Basware Helps Set the Standard in Europe

Wednesday 2nd May, 2012

Further proof came today that the major shift within the e-invoicing market is towards increased legislation and standardisation, with the announcement that Basware has built PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) compliant procedures and protocols into all of its e-invoicing solutions. With some European countries edging towards the use of mandating einvoicing, this looks like a sensible move for Basware. In fact the company's implementation of PEPPOL comes just three months before the Norwegian Government will mandate contracting authorities, requesting that all suppliers must invoice them electronically with the use of PEPPOL infrastructure as the preferred approach.

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. Basware’s customers can now send and receive PEPPOL-compliant e-invoices and documents to customers and suppliers. Basware customers are therefore able to meet the standardised business processes for the transmission of electronic invoices to organisations 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 harmonised, 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 standardisation delivered by PEPPOL holds significant advantages for businesses of every size. PEPPOLwill 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.

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 organisations can rely to automate their P2P processes.”