What is Peppol

What is Peppol?

Introduction

Peppol is a set of artifacts and specifications enabling cross-border eProcurement. The use of Peppol is governed by a multi-lateral agreement structure which is owned and maintained by OpenPeppol.

Peppol is not an e-Procurement platform but instead provides a set of technical specifications that can be implemented in existing eProcurement solutions and eBusiness exchange services to make them interoperable between disparate systems across Europe.

Peppol enables trading partners to exchange standards-based electronic documents over the Peppol network (based on a 4-corner model). These documents include e-Orders, e-Advance Shipping Notes, eInvoices, eCatalogues, Message Level Responses, etc.

Peppol Access Points connect users to the Peppol network and exchange electronic documents based on the Peppol specifications. Buyers and suppliers are free to choose their preferred single Access Point provider to connect to all Peppol participants already on the network. (‘Connect once, connect to all’).

In this context, Peppol Provides:

• Market enablement for interoperable e-Procurement solutions
• Standards based business process interoperability
• Peppol eDelivery Network and Peppol Transport Infrastructure Agreements which form the technical and legal basis for interoperability
• Simplification and improvement of the on-boarding process for buyers and suppliers who want to trade electronically.

Peppol Components

Peppol is based on three major pillars:

• the network (Peppol eDelivery Network).
• the document specifications (Peppol Business Interoperability Specifications ‘BIS’)
• the legal framework that defines the network governance (Peppol Transport Infrastructure Agreements – TIA)

In the Post-Award process, Peppol covers:

• eCatalogues to exchange information about goods and services offered under the contract.
• eOrders and eInvoicing providing the buyer and suppliers with defined procedures to share common business information.
• eDelivery Network, based on common national IT compatible standards and interconnecting eProcurement processes.

In the Pre-Award phase:

• Pre-award artefacts will be introduced in 2017 as part of a dialogue on taking over responsibilities for eTendering results from the e-SENS Project