The AOC Consortium Conference took place on 17/4 in the CosmoCaixa auditorium in Barcelona 'Electronic invoicing and the service eFACT: an opportunity for savings and improved efficiency' with 280 attendees basically from the public sector as well as providers of billing platforms and accounting management software.
This note is intended to collect some impressions in this regard. On the one hand it seems clear enough that the stage is ripe:
- There is political impetus: the strategy of the European Union prioritizes e-invoicing and wants a majority use in 2020. The state says it will soon launch a service for receiving e-invoices and regulate them, through Real Decree, its obligation. In Catalonia, Law 10/2011 'Omnibus' provides that 'public sector entities in Catalonia must promote the use of electronic invoicing as a condition for the execution of public sector contracts.' And in 2012 the Government of the Generalitat identified the e-invoice as one of the priority lines of action in the field of e-government.
- There are facilitators of its implementation: on the one hand free market solutions that allow companies to generate e-invoices; and on the other the servei eFACT of the AOC Consortium, a consolidated and open service that accommodates any technological and organizational scenario for both companies and administrations, either through the integration of market platforms and software, or through free tools offered by the Consortium itself.
- It also seems that the potential savings from the use of the e-invoice is obvious and is set at approximately € 14 (adding up the savings for the administration and for the issuing company). And that there are additional benefits: fewer management errors, more control for the Intervention, reduced management time,…
With this situation the doubt arises when seeing its little use. Why, then, in view of the arguments described, is its use not majority?
The Conference pointed out some ideas that can provide an answer: the implementation in a public body of an e-invoice receipt project is a cross-cutting project and mainly of an organizational nature. Therefore political leadership is needed.
In order for an e-invoice implementation project in a public body to be successful, this leadership must:
- align the entire organization.
- regulate its compulsory nature (with the necessary exemptions when necessary).
- incorporate its obligation in the administrative specifications of the tenders.
- communicate change well to suppliers through news, meetings,… even offer them support.
In addition, alternatives can be proposed that complement these actions by some innovators such as the Sant Just Desvern City Council to create a fee for those companies that send their invoices on paper.
You can see the presentations of the speakers here.
