News & Updates
November 11th, 2019
Project Deliverables
The following project deliverables are available for download:
- Local Government CIUS for Purchase Order based invoicing
- Local Government CIUS Ireland for non-PO
- Local Authorities Invoice Functionality Report
September 16th, 2019
Meeting with the Region of Sicily
On September 16th, 2019, members of the project met in Palermo with the representatives of the Sicilia Digitale (the IT company of the Region of Sicily) and AGID (Agency for Digital Italy) to share experience and best practices in the roll-out of eInvoicing.
The main objective of the meeting was to discuss the implementation of the CIUS developed for the Irish local authorities and how the Sicilian Region planned to adapt its systems to comply with the Directive 2014/55/EU.
Irish local authorities presented their plans and changes required to their ERP systems to comply with the EN. The project partners outlined the key information fields included in their CIUS which will be supported by all LAs in the ERP systems and connected to the central PEPPOL Access Point provided by the LGMA.
The AgID representative described the national eInvoicing context. Italy has a centralised eInvoicing infrastructure with a hub (Sistema di Interscambio – SDI) where all the eInvoices to the public sector have to be sent in a mandatory national format (FatturaPA). Italy has developed a translator, connected to the national hub, to accept and process any eInvoice compliant with the EU standard. A CIUS was also developed as a result of a national CEF funded project.
The Italian government took the decision to minimise the impact of the EN on public entities, which are not required to make any changes to their systems, since the translator will ensure compliance at the national level. However, the Emilia Romagna Region has mandated PEPPOL for eInvoicing and eOrdering at the regional level, in order to leverage the investments made during the PEPPOL project (2008-2012).
Sicilia Digitale presented the activities and expected results of the recently awarded CEF eInvoicing project. An eInvoicing module will be integrated in the regional eProcurement platform compliant with the EN, and a PEPPOL Access Point and SMP will be set up to ensure connectivity and interoperability with other participants in the PEPPOL network. In addition, a web-based solution for Sicilian SMEs will be made available for the exchange of EN compliant eInvoices based on the PEPPOL specifications, and supporting the Irish CIUS.
The presentations triggered insightful dialogues and exchange of opinions on the best practices and challenges faced by the regions and local authorities in implementing eInvoicing, such as the need to make it mandatory for suppliers to ensure a full take up.
August 20th, 2019
Closing conference
The closing conference of the CEF funded project for the uptake of eInvoicing for local authorities in Ireland took place in Dublin, on August 20th 2019.
The objective of the conference was to inform the participants on various aspects of eInvoicing, particularly on the successful completion of the EU funded initiative that involved Fingal, Monaghan, Kildare County Councils and the LGMA.
Padraig Harte, Project Coordinator, IT Sligo, introduced the project, its partners and milestones. Brendan Nicholson, LGMA Programme Manager, discussed the role of the LGMA in the project and the way they will support the local authorities in their eInvoicing implementation. Mary Behan, IS Project Leader, Kildare County Council, shared their experience as early adopters, providing valuable insights. Niall O Connor, a consultant supporting the LGMA, discussed the work undertaken for the integration of the Agresso ERP system with the LGMA Access Point.
In the second part of the meeting, Declan McCormack, OGP eInvoicing Programme Manager, outlined the eInvoicing government strategy and actions put in place facilitating the process of rendering public bodies compliant with the European Directive on eInvoicing (2014/55/EU). Edmund Gray, CTO, Tubbercurry Software, presented the results of specifications development activities (CIUS) undertaken to implement the eInvoicing standard.
Carmen Ciciriello, Director, Celeris Group, discussed the European perspective on the uptake of eInvoicing and the wider eProcurement developments. Eoin Maguire, CEO, Document Centric Solutions, presented their role as a certified PEPPOL Access Point provider, following the recent award of the LGMA mini-competition run through the national eInvoicing Framework Agreement established by the OGP. Finally, the project partners thanked Aidan Higgins, Project Manager, IT Sligo, for his professionalism and commitment to the project.
The conference has been a major success both in terms of participant numbers and the quality of discussions. Ninety-three representatives from local authorities attended the event and were actively engaged in various topics. Over sixty questions were received through Slido, an audience interaction tool, and partially addressed during the event. A complete set of Q&A will be published on the project website.
The project is facilitating the transfer of knowledge (including requirements, implementation plans, key challenges and benefits) to other local authorities that will soon embark on their eInvoicing journey.
June 10th, 2019
Sharing eInvoicing experience in the Irish Public Sector
On June 10th 2019, a meeting between the representatives of the CEF eInvoicing projects of the Irish Educational sector and the Local Government sector.
The aim of the meeting was to share the experience gained by implementing eInvoicing in the Educational sector represented by the Irish Department of Education and Skills (DES) with the representatives of the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) and other Irish local authorities.
The DES representatives discussed their project objectives, the implemented solutions and the successful outcomes. In particular, the ETB implementation approach was outlined the three options offered to suppliers for on-boarding. Each option is also explained on the ETB portal (www.etbeinvoicing.ie), so the supplier makes an informed decision on the method that is most suitable for their business model. Technical aspects of the ETB eInvoicing systems were analysed in depth.
The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on eInvoicing was also presented (https://www.itsligo.ie/einvoicing-mooc/). Finally the project outcome were shown including over 100 suppliers on-boarded, going beyond the project targets.
April 2nd, 2019
Round table on eInvoicing implementation
According to Directive 2014/55/EU, public administrations within EU countries and the organizations they do business with, have to comply with the European standard EN 16931-1 for sending, receiving and processing electronic invoices as of April 18, 2019 (with possible extention to April 18, 2020 for local authorities in some EU countries).
The European standard has been developed by CEN/TC 434, the European standardization committee on e-Invoicing. This committee consists of representatives from all over Europe.
On April 2nd, 2019, a dedicated public session took place in Reykjavík, Iceland, to share experiences regarding the implementation and use of the European standard throughout Europe. The objective of this round table was for participants to learn from experiences from abroad and to gather common requirements for future developments.
Representatives of the CEF funded project focusing on the implementation of eInvoicing in the Local Government sector in Ireland joined this international round table to share their views on the challenges and potential solutions. One of the outcomes was that some technical issues encountered by the Irish team were also common in other countries (e.g. withholding tax).
During the round table, the national eInvoicing context in other countries was also discussed and the way the directive is being implemented, including how a national CIUS has been developed. A global approach on how to trade with non-EU countries and the possible uptake of EN 16931-1 within ISO were also considered.
Please click here to download the agenda of the meetings.
September 1, 2018
Official project launch
On September 1st 2018, the activities of the CEF funded project for the uptake of eInvoicing for local authorities in Ireland officially started.
The Institute of IT, Sligo is the project coordinator of a consortium composed of public and private partners, including the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), Monaghan County Council, Kildare County Council, Fingal County Council, Tubbercurry Software and Celeris Group.
The solutions will be compliant with the eInvoicing Directive 2014/55/EU and support the European standard for eInvoicing. Compliant eInvoice messages will be exchanged between Access Points over the PEPPOL network, in alignment with the eInvoicing government strategy.
The LGMA and the three local authorities will update their ERP systems and connect them through PEPPOL, the standards based exchange network that is already being used in several European countries, the US, Singapore, soon to be also introduced in Australia and New Zealand.
A template for the implementation of eInvoicing will be prepared and disseminated, taking into account the lessons learned during the implementation phase of the project. Training activities will be organised to gather business and functional requirements for the implementation of eInvoicing among local authorities.
The project will provide the blueprint for the roll-out of eInvoicing for local government authorities and their suppliers at the domestic and European level.
August 30, 2018
IT Sligo launch the eInvoicing MOOC, a free educational tool to highlight the benefits of eInvoicing
We are pleased to announce the availability of the IT Sligo eInvoicing MOOC, a free educational tool which aims to;
- Enlighten Senior Managers in both the public and private sectors to the benefits of e-Invoicing
- Educate Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable Personnel in the area of e-Invoicing and the business requirements for the implementation of e-Invoicing in an organisation
- Provide an overview of the technical requirements for the implementation of e-Invoicing to IT Management and personnel
Download the User Manual here for instructions on enrolment and completing the MOOC
January 18, 2018
Irish OpenPEPPOL announcement - a new PEPPOL Authority
Irish Minister of State Patrick O'Donovan TD signs Ireland up as a PEPPOL Authority member with, leading European public eProcurement network, OpenPEPPOL
Dublin, January 18, 2018. The Minister of State with special responsibility for Public Procurement, Patrick O'Donovan T.D., today, signed an agreement with Andre Hoddevik, Secretary General, OpenPEPPOL officially confirming Ireland's status as a PEPPOL Authority member.
OpenPEPPOL is an international non-profit association responsible for coordinating the PEPPOL eDelivery network for eProcurement and eInvoicing. The PEPPOL eDelivery network enables businesses to 'Connect Once - Connect to All' European Public Sector buyers.
Joining OpenPEPPOL is an important part of the Ireland's strategy to supporting compliance with the European eInvoicing Directive (2014/55/EU), ultimately making it easier for businesses to engage with Government online.