A Peppol Service Provider is an organization that is a member of OpenPeppol, has an agreement with a Peppol Authority and gives you access to the Peppol network.
Your access to Peppol
The service provider supplies the Access Point technology, registers you in the network and verifies who connects.
More than a connection
From automatic posting and status information to connections with other networks: the offering varies greatly per provider.
For businesses and software vendors alike
Businesses and governments purchase a service. Software vendors integrate a service provider or become one themselves.
What exactly is a service provider?
A Peppol Service Provider is an organization that is a member of OpenPeppol and has entered into an agreement with the Peppol Authority of the country where it is established. It supplies the Access Point technology that gives you access to the network, and is responsible for the associated agreements.
In the telecom comparison on the page What is a Peppol Access Point?, the service provider is the telecom operator. The Access Point is the network access it arranges.
Important clarification: A service provider is an organization, the Access Point is a functionality. It is not the technology that is certified, but the organization: after membership, agreement and the mandatory tests, it receives a Peppol certificate.
Service provider versus Access Point
The difference between the organization and the functionality it offers, at a glance:
| Aspect | Service provider | Access Point |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Organization that offers the functionality | Functionality: the network access |
| Responsible for | Identity verification, registration, reporting, support and compliance with the agreements | Validation, lookup, security and transport of messages |
| Agreements and certificate | Is a member of OpenPeppol and signs the service provider agreement with the Peppol Authority of the country where it is established | Runs with a Peppol certificate issued to the service provider |
| Contract and billing | You have a contract with the service provider, or with your software vendor that has integrated one | Part of the service |
| Who do you contact? | Your service provider or software vendor | Not directly |
Core services: what every service provider delivers
Under the OpenPeppol agreements, every service provider must deliver the following. Where applicable, the name of the corresponding filter in the comparison tool is included.
Sending and receiving e-invoices
Core
Registration in the network
Core
Identity verification
Core
Up-to-date Peppol specifications
Core
Reporting to OpenPeppol
Core
Support
Core
Optional services
In addition, service providers differ greatly in what they offer on top. These are the groups as they also appear in the comparison tool:
Ease of use
Optional
Automation and processing
Optional
Integration and transformation
Optional
Reach and connectivity
Optional
Document types
Optional
Management, security and compliance
Optional
For software vendors and integrators
Optional
Different types of service providers
Service providers differ greatly in background and proposition:
Specialized Peppol Service Providers
Software and ERP vendors that have become service providers themselves
Integration platforms (iPaaS) and EDI providers
Invoice processing, portal and procurement platforms
Software vendors that integrate a service provider
How do you choose the right service provider?
First look at your own situation:
- Your IT landscape: which accounting, ERP or procurement software do you use, and which integrations are already in place?
- Your needs: only sending, also receiving and posting automatically, or also orders and other documents?
- Your ambitions and financial resources: what may it cost, and do you only want to comply or also automate?
- What do your business partners require? Which networks and countries do you need to be able to reach?
Two questions make the difference:
- Are you already a customer of a software vendor that is a service provider itself, or that has integrated one? Then the simplest route is often within easy reach.
- Or is this precisely the moment to take a broader view? By choosing a different vendor, you can sometimes solve several issues at once, such as a new accounting or ERP package, invoice processing or procurement. Sometimes this happens through a migration. Peppol connectivity is then one part of a broader choice.
Typical situations
- A freelancer or small organization with an online accounting package: first check whether your package is a service provider itself or has integrated one. Activating it is then often sufficient.
- An SME that also wants to receive and post automatically: pay particular attention to features such as automatic posting, status tracking and integrations with your package.
- An organization with an ERP system, multiple countries or large buyers with their own networks: choose a service provider with multi-network connectivity, mapping and monitoring, or an integration platform that combines Peppol with EDI and private networks.
- A government organization: receiving according to the European standard via a single connection is central, and often also the connection to the financial system and accountability.
- A software vendor: see the routes on What is a Peppol Access Point?.
Tip for your choice: Make a shortlist, request a demo and pay attention to the quality of communication during this process. That often says a lot about the future collaboration.
How to compare service providers
In the comparison tool on peppol.nu you can filter by:
User group
Coverage area
Software category
Sector
Features
Public networks
Private networks
Compare Peppol Service Providers on these criteria and find the solution that suits your organization.
View the comparison tool
