Press release; Friday September 23

The Government could hugely benefit from transfer to invoicing in an electronic format

The Government receives about 11 million invoices annually and submits a certain amount of invoices to customers. If every government agency should submit electronic invoices, about 4 billion SEK in savings could be generated during a five year period. This is described in a feasibility study made by ESV. A common standard should also benefit the invoicing between different parts of the Swedish society.

Procuring and establishing a common solution for e-invoicing for the government agencies would mean savings in the order of 700 million SEK.

There is a large interest among the agencies regarding enhancing the administration of invoices.

- We can see the need for coordination and support regarding rules, regulations, frame-work agreements and technical solutions for the introduction of e-invoicing, says Ms Eva Wern, project leader for the feasibility study.

ESV intends to start developing  a package solution for the agencies by procuring a frame-work agreement for a switchboard (VANS provider) for e-invoicing and IT-products and support around electronic invoicing.

- The solution should be ready in the end of year 2006, says Director General Ms Yvonne Gustafsson.

The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions has, together with about 20 other actors developed a standard for e-invoicing called “Svefakturan" in XML-format. ESV intends to suggest that “Svefakturan" will be decided by the Government Interoperability Board to use as a standard for e-invoicing in the government sector. This is a solution that is also recommended by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.

- A common standard in the Swedish public sector makes it more cost effective and simpler for the enterprises to adjust their e-invoicing. The “Svefakturan" can also be used by the enterprises when they invoice each other, says Ms Kerstin Wiss Holmdahl, legal advisor at the Swedish Association of Local Authorities. She is responsible for the work with the standard at the Association and the introduction of electronic invoicing in the county councils and the municipalities.

- The potential in electronic invoicing is huge but it also demands very careful introduction in order to utilize the full potential. The cost of handling can be reduced with at least a 100 SEK per invoice. Regarding that several 100 millions invoices are sent in Sweden it is an important issue. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise regard it as important that the government sector is collaborating in making the use of e-invoicing as large as possible, says Mr Mikael von Otter, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.