A Peppol Authority is a body appointed by a country’s government to oversee the country’s use of Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line), a network that enables the easy cross-border transfer of documents in procurement processes.

You should care about what a Peppol Authority is if you do cross-border business with companies and governments in Europe.

Understanding what it is and what it does is the first step to complying with local regulations when sending e-invoices to companies and governments worldwide.

In this article we will answer the following questions:

• What is a Peppol Authority?
• What does a Peppol Authority do?
• What are examples of Peppol Authorities?
• And how to implement it for your business?

Let’s get to it!

Read also: Peppol ID Guide: From Registration To Sending Your First Peppol Invoice

What is a Peppol Authority?

A Peppol Authority (PA) is a national body appointed to oversee how a country uses the Peppol framework for e-invoicing. The authority registers Peppol Access Points and protects the interest of its nation.

An Access Point gives companies the Peppol ID that they use to send e-invoices through the network.

A country’s PA plays important roles in the e-invoicing process, from establishing Peppol standards to managing participants in the wider Peppol network.

However, to be in a position to drive the adoption of standards and provide connectivity across Europe and beyond, local Peppol Authorities need membership in OpenPeppol.

OpenPeppol is a non-profit association responsible for maintaining Peppol specifications. The association governs the network and delegates authority over the use of the infrastructure to local PAs.

The Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line (PEPPOL) project was initiated in 2008. The project’s goal was to simplify cross-border electronic procurement by developing technology standards that could be implemented across all governments within Europe.

Before PEPPOL, inter-border procurement was not always seamless because different countries used different e-invoicing standards. PEPPOL solved these interoperability issues.

Thus, when the PEPPOL test project came to an end in 2012, its services could not end. So, on September 1, 2012, OpenPeppol took over the services and responsibilities of the project.

OpenPeppol is made up of global public and private organizations. The association maintains the Peppol network.

OpenPeppol administers Peppol through the local PAs appointed by the implementing country.

In turn, the local Peppol Authority certifies vendors to provide access point services within their region.

Storecove is one of the certified Peppol Access Point Providers. We provide comprehensive e-invoicing solutions that help you comply with the requirements of your local PA and send e-invoices to other countries with the correct standards.

List of PEPPOL Authorities

Examples of Peppol Authorities in different countries are:

What does a Peppol Authority do?

Generally, a Peppol Authority is responsible for setting the local requirements governing the country’s adoption of Peppol and managing the network’s participants within the country.

Looking at what the Peppol Authorities in particular countries specifically do will explain this better.

Let’s explore this with a few examples.

Germany Peppol Authority functions

KoSIT (the Coordination Office for IT Standards) became Germany’s Peppol Authority in June 2018. It was the 10th Peppol Authority worldwide.

KoSIT is a permanent organization of the National IT Planning Council. Its main functions are:

• Assist the IT Planning Council in adopting IT interoperability and security standards;
• Manage joint federal and state e-government projects;
• Define national specifics regarding e-invoicing;
• Ensure compliance of Access Point (AP) providers and Service Metadata Publisher (SMP) providers with applicable Peppol standards in Germany.

Australia Peppol Authority functions

The ATO (Australian Taxation Office) became Australia’s PA on October 31, 2019. The ATO is the Australian government’s principal revenue collection agency.

As the country’s Peppol authority, some of its main functions include:

• Develop Peppol standards for the country;
• Provides support for the accreditation of service providers;
• Ensure that service providers comply with relevant Peppol standards;
• Publish and manage a list of Australian accredited access point providers;
• Engages with the wider Peppol community.

Italy Peppol Authority Function

AGID (Agency for Digital Italy) is Italy’s Peppol Authority. It’s the technical agency of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

Its primary mission is to accomplish the objectives of the Italian Digital Agenda, using information and communication technologies to foster innovation and economic growth.

Specifically, the functions of AGID include:

• Provides necessary support for the accreditation of Access Point provider;
• Provides a centralized Peppol Service Metadata Publisher which lists all public sector entities that can receive Peppol messages;
• Ensures that AP providers comply with Italy’s Peppol framework and policies;
• Provides support and information to Peppol end users.

England Peppol Authority Function

The Department of Health (DH) started functioning as England's Peppol authority for NHS Trusts in October 2016.

As a Peppol authority, the functions of DH include:

• Accreditation of Access Point providers;
• Provides a centralized Peppol SMP (service metadata publisher) which lists all NHS Trusts and Suppliers that can receive Peppol messages;
• Ensure that Access Point providers in England comply with Peppol legal framework and policies;
• Provides support and information to NHS Trusts and Suppliers.

Ireland Peppol Authority Function

The OGR (Office of Government Procurement) became Ireland’s Peppol Authority in January 2018. It is an office of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER).

Its primary function is to source goods and services for the public sector, thereby helping the government save money when buying goods and services.

However, as a Peppol Authority, the OGR’s functions include:

• Develop standards governing Peppol in the country;
• Accredit AP providers;
• Support AP providers in the country, and ensure compliance with relevant standards.

Implement Peppol with Storecove

Different e-invoicing standards operational in different countries are often hindrances in cross-border transactions.

For example, Germany uses the XRechnung e-invoicing format, but Italy uses the FatturaPA e-invoicing format. This means that you’ll have to convert between e-invoice formats when making cross-border procurements. And you’ll lose valuable time doing this.

Implementing the Peppol network helps you solve these cross-border interoperability issues. You don’t have to worry about the e-invoicing format in your business partner’s region. You just create your invoice using the format in your region, and it will be safely delivered in their format.

But to implement Peppol you need an Access Point (AP) Provider. The AP provider converts your document to the right format and safely sends it to the recipient. Storecove is a Peppol AP provider that provides comprehensive e-invoicing support.

How does implementing Peppol with Storecove work?

Think of the operation of the Peppol network as that of a telecommunication network.

In a telecom network, a text you send goes from you to your telecom service and then to your receiver’s telecom provider before going to your receiver.

Similarly, the Peppol network uses the four-corner model. Your e-invoice goes from you to your AP provider (Storecove). It is then converted to the right format and sent to the recipient’s AP provider, who then sends it to the recipient.

By implementing Peppol with Storecove, you can seamlessly send e-invoices to business partners and governments in Europe and other countries like Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Japan.

Contact Storecove now to implement our e-invoicing solutions.

Schedule a Free Video Call

For Large Enterprises & Software Providers: Need help with connecting to PEPPOL? Or do you want assistance with automatizing your invoicing process?

Schedule a free video call with one of our e-invoicing experts: https://meet.intercom.com/dkars

More information about PEPPOL authorities

Do you want more information about the PEPPOL network?

Contact us for more information or request a demo with one of our e-invoicing experts.

Read also:

• How to register on PEPPOL?
• The E-invoicing Regulations Per Country Overview
• PEPPOL Directory - Use this Tool to Search who's on PEPPOL
• How to become a PEPPOL  Access Point?
• What is a PEPPOL Access Point?
• Peppol ID Guide: From Registration To Sending Your First Peppol Invoice