(**) Since the publication of this article, Docoon has received its temporary registration as a Partner Dematerialization Platform from the French Public Finance Directorate under number 19.
As part of the electronic invoicing reform, the government is inviting companies to participate in a trial phase to test the future paperless system. Docoon, a leading provider of trusted digital and paperless solutions, naturally applied to be one of the participants in this pilot phase.
We now know that the implementation of the electronic invoicing reform has been postponed to September 1, 2026, instead of July1, 2024 (*), the date on which companies established in France would have been required to receive electronic invoices. The pilot phase schedule has also been postponed accordingly and will now begin in 2025 instead of January1, 2024.
For thestate, the stakes of this pilot phase are crucial; it is a kind of dress rehearsal to test all transactions in production with companies of various sizes and from various sectors of activity ...
1. The pilot phase for testing electronic invoicing
The challenges involved in rolling out electronic invoicing are enormous: enabling the widespread adoption of a process that affects 4 million businesses and involves the exchange of more than 2 billion invoices. It is easy to understand why the government was keen to launch a pilot program that will provide an opportunity to test the systems in real time with all the stakeholders involved in this reform. A selection process for participating companies, of which we are one, is currently underway.
Although participation in the pilot program is optional, we were keen to apply as a future PDP ( ¹). This is a logical step that is in line with Docoon's DNA: guaranteeing our customers and partners the highest level of security and excellence in our services.
The pilot testing phase should enable the following to be tested:
- Technical feasibility. Test billing circuits and Public Billing Portal (PPF) features, ensuring that companies' IT systems are compatible with electronic billing standards and technical requirements.
- Legal compliance. Ensure that all electronic invoices issued and received comply with applicable tax and commercial laws and regulations.
- Raising awareness and mobilizing teams. Raising awareness among all stakeholders (PDP candidates, DOs (²), companies connected to the PPF) about upcoming changes.
- Identifying potential problems: detecting and resolving potential problems that may arise. Identifying the improvements needed toensure successful implementation on a larger scale.
- The systematic inventory of special cases
2. Docoon involved in the pilot phase as team leader
To test all procedures, and as a future PDP, Docoon is applying to participate in the pilot phase as team leader. In concrete terms, this means that we will be testing the implementation of mandatory electronic invoicing under real conditions with part of our ecosystem (publishing partners and corporate clients).
Fourteen companies from different sectors (hospitality, manufacturing, accounting services, holding companies), including four major software solution providers, are part of our team. This eclectic panel is a wise choice, as it will allow us to test a wide variety of use cases. For our customers, this is obviously a guarantee that Docoon is capable of addressing their business issues. The pilot phase schedule currently calls for functional workshops to be set up in early 2025, followed by technical implementation.
As a signatory to the pilot phase charter in its capacity as team leader, Docoon is committed not only to complying with all the rules governing the widespread adoption of electronic invoicing and the transmission of transaction data, but also to submitting a complete registration application to become a PDP. This signature therefore commits the entire company to obtaining registration as a PDP (**). To date, we are well on our way to achieving this goal, as we have just been ISO 27001 certified and the migration of part of our data center to a SecNumCloud host has already been completed.
3. A logical application
Docoon has already participated as a pilot in the testing phase of the Chorus Pro platform, the paperless platform that allows all public sector suppliers to submit their electronic invoices and request payment (electronic invoicing in B2G). We are familiar with the demands of a pilot phase. In addition to technical skills, it is a major undertaking that mobilizes the "business" teams of our customers and partners. Consequently, our application to participate in the pilot phase for the implementation of electronic invoicing is a logical and natural step...
In the case of the pilot phase for the rollout of electronic invoicing, we are therefore ready to set up a functional organization with part of our ecosystem to test and validate the various management scenarios. For Docoon, the postponement of the pilot phase does not change anything. On the contrary, it may allow us to bring other integrators and companies into our team who are keen to test all transactions relating to e-invoicing and e-reporting with us, as asecond call for applications is planned.
Validating this pilot phase will put Docoon's client companies and those of our partners in the best possible position to successfully transition to mandatory electronic invoicing. We are confident that our participation in the pilot phase—provided it is validated—will allow us to gain valuable experience so that we are ready when the day comes!
(*) As part of the 2024 finance bill, amendment No. I-5395 tabled by the government on October 17, 2023, postpones the rollout, which will be implemented in two stages starting in 2026:
PHASE 1: from September 1, 2026, for all companies receiving goods and for large and medium-sized companies issuing goods
PHASE 2: from September 1, 2027, for small and medium-sized companies and micro-enterprises.
(1) Partner Digitization Platform
(2) Dematerialization Operator
