Research Lab - Peppol eTendering

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Study program: Master of Science: E-Government, Information Systems, Computer Science, Web and Data Science, Information Management / Digital Business Management

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Maria A. Wimmer, Andreas Schmitz

Schedule: The kick-off meeting of the research lab will take place on 23rd October 14-16 hrs in room A 120. There will be regular formal meetings every two to three weeks.

Registration in Klips: is open till 15th October 2023

Background

PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine) is a network and interoperability cross-border infrastructure for electronic procurement in the public sector. Public procurement is divided into three phases: pre-award (encompassing the tendering procedures), awarding (evaluating bids and inviting the award winner to the contract), and post-award (handling all steps related to the ordering and invoicing of products and services). The research lab will focus on the pre-award phase. The objective of PEPPOL in the pre-award phase is to simplify the procurement process for contracting authorities (=public entities, CA) and economic operators (EO, companies that are interested to hand in a bid for the tender) , and to standardize the exchange of tendering documents and related data. By using PEPPOL, contracting authorities and economic operators can communicate fully electronically along the procurement process, exchange offers and conclude contracts in an interoperable manner. Standardized processes and formats are used to increase efficiency and reduce errors. These standard specifications, called PEPPOL profiles, provide specific semantic and syntactic structures for certain procurement-related transactions. The goal is to use these standard profiles to facilitate borderless procurement processes for all parties involved and to increase transparency and fairness in the procurement process. PEPPOL thus helps to make Europe fit for the digital age with regard to public contracts and the promotion of competition across Europe and beyond.

In the pre-award phase, companies can use PEPPOL to respond to invitations to tender and requests for proposals from public contracting authorities and submit bids. By using standardized formats and processes, companies can save time and money and increase their chances of winning the contract. Along the project for Standardization between the research group and the federal Procurement Agency, gaps in PEPPOL's coverage of procurement procedures are currently identified and filled by creating new profiles and transaction specifications.

Research objectives and tasks

The overall objective of th eresearch lab is to bring the Peppol specifications into an improved and more user-friendly form to further drive the acceptance and dissemination of the Peppol framework in the business community.

The following work packages will be assigned as part of the research lab:

  1. Analysis of existing Peppol specifications: A thorough and scientifically based systematic analysis of the current specifications needs to be performed to identify the profiles' structure, content, and any deficiencies. The result shall be a clear understanding of how the specifications are currently structured and what areas need improvement.

  2. Identification of opportunities for improvement: Based on the analysis in work package 1, potential areas for improvement and restructuring shall be identified. This may include splitting the specifications into logical sections, revising language and terminology, or updating outdated information.

  3. Development of a restructuring concept: a concept for restructuring the Peppol specifications shall be developed, which shall include clear proposals for restructuring the specifications to ensure better clarity and usability. Possible effects of the restructuring on existing implementations and processes shall also be considered.

  4. Implementation of the restructuring: Based on the restructuring concept, the Peppol specifications need to be restructured accordingly. In the process, the proposed changes shall be implemented and, if necessary, new sections or chapters shall be added. It is important to improve the readability and understandability of the specifications without compromising the integrity and compatibility of the Peppol framework.

  5. Documentation and reporting: During the research lab, the results and methodical approaches of the previous work packages (analysis results, concepts, and implementations) need to be documented in the project handbook (report). At the end of the internship, a comprehensive report shall be prepared that summarizes the restructuring work performed, describes the methods used, and discusses potential impacts on the Peppol community.

Requirements for participation

Participants in the research lab on restructuring Peppol specifications should bring along certain skills and knowledge to successfully complete the research lab, such as - not every member needs to map to all skills:

  1. Technical background knowledge: Participants should have a solid understanding of digital procurement standards and protocols, and concepts such as EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) and XML (Extensible Markup Language). Knowledge of the Peppol framework and current specifications is also a plus.

  2. Basic Programming skills: Since specification restructuring may require changes to technical documents, participants should have basic programming skills (XML, ASCII-DOC, bash-scripting, git, java, ...). This will enable you to understand the technical aspects of the specifications and make appropriate adjustments.

  3. Analytical skills: In order to effectively analyze existing specifications and identify opportunities for improvement, participants should have knowledge and skills of analytical and conceptual modeling methods. These are taught, for example, in the Enterprise Architecture and Systems Analysis modules.

  4. Project management and soft skills (presentation, documentation, teamwork)

  5. Very good communication skills in English (written and oral). The research internship will be conducted in English.

Your benefit

As part of the research lab, students have the opportunity to participate in real and relevant projects for the standardization of European procurement. The developed process improvements and specifications have the potential to be used on a European level.

Furthermore, the opportunity for regular exchange with various experts in the field of standardization will be given.
You will gain deep insights into the practice of the complex field of European standardization.