SOFTWARE FEATURE: In search of electronic invoice presentment and processing. By John Stokdyk

John, thanks for the excellent coverage. Please do visit http://manojranaweera.wordpress.com for latest info. Will be in touch as soon as we are ready. Web-to-web facility will be offered free of charge to those companies who register their interest during the build-up. E-mail your interest with your company details direct to sales@ebdex.co.uk referencing this article.

please note our web address is http://www.ebdex.co.uk

As some of you may know, ebdex Document Exchange has been available since 1st September 2006 for trialling and commercial operation. We have an extensive development programme to add further functionality over the coming months. In addition, we have the task of developing interface drivers for seamless document exchange with vast number of accounts, ERP, CRM and other business software available in the market including those legacy solutions.

Opportunities now exist for entrepreneurial software development companies to partner with ebdex (and work with Affno) to develop interface drivers for these systems. You would need to have domain knowledge in accounts, ERP or CRM systems and must be willing to work on risk-reward basis. This would be an ideal opportunity for Value Added Resellers (VARs) of major business software to add another revenue stream. Potential volume based revenue streams include:

- Interface drivers
- System mapping and configuration
- Consultancy

We would specially like to hear from those with integration expertise in Sage, Pegasus, Quickbooks, Sun Systems, Access Accounting, Mamut, Cedar, Coda as well as Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, Infor, etc

Opportunity also exists for software development partners to become Resellers as well as Trusted Partners. This will open up annuity based revenue streams for the duration of client contracts, which can only be described as lucrative. Ideally, for each product (e.g. Sage Line 50), we would like to work with no more than two software development companies.

We would also like to hear of those with experience in developing interfaces for VANs such as Exostar, Covisinit, etc as well as competing networks such as GXS, OB10 and Ariba.

To facilitate above, ebdex API and full support will be made available. If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity, please get in touch with ebdex through info@ebdex.co.uk

Best regards
Manoj

Manoj Ranaweera
Chief Executive Officer
ebdex Ltd
manoj.ranaweera@ebdex.co.uk

Thanks for the item, however, you have overlooked the leading player in the internet/web based market.

Launched over 3 years ago, the service transforms invoices and other transactions into each Trading Partners' standard format for seamless processing; as a UK IBM Director put it, "EDI without the Hassle - or cost!".

It has processed around 4M transactions without a single loss or corruption. It's users are amongst the biggest and most successful UK companies, e.g.Tesco.

Savings of in excess of 75% can be acheived.

It's a Proven Solution:
* Works with all accounting / ERP systems, or even simple file transfer or web-form entry
* Provides flexible, extensible, customised business logic
* Automates transaction processing - order / invoice
* Provides excellent MIS
* Secure Internet trading

Does not Require:
* CAPEX Investment
* More boxes or software
* Changes to finance systems
* Big Bang!!

In Summary:
It's a secure internet invoicing solution that automates the Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) cycle, delivering a range of potential benefits:
* Massive reduction in paper
* 75%+ cost and time reduction in invoice processing
* Releases staff to focus on adding value
* Easy to deal with ALL trading partners small to large
*Completeness, existence and accuracy for all transactions
* Auditable - full invoice and reconciliation reports
* Resilience - holds remote backup of all transactions

Anyone interested in hearing more can contact me privately at johnev4ns@aol.com / 07957 190186

John L. Evans - FIMIS FCMI FIMC MBCS CITP MID
associate CIPS
MD LOCRIS Limited
john.evans@locris.com
07957 190186

There is an abundance of vendors offering solutions for EIPP. So what? It is gonna boil down to: Who pays and how much?

Put yourself in the role of a supplier serving 500 customers. 400 of your customers use post and fax. 85 of them use email. 15 of them have implemented electronic XML document exchange.

The supplier has fully absorbed the cost of post, fax and email, it is taken for granted as a cost to doing business. Whoever asked if they could put a stamp on an envelope or send a fax?

In those situations where a customers sends XML orders and expects the supplier to reply with XML invoices then these costs are highly visible to a supplier and can be allocated to each customer. I have seen this force suppliers to look at the associated costs and the impact on their gross margins achieved with a customer. Some have said NO thanks based on this analysis.

Among those 15 customers some will expect the supplier to meet their own costs to serve up the XML documents they need (crave) and others will subsidise this so there is NO COST to the supplier.

Supplier must be confused? Why do some customers insist I pay while others insist they pay?

This is the big debate that needs to be resolved before EIPP takes off.

see my blog at www.supplierenablement.blogspot.com for more insights

Frank, interesting point you raised and yes, I need to spend more time reading your blog. Some point in near future I would like to start discussing about a possible link with your (Impaq/Elcom) supplier portal/network. My view is that within 5 years, all these networks/exchanges will be linked, resulting in significant upside for users of such solutions.

I do not believe the issue here is about who is going to pay. It is really about how we bring relief to customer pain. In this process how do we add value to both parties, the supplier and the customer. If we can resolve their pain, then they would be happy to pay an acceptable fee for the services rendered, do you not agree?

Best regards
Manoj Ranaweera
CEO - ebdex
http://www.ebdex.co.uk
http://manojranaweera.wordpress.com
http://www.etribes.com/startup20