Posts Tagged ‘Framework’
This Peppol report gives an overview of the European Interoperability Framework and its dimensions.
Read MoreElectronic Public Procurement: the European Commission has launched an online survey to assess up-take and experience of practitioners. The survey will remain open until 18 December 2008.
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market and Services has commissioned Ernst & Young to conduct an evaluation of the effective up-take of electronic public procurement (“eProcurement”) across the EU.
In particular, the evaluation will assess how well the objectives of the “Action plan for the implementation of the legal framework for electronic public procurement” (the so-called Action Plan for eProcurement), adopted by the European Commission in December 2004, have been achieved.
In this context, an online survey, available in English, French and German has been launched on 23 October 2008. It is aimed at four different categories of specific users:
1. Suppliers who may have conducted business with public purchasers in a traditional and/ or an eProcurement procedure.
2. Contracting authorities/entities which may have awarded works, supplies or services contracts via traditional and/or eProcurement procedures.
3. Central Purchasing Bodies, i.e. specialised procurement entities which centralise or co-ordinate the purchase of works, supplies or services for one or more contracting authorities/entities at national, regional, local or vertical levels. As such, they may have awarded works, supplies or services contracts via traditional and/or eProcurement procedures.
4. Member State institutions responsible for public procurement policy, or related technical or legal aspects.
eProcurement is a complex and technical issue. In order to obtain the necessary information, essential for a comprehensive evaluation of the various issues, the questions asked cover a fairly wide range of topics. To facilitate responses, structured answers have been provided wherever possible (i.e. tick boxes) and free text answers have been kept to a minimum. However, respondents are also invited to provide any additional comments at the end of the questionnaire. Such free text contributions would be particularly valuable and can be made in any EU language. Equally, where an exact response to a question would involve extensive research, it is better to provide a best estimate rather than no answer at all.
The results of this survey will be collected in a report, which will be made available during the second half of 2009. All respondents to the questionnaire will receive a summary of the results.
Those interested in participating in this survey are invited to send an email to survey.eproc@it.ey.com and they will receive a logon identity and password. For technical reasons, it is not possible to provide a direct link to the survey without loosing some of the more “user friendly” aspects of the application (most importantly the ability to save as the respondent moves from page to page, allowing a questionnaire to be completed at one’s convenience, or by several users, rather than in one sitting).
Source: epractice.eu
Electronic invoicing and invoice automation promise to unlock major benefits for almost everyone. Corporates, SME’s, banks, public administrations, service providers and even consumers can profit from electronic invoicing. The most striking benefit would be the multi-billion cost savings across Europe. Supplemented with a large amount of non-financial benefits, e-invoicing and invoice automation can be a major enabler in contributing to European competitiveness.
Common practice across Europe nevertheless shows that the penetration and adoption of electronic invoicing and invoice automation in Member States is relatively low. When it comes to European cross border e-invoicing, it is even lower.
EEI Platform
Nevertheless several initiatives in Europe on e-invoicing and invoice automation, it stands out that there is not a platform with a focus on sharing information, promoting members’ interests, building social networks and obtaining knowledge.
Mission
The mission of the EEI Platform is to accelerate the awareness, adoption and penetration of e-invoicing invoice automation and its related domains (payments, accounting, credit management, archiving, authenticity) across Europe. Creating benefits and opportunities for its visitors, members, partners and stakeholders.
Objectives
In achieving this mission, the EEI Platform aims at several objectives that distinguishes the EEI Platform from other initiatives. The mission and objectives are carried out using an activity and instruments framework. This activity framework is based on a S.M.A.R.T. approach: Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Realistic, Time based.
Benefits
Packed with functionalities and opportunities to generate as much benefits as possible for our members and partners.
Step two: COMPLETE THE SUBSCRIPTION FORM
Step three: RETURN IT TO THE EEI PLATFORM:
Postal: EEI Platform
Brunelsingel 122
6841 KB ARNHEM
The Netherlands
Step four: PAY THE DIGITAL INVOICE
In 2007 the Danish National IT & Telecom Agency (NITA) launched a national open e-business framework ‘NemHandel’ (literally ‘EasyTrade’), based on a new national service-oriented infrastructure and utilizing state-of-the-art open standards to do e-business transactions business to government and business to business via the internet. The national open e-business framework supports reliable, secure and asynchronous exchange of business messages, e.g. invoices, across heterogeneous networks, including the internet.
Since 2005 suppliers to the Danish public sector have been required by law to send invoices electronically, which affects approximately 70% of all Danish businesses, and thus electronic invoicing in the public sector is a key driver for the initiative. However the ‘NemHandel’ initiative also aims more widely in a business-to-business context to replace less cost-effective solutions, such as the scanning-based digitalisation of paper invoices, as well as to pave the way for more comprehensive digitisation of a range of e-business processes to reduce administrative burdens in Danish businesses. Please see the Danish eInvoice Solution.
As part of the ‘NemHandel’ initiative, NITA has developed a basic open source ‘NemHandel’ application for the exchange of e-business documents, e.g. electronic invoices, via the internet. The open source application is freely available through the ‘Softwarebørsen’ open source software exchange to public sector institutions, private businesses, and to IT vendors who may incorporate the technology in their own commercial products. A number of commercial IT vendors have already and others are in the process of integrating the ‘NemHandel’ technology into their products so that documents may be exchanged directly between existing IT solutions. Likewise a range of existing commercial service providers, e.g. banks and operators of value added networks (VAN) and other proprietary solutions, are looking to connect their individual networks to the NemHandel infrastructure.
Read more on epractice
European payments processor Equens and Italy’s ICBPI Group are teaming up to establish a multi-party cross-border electronic invoicing network and have recruited Belgian service provider Isabel as the first pilot participant.
Equens says it will work with ICBPI to “bridge local solutions” in order to enable banks, corporates and service providers to extend their services in Europe.
Commenting on the project Giuseppe Capponcelli, MD, ICBPI Group, says: “This cross-border joint initiative on e-invoicing will allow us to be a first mover in the European scenario and to enhance our corporate banking services. The first international e-invoicing pilot is a win-win initiative that allows the founding partners to extend their reachability to other important trade markets.”
Isabel – which provides electronic banking and invoicing services – is the first to sign up, although other service providers will be invited to join the initiative says Equens.
Says Luc Van Hecke, international sales manager of Isabel: “This pilot project is a great opportunity to enhance our experience in electronic invoicing and to promote interoperability at European level.”
Equens estimates that over 90% of all invoicing worldwide is still paper-based.
The European Commission said last year that the introduction of the European electronic invoicing (EII) network could reduce supply chain costs by EUR243 billion across Europe and help to streamline business processes and drive innovation.
The introduction of an e-invoicing system for public sector firms in Denmark has saved an estimated EUR100-134 million per year, according to a report by an EC task force on e-invoicing.
The EC said it would set up a steering committee to oversee the establishment of a common invoicing framework that would allow businesses across the region to send invoices and receive corresponding payments electronically.
However separate research released by Sterling Commerce at Sibos has found that European businesses are being held back from implementing e-invoicing systems due to the complexity of addressing regulatory compliance requirements and legislation.
The survey of 400 IT managers in the UK, France, Germany and Italy conducted by Vanson Bourne found that the most pressing “e-invoicing concern” for businesses across Europe is “compliance with national e-invoicing legislation”.
In addition, more than half of the companies surveyed admitted they were concerned about supporting disparate e-invoicing systems across multiple geographies.
Chris Hayes, senior product marketing manager, Sterling Commerce, says: “The benefits of moving from paper-based to e-invoicing are widely known and accepted, yet the reality for many European businesses is that even for e-invoicing projects which do receive budget approval, a dependence on multiple solutions to handle compliance with multiple VAT and tax regulations across different territories, is ultimately undermining project success.”
Source: Sibos Online
PayPal has teamed with electronic invoicing outfit OB10 to create an automated e-invoicing application for the UK business community.
Under the partnership, invoices sent by PDF will incorporate a PayPal button which the customer just clicks to arrange payment.
The payments can then be made by credit and debit cards, bank transfers or PayPal balance, meaning customers don’t have to wait for cheques to clear.
OB10 says the partnership – initially for the UK market only – will help businesses streamline invoicing and payment process, improving efficiency and transparency within the financial supply chain.
Cameron McLean, general manager, merchant services, PayPal, says: “The PayPal and the OB10 eBilling product will provide businesses with the opportunity to optimise their working capital cycle – an incredibly powerful proposition in today’s economic climate.”
Last year the European Commission (EC) set up a steering committee to oversee the establishment of a common invoicing framework that would allow businesses across the region to send invoices and receive corresponding payments electronically.
According to a report produced by an “informal task force” on e-invoicing, the introduction of the European electronic invoicing (EII) network could reduce supply chain costs by EUR243 billion across Europe and help to streamline business processes and drive innovation.
Attention has also turned to the environmental costs of paper-based invoicing. According to stats produced by the Euro Banking Association, a one per cent increase in the adoption of e-invoicing in Europe would save 800,000 trees annually.
Source: Finextra
Today’s business processes are to a large extent still paper-based, which results in inefficiencies as paper needs to be forwarded from one employee in a firm to the next either in the same firm or in another firm before it reaches its final destination.
Read more…
Source: Twist
The government of the Netherlands is aiming to be able to process 10% of incoming invoices (i.e. around one million invoices) electronically within three years. The benefits will include corresponding improvements in efficiency, reductions in errors and cost savings. Yet e-invoicing does not seem to be taking off. That is why the Ministry of Economic Affairs has commissioned Telematica Instituut and Zenc, within the framework of its Electronic Invoicing Action Plan, to conduct a detailed study of a number of scenarios related to the government’s e-invoicing infrastructure.
The study will produce a selection tool to generate scenarios for the organisation of the e-invoicing infrastructure. The selection tool will take account of such considerations as organisational aspects (whether the work is done in-house or outsourced), security (the authenticity and integrity of the invoice) and invoice validation and transformation.
The project will run for ten weeks, with the final report being presented to the Ministry in mid-August.
For more information: Bob.Hulsebosch@telin.nl or Paul.OudeLuttighuis@telin.nl
The Expert Group on Electronic Invoicing, set up by a European Commission Decision with the task to contribute to the creation of a European eInvoicing Framework, has published its first status report.
The Expert Group on e-Invoicing started its work at the end of February 2008. The Expert Group consists of 30 specialists representing all stakeholders: consumers, SMEs, large enterprises, service providers and public authorities.
The tasks of the Expert Group are to identify business requirements and responsibilities for the execution of specific work, as well as to steer the creation – by the end of 2009 – of a European e-Invoicing Framework.
The purpose of the European e-Invoicing Framework is to establish a common conceptual structure to support the provision of e-Invoicing services in an open and interoperable manner across Europe.
The Expert Group has issued a short status report which provides stakeholders with information about the progress of the Group’s work since its formation. Until now, the Group has held several meetings and established a series of initiatives to address a key opportunity for enhancing efficiency and productivity in the digital environment. A mid-term report will be issued before the end of 2008.
Source: epractice
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