1. OpenPeppol and GENA: what are we talking about?
Let's start by defining what OpenPeppol is. PEPPOL stands for "Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine." It is a project launched in 2007 by the European Commission to develop the electronic exchange of documents for European public procurement, based on an exchange process, standards, a transport network, and a network of partners. By creating PEPPOL, the European Commission aims to increase competition for access to European public procurement markets. As a result, European companies can more easily interact with European administrations when they issue calls for tenders. This particularly concerns the ease with which companies can invoice in electronic format to any European administration (BtoG, "Business to Government" invoicing).
PEPPOL is therefore an electronic transaction network that manages exchanges and data flows between economic actors and administrations. To function, the PEPPOL network relies on GENA, an international association of private companies and public bodies whose role is to develop, implement, and maintain the PEPPOL network.
GENA ¹ stands for "Global Exchange Network Association." It is a European non-profit professional association that brings together a community of electronic invoicing service providers. Formed in 2011, EESPA, now GENA, has more than 90 full members and associates. GENA members process more than 2 billion electronic invoices per year. Docoon has been an active member of GENA for many years.
2. OpenPeppol and GENA converge
At the beginning of 2022, OpenPeppol and GENA decided to join forces to use a common interoperability framework, as they share the same goal: to facilitate the exchange of electronic documents in a secure environment. Importantly, they agreed to use the 4-corner exchange model for electronic invoices and other commercial documents to make their services interoperable. This is the model used by the PEPPOL network to secure transactions between the sender and receiver of information. Messages are routed via Certified Access Points—Peppol access points—which verify their authenticity and then translate them into PEPPOL formats.
As an active member of GENA and a more recent member of OpenPeppol, Docoon is committed to becoming a Peppol Access Point. With the advent of electronic invoicing reform, we are positioning ourselves to offer our customers a secure end-to-end solution for processing and storing electronic invoices.
Thanks to the convergence of the PEPPOL and GENA networks, we are now in a position to work with other service providers that will be registered as Partner Dematerialization Platforms (PDPs). This is a significant advantage for companies when selecting their PDP. Subject to an interoperability requirement between them, future Partner Dematerialization Platforms have chosen to rely on the PEPPOL network to meet this requirement.
3. OpenPeppol + GENA = international openness
Initially intended for data exchange between European businesses and government agencies, the PEPPOL network has expanded to include B2B transactions and is now capable of handling 100% of B2G and B2B invoices.
Another important point: while PEPPOL is capable of handling electronic invoicing, it also enables the exchange of administrative and commercial documents. For our customers, this means being able to process e-procurement and supply chain flows, which is a huge advantage in terms of saving time, reducing errors, tracking exchanges, and streamlining the supply chain. This particularly applies to exchanges between French companies and their subsidiaries, which are often cross-border.
Finally, the PEPPOL network has gone international: countries such as Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand have already joined PEPPOL. By defining a common interoperability framework, OpenPeppol and GENA are building the standards for a high-performance, secure global electronic data exchange network.
Committed to GENA and OpenPeppol, and positioned to become a Partner Dematerialization Platform (PDP), Docoon will be able to connect to numerous e-invoicing systems around the world and offer full interconnection with other international platforms.
(1) Formerly EESPA (European E-Invoicing Service Providers Association)
