PEPPOL Order (BIS)

The PEPPOL Order BIS standardises sending an order from the buyer to the supplier.

Definition

The Order BIS belongs to PEPPOL's procurement family of specifications. It describes the order transaction: a buyer sends a structured purchase order to a supplier, based on the UBL Order (Universal Business Language) format.

It complements invoicing: while PEPPOL invoicing covers the downstream side (invoice, credit note), the procurement BIS cover the upstream side of the buying cycle (order, order response, catalogue).

How it works

The Order document carries the usual order information: parties, line items, quantities, agreed prices, delivery addresses and terms. Once validated, it travels over the PEPPOL network:

• The buyer issues the Order to its Access Point.
• The message is routed to the supplier via its Access Point.
• The supplier may reply with an Order Response and, later, an invoice linked to the order.

Good to know

The Order BIS is part of a coherent set (Order, Order Response, Catalogue, Despatch Advice, Invoice) that lets you dematerialise the whole procure-to-pay cycle. Check the exact BIS version and your partner's adoption, since electronic ordering is less universally deployed than invoicing on PEPPOL.