What is PEPPOL?

PEPPOL was created in 2008 as a pilot Project by the European Comission and is governed by a set of specifications and standars based on multilaterals agreements. Its acronyc stands for Pan-European Public Procurement Online (PEPPOL).

PEPPOL’s principal objective is to facilitate the electronic exchange of documents between member countries. As a result, you can send electronic invoices securely and reliably to Businesses and Governments.

It was mainly aimed to European companies, but gradually gained influence internationally in countries such as Japan, New Zealand and the United States. As of March 1st 2022, 458.411 participating organizations from 78 countries were registered.

The PEPPOL model proposes a novel, scalable, national, cross-border, four-cornered model that utilises a marketplace of private sector service providers connected to sending and receiving organisations.

The central address registry, which enables dynamic participant discovery (SML), is the key component of this model. It is supported by centralised or distributed capability lookup services (SMP).

What are the key reasons for the importance of PEPPOL?

The PEPPOL network plays a crucial role in facilitating rapid, cost-effective, and streamlined communication and information exchange between businesses and governmental organisations. Furthermore, it enhances the competitiveness of the business infrastructure.

Concurrently, the establishment of a digital single market and the automation of business processes are imminent.

The PEPPOL network represents a global network that facilitates communication between disparate service providers, which are designated as PEPPOL Access Points. Such access points serve as intermediaries, facilitating the secure and efficient transmission of electronic documents.

Standardised Documents: The PEPPOL network employs international standards, such as the UBL (Universal Business Language) format, to guarantee the comprehensibility and processability of documents irrespective of the country or system utilised.

Transport Protocol: The PEPPOL network utilises a secure transport protocol based on AS2 (Applicability Statement 2) for data transmission, thereby ensuring the confidential and unaltered delivery of documents to their intended destination.

Advantages of adopting PEPPOL

• The implementation of cost-reduction strategies and the minimisation of errors are two key objectives in the field of business management. The automation of document exchange has the effect of eliminating manual processes and paper usage. This has the consequence of reducing operating costs and minimising human error.
• Enhanced operational efficacy. The standardisation and automation of documents facilitates more expedient and efficacious processing. This is particularly beneficial for organisations that process a high volume of transactions.
• The process of simplifying regulatory compliance is made more straightforward by the use of the aforementioned methods. The PEPPOL standard facilitates compliance with local and international regulations, adapting to the specific requirements of each country. This is a crucial aspect for companies operating in multiple jurisdictions.
• Security and trust are fundamental aspects of any digital transaction. The PEPPOL infrastructure is designed to guarantee the secure transmission of documents, thereby protecting confidential information and reducing the risk of fraud.
• Global interoperability is a further advantage of PEPPOL. Although initially developed in Europe, PEPPOL has subsequently been adopted on a global scale, enabling organisations to engage in commercial activities with trading partners in disparate geographical regions through the utilisation of a unified interoperability infrastructure.

What documents can be exchanged via PEPPOL?

The PEPPOL network facilitates the processing of millions of transactions on a monthly basis, encompassing both business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-business (B2B) contexts. The range of documents that can be exchanged via the PEPPOL network is extensive.

OpenPeppol is the organization responsible for the development and the maintenance of Peppol specifications. According to Peppol Business Interoperability Agreements, there are some of the documents we can Exchange:

• e-Orders.
• e-Advance Shipping Notes.
• e-Invoices.
• e-Catalogues.
• Message Level Responses.

Impact of PEPPOL on business operations

For businesses, adopting PEPPOL not only facilitates enhanced operational efficiency, but also confers a competitive advantage in the context of an increasingly digitised business environment. The capacity to integrate with suppliers and customers in a straightforward manner via a standardised system can enhance transparency and expedite business processes, thereby fostering greater agility and adaptability in the global marketplace..

What shall we do to send electronic invoices through Peppol Network?

Simply be connected to a PEPPOL access point. You will automatically be assigned a PEPPOL ID, which is a unique number assigned to each company, and you will be ready to access the international billing network.

On the other hand, if you want to exchange documents with public administrations, you must send invoices through special government identification numbers (OIN).