Posts Tagged ‘UBL’
UBL 2.1 provides a mapping of the UBL Invoice elements to the equivalent -estimated 170- SEPA pain elements
Read MoreThe current practice of the exchange of business documents in e-business transactions presents major opportunities to improve the competitiveness of companies. Especially the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).
The invoice is an important document exchanged in e-business transactions between trading partners. Its primary function is a request for payment from the customer to the supplier. The invoice is also an important accounting document and also has potential trade law implications for both trading partners.
Additionally, in the member states of the European Union, the invoice is the key document for VAT declaration and reclamation, for statistics declaration, and to support export and import declaration in respect of trade with other countries.
Started as an initiative by CEN/ISSS Work shop eBES, the European Expert Group 1 (EEG1) – Supply Chain & e-Procurement developed the Cross Industry Invoice in 2004. The first version of the Cross Industry Invoice has been compiled with contributions and submissions from: EUROFER, GS1, CIDX, EDIFICE, AIAG/ODETTE/JAMA, GHX, UK e-Government, UK HM Customs & Excise, and EDS.
In the end of the year 2008 version 2.0 of this document was published. Compared to version 1.0 a series of changes regarding the requirements and the structure were introduced. Basis for the enhancement of requirements were contributions from TBG1 members such as GS1, UBL, EDIFrance, US Department of Defense, and others.
The objective of this document is to standardize the business processes regarding (e-) in the supply chain.
Read the entire document:
Source: www.uncefactforum.org
Nearly 30% of individuals use internet banking, 60% of households have internet access.
In the EU27, 60% of households had access to the internet during the first quarter of 2008, compared with 54% during the first quarter of 2007, and 48% had a broadband internet connection, compared with 42% in 2007.
These data published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, represent only a small part of the results of a survey on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage in households and by individuals in the EU27 Member States plus Norway, Iceland and Croatia. As well as internet use and broadband connections, the survey also covers other indicators such as e-shopping, e-government and advanced communication and content related services.
Household internet access ranges from 25% in Bulgaria to 86% in the Netherlands
In 2008, the proportion of households with internet access was three quarters or more in the Netherlands (86%), Sweden (84%), Denmark (82%), Luxembourg (80%) and Germany (75%). The lowest levels were registered in Bulgaria (25%), Romania (30%) and Greece (31%).
The proportion of households with a broadband connection in 2008 was also highest in the Netherlands and Denmark (both 74%) and Sweden (71%).
One third of individuals in the EU27 use travel related internet services
In the second quarter of 2008, individuals aged 16-74 in the EU Member States were asked which activities they had carried out on the internet in the previous three months. In the EU27, nearly a third of all individuals had used internet for travel and accommodation services. Around 30% had used internet banking, interacted with public authorities or searched for health-related information. About a quarter had read online news or ordered goods or services. Around 15% had looked for jobs or sent applications by internet.
The Member States which had the highest proportions of individuals performing these internet activities were the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Luxembourg.
Here you are able to view the entire data overview per country:
Source: Eurostat
At the start of 2008, the European Commission has set up an Expert Group on the subject of electronic invoicing. The thirty members of the Expert Group should represent all key stakeholders concerning e-Invoicing. The members shall be appointed by the Commission from specialists with competence in the area of e-Invoicing on the basis of applications from industry associations, public sector bodies and individuals representing the interests of all or part of public sector, enterprises and ICT, consumers, financial service providers and standardisation organisations in the field of e-Invoicing.
It is expected that an interim report will be published early 2009, describing the proceedings on the work of the expert group up to now and presenting the aims to achieve in 2009 in areas of legal barriers, business requirements and network and standards.
More information on the subject e-invoicing and related such as the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and the intentions and ambitions on the European scale, please visit the website of the European Commission concerning e-invoicing.
The first set of UBL 2.0 data dictionary translations is now out for public review. The first set of UBL 2.0 data dictionary can be downloaded from http://docs.oasis-open.org/ubl/idd/UBL-2.0-idd.zip.
Created by OASIS UBL localization subcommittees (LSCs) to aid in global UBL deployment, this package provides translations of the 1900+ standard UBL business term definitions into Japanese, Italian, and Spanish.
The International Data Dictionary (IDD) provides speakers of those languages with a key to the meanings of the standardized XML tags used in UBL 2.0 business documents. The translations are provided as ODF and Excel files using the same spreadsheet format as the data models in the OASIS UBL 2.0 Standard, as recently updated: http://docs.oasis-open.org/ubl/os-UBL-2.0-update/mod/.
Subsequent releases of the IDD will include corrections based on input from the international user community and translations into other languages as they become available. Persons wishing to start a UBL localization subcommittee should contact the IDD editor and chair of the UBL TC, Jon Bosak (bosak@ibiblio.org).
Further information:
OASIS Universal Business Language (UBL) TC
Download
Index of /ubl/os-UBL-2.0-update/mod/
Source: www.epractice.eu
The following publication explains a way of using Intelligent PDF to support compliante Invoicing solutions. Adobe has worked together with CEN to create a white paper in which a relatively new type PDF solution is worked out.
The PDF is an intelligent message. The PDF document offers not only an optical readable invoice, but also billing data extracted in XML. Besides this, even charging can be audited.
Read the entire article here:
The European Commission IDABC eInvoicing and eOrdering project team has recently reached an important milestone: the delivery of the prototype. It allows the sending of an XML invoice to the Commission’s e-PRIOR system and the automatic integration in the back-office system after a number of validations. The major next step is a real-life pilot with a number of IT suppliers.
The e-PRIOR (electronic PRocurement, Invoicing and ORdering) prototype has been developed inside the Commission’s infrastructure and is hosted in its datacentre.
The prototype currently supports:
- the sending of an XML invoice through secured web services;
- the sending of a separate attachment;
- the sending of a status request message, which returns the status of the invoice.
User access, logging and a business document viewer have also been implemented.
The prototype was demonstrated to the IDABC programme’s Technical Working Group and formally endorsed by the ‘Pan-European eGovernment Services Committee’ (PEGSCO) which is the IDABC programme’s management committee.
The next project phase includes:
- Running a real-life pilot with a number of existing IT and telecom suppliers;
- Organising a post-pilot workshop to share the lessons learnt of the pilot;
- Developing additional use cases, including disputes and credit notes;
- Analysing the eOrdering process.
This phase should be completed before the summer holiday of 2009. During the final phase, the pilot will be extended with the additional use cases whilst the eOrdering process is being developed.
Final step
As a final step, all project deliverables will be packaged for dissemination. Collaboration with other eInvoicing and standardization initiatives is seen as very important, and contributions have been made to:
- The Expert Group on eInvoicing
- The PEPPOL project
- The CEN/BII workshop, where the IDABC eInvoicing and eOrdering project team is now even chairing the subgroup working on the usage of code tables.
A major contribution has been made towards the redefinition of the profiles, making them modular and complementary, resulting in decoupling the profiles from any message standard like UBL or UN/CEFACT.
Where applicable or possible, concepts and tools have been re-used from Member States, such as the NES/UBL XML formats and profiles, stylesheets and validator tools. Member States will equally be able to re-use deliverables and results from this project, such as XML definitions, stylesheets, approaches or concepts, programming code and architecture documents.
Further information:
e-PRIOR case in ePractice IDABC website
eProcurement news & good practice
e-PRIOR demo on You Tube
source: www.epractice.eu
The Spanish Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade and the Minister for Public Administrations have launched a new training programme aimed at promoting the use of eGovernment services by the citizens of rural areas, so as to break the digital divide.
The initiative is intended to bring the citizens of rural areas closer to all three levels of Government in Spain by enabling them to benefit from the approximately 900 central, regional and local public services available on the eGovernment portal ‘060.es’.
Named ‘Telecentres training and revitalization plan’, the €2 million project relies on the network of Red.es Telecentres; those free Internet access points located across Spain’s rural areas. Over 500 Telecentres trainers will, within 1 500 Telecentres, instruct the population on how to perform operations via the eGovernment portal and to obtain information by electronic means.
In this light, printed and audiovisual information material have been designed in a clear language, with practical examples of the citizens’ daily life aspects, so as to demonstrate the advantages of the portal. In addition, distinct multimedia information packs are being conceived following the specific profiles (youngsters, women, seniors, immigrants, etc) structuring the portal. This material will include information on each target group’s most used services, as well as on the use of the national eID card.
Miguel Sebastián, Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade stressed that following the successful deployment of Telecentres, his department will concentrate its efforts on the “valorisation of the infrastructure” by adding “services associated to the Telecentres”. He informed that the launch of the ‘Telecentres training and revitalisation plan’ is the first measure in this direction, and that it is based on the Training axis of the Avanza2 programme.
The plan has already started being implemented in 304 Telecentres in the regions of Andalusia and Asturias, with 150 dedicated trainers involved. Later on, the plan will focus on the regions of Castile and León, the Canary Islands and Murcia, and then on Galicia, the Valencian Community, Castile-La Mancha and Extremadura.
Source: Epractice.eu

TIE Holding N.V. (“TIE”) hereby announces that it has entered into a tentative agreement to acquire MamboFive B.V., an e-Business software company based in The Netherlands. The transaction completes TIE’s portfolio of the TIE Kinetix e-Business products and solutions and creates further business development opportunities for up-selling TIE Kinetix to the expanded customer base.
This acquisition fits well into TIE’s strategy of acquiring businesses that strengthen TIE’s bottom line, whilst providing expansion of the product and service potential. The acquisition is expected to contribute to TIE’s revenue and profitability.
Following the completion of the financial, technical en legal due diligence, and the agreement for the purchase of 51% of the shares, TIE shall pay a purchase price amounting to EUR 200,000. The purchase price for the first 51% of the shares also contains a short term 5% annual interest bearing loan amounting to EUR 300,000. On March 1, 2009, TIE requires to pay the loan and interest to the shareholders of MamboFive.
Regarding an additional 24,5% of the shares, TIE receives an option to buy them per April 1, 2009 for a purchase price of EUR 450,000. In order to acquire the final 24,5% of the shares, TIE receives an option to buy them for a purchase price of EUR 450,000. In case TIE determines to exercise the options, TIE will issue convertible bonds amounting to the purchase price. Each convertible bond has a notional term of five years and a lock-up amounting to 1 year. The convertible bonds are non-interest bearing and the conversion rate of each bond will be based upon the average closing rate of the last 4 days prior to the closing date or exercise date as well as the closing date or exercise date, always with a minimum of EUR 0.10.
The total purchase price for the acquisition of all shares of MamboFive therefore amounts to EUR 1.4m. The company has decided to split the transaction in order to anticipate on the current circumstances in the financial markets, and therefore provides itself with multiple decision moments to evaluate the financial market status at that moment. TIE expects to finalize the agreement after the publication of the annual results, which is planned on November 26, 2008.
With the addition of MamboFive, TIE will be able to deliver its customers a complete state-of-the-art TIE Kinetix e-Business solution, including a web shop. Our customers can now connect and integrate with their trading partners in the supply chain in every possible way, whether it’s the support of online orientation for their customers, online selling or online fullfillment. Therefore they can keep their business virtual as long as possible and save valuable time and money and even grow their revenue.
TIE will also be able to deliver its Business-to-Business integration know-how and solutions to the customers of MamboFive, who are predominantly in the telecom industry. Customers of MamboFive are KPN, HI, Debitel, AH Mobiel, Vodafone and e-tailers such as Elders Websales and Slimshops.
“Combining with TIE provides a significant opportunity to further accelerate our combined business”, said Frank van Doorn, Director of MamboFive. “We have been looking for possibilities to provide our clients additional services and complete solutions. We are very pleased to be able to integrate our MamboFive solutions in the TIE Kinetix platform. This will enable us to realize substantial growth in new markets and to extend the business with our existing clients”.
“Web shops and e-business solutions are the final step in our vision of offering a full range of e-business solutions to our customers”, says Jan Sundelin, CEO of TIE. “MamboFive delivers a full multi-channel concept, including shop-in-shop. With the acquisition of MamboFive we have a very powerful solution for our clients in doing their business online via a web shop.”
About MamboFive
MamboFive delivers and implements e-business solutions based on her standard MamboFive Commerce Suite (MCS), which is suitable for B2B and B2C solutions.
MCS is a fully ‘Web Enabled ERP’ for the internet entrepreneur. New technologies such as e-procurement, web shops, catalogue management and web services can be implemented upon the existing investments in financial and logistic systems.
The company was established in 2000 and is headquartered in Utrecht, in the center of the Netherlands. It developed the MamboFive Commerce Suite especially for midsize and large enterprises who can implement the software package quickly without high investments. MamboFive’s main focus is the high end corporate retail segment. The client reference list comprises strong corporate brands as KPN, HI, Debitel, Vodafone, Fujitsu-Siemens, SimYo Belgium, Simac ICT and Elders Websales (GSM.nl).
MamboFive also has a strong position in the mid segment with runner up companies and niche players who require state-of-art solutions for their e-businesses.
Profile TIE
Master Data Management Software Company TIE (NYSE Euronext: TIE Holding) bridges the gap between online and traditional business. TIE helps industry and supply chain partners to achieve electronic business collaboration with solutions in the traditional and upcoming markets like Data Quality Management, e-Invoicing, Master Data Management and Digital Channel Communications. Our solutions are proven to lower costs, increase revenue and optimize business processes. Because we have decades of experience to share, TIE remains a key contributor to the development and implementation of global eCommerce standards. TIE is a publicly held company with offices in the United States, France, and the Netherlands.
According to Statistics Estonia, in January 2008 four out of ten enterprises with Internet connection had received e-invoices, three out of ten had sent out e-invoices. In the previous year the corresponding indicators were two out of ten and one out of ten.
ID-card was used by four out of ten enterprises with Internet connection. ID card was used mostly for giving digital signature and for authorising users in information systems. The most active users of ID-card were the enterprises of financial intermediation; two thirds of them used ID-card.
The general trend of reducing the paperwork has increased the interest of public authorities in websites. The enterprises download more and more forms and return them via Internet. Over three quarters of enterprises downloaded forms and two thirds returned them via Internet. Two thirds of enterprises had their own websites.
In January 2008, 97% of enterprises used computers; 99% of them had also access to the Internet. These indicators have not changed much during the last five years. As before, most of the enterprises needed the Internet for banking and financial services; fewer enterprises used the Internet for training and education purposes. The most popular type of Internet connection was DSL broadband connection, used by three quarters of enterprises. Other types of broadband connection, such as cable TV, leased lines, etc., were used by two out of ten enterprises. Non-broadband connections (dial up, ISDN, mobile Internet) were used less and often in combination with broadband connection.
Statistics Estonia has surveyed the use of information technology in enterprises since 2001. In 2008 3,500 enterprises participated in the survey. The survey involves enterprises with 10 and more employees. The usage of information technology in enterprises is studied by statistical organisations in all European Union Member States on the basis of harmonised methodology.
Source: Stat


