Basware, the leading provider of e-invoicing and purchase-to-pay solutions, has successfully built PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) compliant procedures and protocols into all of its e-invoicing solutions, expanding commerce opportunities for its customers across Europe. Staples Finland, a Basware customer, has become one of the first companies to start using PEPPOL-compliant e-invoices.
The mission of the PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) initiative, co-funded by the European Commission, is to enable EU-wide exchange of electronic invoices and business documents amongst private and public businesses of any size to foster European-wide commerce opportunities.
Basware has been a leader in actively developing technologies and services that support B2B commerce, and has been involved in the PEPPOL initiative since 2008. With the European Commission keen to expand market connectivity and interoperability between private and public business, the involvement of e-invoicing and purchase-to-pay experts, such as Basware, has been integral in the development of the initiatives´ standards.
Following successful planning, collaboration and trialing of PEPPOL, the proposed specifications for e-invoices are being rolled-out to businesses. As of today Basware´s customers can send and receive PEPPOL-compliant e-invoices and documents to customers and suppliers. Basware customers are therefore able to meet the standardized business processes for the transmission of electronic invoices to organizations within Europe. Whilst Basware has always provided compliance with multiple invoice formats or standards, the premise of PEPPOL provides an agreed way to e-invoice, a major step forward in collaborative working.
Staples "´ a key supplier of office and industrial supplies to government agencies and a Basware customer "´ is one of the first companies to start using PEPPOL e-invoices. Pekka Leppälä, Sales Director, Staples explains: "As a supplier it is essential to be PEPPOL compliant to meet customer demands. When sales and invoicing processes are harmonized, it makes the relationship between buyer and supplier mutually beneficial and opens up new business opportunities, particularly against our competitors that may not yet be compliant."
In the new era of B2B commerce, the level of standardization delivered by PEPPOL holds significant advantages for businesses of every size. PEPPOL will ensure greater transparency through e-invoicing, and increase public accountability of business deals. PEPPOL implementation will also enhance the automation of purchase-to-pay, speed up administrative activities and reduce costs, while encouraging green, sustainable purchasing. E-invoicing also provides a number of wider business benefits for buyers and suppliers: buyers benefit from automated, error-free invoices that improve their ability to forecast, whilst suppliers benefit from faster payment cycles and improved cash flow and visibility.
Basware´s implementation of PEPPOL comes three months before the Norwegian Government will mandate contracting authorities to require that all suppliers must invoice them electronically with the use of PEPPOL infrastructure as the preferred approach.
The Agency for Public Management and eGovernment (Difi) state that this mandate by the Norwegian Government will make PEPPOL the "˜backbone of public electronic invoicing in Norway´. PEPPOL anticipate similar requirements from governments across Europe over the next few years. Olav Astad Kristiansen, Senior Adviser, Difi comments that: "The high standards for invoice content set by PEPPOL will ensure public authorities receive better-quality invoices. The wider business community will also prosper through simpler and more efficient invoicing processes."
Esa Tihilä, CEO, Basware says: "PEPPOL marks a step forward in open, collaborative commerce. Automating purchase processes along with a common way of working across Europe will significantly boost commerce opportunities between private and public businesses of every size. Basware believes in openness and collaboration between all parties across trading networks. The support we have provided to the PEPPOL initiative is based on recognition and understanding of the importance in providing an EU-wide standard for electronic document exchange upon which organizations can rely to automate their P2P processes."
-Ends-
About PEPPOL
The Pan-European Public Procurement Online (PEPPOL) project was initiated in 2008 to provide standards-based IT infrastructure and services for cross-border public eProcurement in Europe. By joining national eProcurement platforms and connecting eProcurement communities on a standardized backbone, companies can gain access to a vast public procurement market, resulting in increased opportunities for businesses, greater efficiencies and lower costs. PEPPOL´s activities are funded jointly by consortium members and the European Commission. The PEPPOL consortium is comprised of leading eProcurement agencies in 11 countries: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
About Basware
Basware is the global leader in cloud based e-invoicing and purchase-to-pay solutions with more than 1,000,000 users in over 60 countries. Basware´s B2B Cloud solutions and services provide an open, secure and global ecosystem for buyer and supplier collaboration, connecting more than 1.9 million buyers and suppliers globally. The solutions are architected to meet the needs of SMEs and global enterprises and are built upon Basware´s deep knowledge and experience of B2B financial processes, coupled with intelligent cloud connectivity and the Open Network. With Basware, organizations benefit from more efficient procurement, accounts payable and accounts receivable processes, sustainable cost savings, better insight to cash flows and improved buyer-supplier relationships. The solutions are available via the cloud, on-premise or through business process outsourcing in Europe, the US, and Asia-Pacific through an extensive network of Basware offices and business partners.
