Organisation

OpenPeppol

OpenPeppol is a member-driven non-profit Association set up as an Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif (AISBL) under Belgian law.

OpenPeppol has full responsibility for the Peppol specifications, service areas and implementation around the world. Volunteers from member organisations play a leadership role in the management and development activities of OpenPeppol, supported by the Operating Office.

Governance of OpenPeppol is provided through the Statutes and Internal Regulations of the AISBL, supported by the organisational design.

Governance of the Peppol Network and Peppol Business Interoperability Specifications is provided through the Peppol Interoperability Framework.

Organisational design

The following chart shows the relationships between the different elements of the organisational design, which are explained below:

Members

There are four categories of OpenPeppol membership:

  • End Users
  • Service Providers
  • Peppol Authorities
  • Observers

In accordance with the OpenPeppol Statutes, all members are eligible to attend the General Assembly, and each member (except Observers) has one vote.

OpenPeppol Organisation Diagram

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the highest Authority in the Association and decision body for the member community.

In accordance with the Statutes of the Association, a General Assembly is held in Brussels each year to:

  • review performance for the prior year
  • elect volunteers to key positions in the organisation
  • approve plans and budgets for the coming year

Extraordinary meetings of the General Assembly may be called by decision of the Managing Committee.

Election Committee

The Election Committee ensures the availability of eligible and qualified candidates for election to positions elected by the General Assembly.

Members of the Election Committee are elected by the General Assembly.

Secretary General

The Secretary General has day-today responsibility for oversight and management of the Association.

The Secretary General is elected by the General Assembly and is the highest authority in the Association in between each General Assembly

Managing Committee

The Managing Committee holds overall responsibility for overseeing the activities undertaken by the Association.

The Managing Committee is composed of the Secretary General (Chairperson), together with six further members, each elected by the General Assembly, made up from two representatives from each of the Stakeholder Communities.

Communities

Currently, there are three Stakeholder Communities and five Domain Communities.

Each community provides a forum for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and development of workplans. Community members participate in meetings throughout the year.

The different Stakeholder Communities represent the interests of their member types.

The three member groups represented are:

  • End Users
  • Service Providers
  • Peppol Authorities

OpenPeppol members self-allocate to their relevant stakeholder community on first registration as a member of OpenPeppol.

The members of each stakeholder community formally elect a community leader, and each stakeholder community leader participates in the OpenPeppol Coordinating Committee.

The different Domain Communities lead the development of Peppol specifications and oversee the activities of subject-specific work groups.

The five domains are:

  • Peppol Network (eDeC)
  • Pre Award (PrAC)
  • Post Award (PoAC)
  • Continuous Transaction Controls (CTCC)
  • Logistics (LoC)

Service Provider members of OpenPeppol must join eDeC and may optionally join CTCC and LoC. Additionally, Post Award Service Providers must join PoAC and Pre Award Service Providers must join PrAC.

Peppol Authority members of OpenPeppol must join eDeC and may optionally join any other Domain Community.

End Users may optionally join any Domain Community.

The members of each Domain Community formally elect:

  • a community leader
  • representatives to their relevant Change Management Board

The leader of each domain community participates in the OpenPeppol Coordinating Committee.

Each Domain Community has an associated Change Management Board (CMB) that reviews change requests and prioritises the work of the Community. Each CMB includes members elected by the OpenPeppol Members in the relevant Domain Community. CMBs are chaired by the relevant Domain Community Leader.

Coordinating Committee

The Coordinating Committee ensures cross-Community collaboration and alignment of activities between the Communities.

The Coordinating Committee is composed of the leaders of each of the Domain and Stakeholder Communities and is chaired by one of its members. The Chairperson may be appointed by the Managing Committee or elected by the Committee members.

Agreements, Policies and Procedures CMB

The Agreements, Policies and Procedures CMB is responsible for development of the Service Provider Agreement and the Peppol Authority Agreement, which provides the legal basis for participation in the delivery of Peppol services.

The Agreements, Policies and Procedures CMB is established by the Managing Committee. Any proposal for amendments to the agreement documents will be raised to the Managing Committee for consideration.

Security Committee

The Security Committee is responsible for development of security requirements within OpenPeppol and defines the Peppol Security Policy.

The Security Committee is composed of between two and four Peppol Authority representatives and between two and four Service Provider representatives. The Security Committee is established by the Managing Committee.

Operating Office

The Operating Office provides day-to-day support to the Secretary General to ensure the smooth running of the Association.

A small team looks after the business-level activities of the Association, to organise and manage finance, administration, market development, compliance, and to support technical developments.