dc_procurement |
| HMP | Hardware Marketplace | u_hmp_procurement |
Development
Project Structure
buyict_mcp/
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts # MCP server entry point
│ ├── servicenow-client.ts # ServiceNow API client
│ └── types.ts # TypeScript type definitions
├── config/
│ └── buyict-config.json # Server configuration
├── dist/ # Compiled JavaScript (generated)
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── .env.example
└── README.md
Building
npm run build
Development Mode (with watch)
npm run dev
Testing
Start the server manually to test:
npm start
Current Limitations
⚠️ Important: The current implementation has some limitations due to the ServiceNow Service Portal architecture:
-
Data Fetching: The
search_opportunitiestool currently returns the initial page structure but may not include actual opportunity data. This is because:- ServiceNow widgets load data asynchronously via server-side scripts
- The exact API endpoint for fetching opportunity data needs further investigation
- May require authenticated access for full data access
-
Authentication: Session tokens expire and need to be manually refreshed from your browser.
-
Future Improvements Needed:
- Discover the correct API endpoint for fetching opportunity listings
- Implement automatic session refresh
- Add caching to reduce API calls
- Support more advanced filtering options
API Documentation
See these files for more details:
API_FINDINGS.md- Detailed API analysis and findingsAUTHENTICATION_ANALYSIS.md- Authentication mechanisms and requirementsMCP_SERVER_DESIGN.md- Architecture and design decisions
Troubleshooting
"User Not Authenticated" Error
This means your session tokens have expired. Follow the Configuration steps to get new tokens from your browser.
No Opportunities Returned
The search endpoint may require further implementation. Check the server logs for details. You may need to access opportunities directly via the website or investigate additional API endpoints.
Connection Issues
Ensure:
- You have internet connectivity
- BuyICT website is accessible
- Your tokens are valid and not expired
Contributing
This is a work in progress. Contributions are welcome, especially:
- Discovering the correct API endpoints for opportunity data
- Implementing automatic authentication
- Adding more filtering and search capabilities
- Improving error handling
License
MIT
Disclaimer
This is an unofficial tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Australian Government Digital Transformation Agency or BuyICT. Use responsibly and in accordance with BuyICT's terms of service.