By Ole Gunnar Honningsøy - Project manager at Byggstand
Asia is leading the way in cross-border e-invoicing
Digitalization of business processes is rapidly advancing worldwide. In the Asia-Pacific region, countries like Singapore and New Zealand have made significant progress toward digital transformation through ambitious plans for e-invoicing (eInvoicing) and e-reporting (eReporting). This development offers valuable insights also for the construction industry in Norway. As a platform for digitalization in the construction sector, Byggstand aims to highlight how these international initiatives can provide valuable learning and inspiration.
Global collaboration and interoperability:
What makes the Asian initiatives particularly exciting is their focus on global interoperability. Singapore is in the process of deploying a decentralized five-vertex model for e-reporting, while New Zealand plans full implementation of e-invoicing by 2025. This is part of a global trend to connect different digital systems to simplify B2B and B2G transactions.
Byggstand continuously works on the digitalization of the construction industry in Norway. Through projects such as Traceability and product labeling og Climate and environmental data In invoices, we want to ensure that the Norwegian construction industry aligns with global standards. Drawing inspiration from the Asia-Pacific region can help us develop even better solutions.
The significance of the Peppol conference in Brussels:
Peppol conference In Brussels, scheduled for June 17-18, 2025, the Peppol conference is an important gathering for Europe to exchange insights with Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and other regions. The focus areas will include how interoperability between regions can be improved.
How can Byggstand leverage this knowledge?
By monitoring developments in the Asia-Pacific region, where e-invoicing is becoming increasingly widespread, Byggstand can be assured that the standards it is based on are a long-term and reliable choice.
We also recognize the value of collaboration between public and private actors, as we have seen in Asia. In Norway, further use of EHF invoices is currently being explored also between private companies. A possible solution involves setting requirements for electronic accounting systems and mandates for e-invoicing between private businesses.
Digitalization in the construction industry – what’s next?
The construction industry is facing an exciting time where digitalization will become increasingly important. Experiences from Asia show that e-invoicing can reduce administrative work, improve traceability, and ensure more accurate reporting. In Norway, public sector estimates suggest savings of several billion kroner through the implementation of digital invoices. Once we have paved the way for climate and environmental data in EHF invoices, the barriers to implementation will decrease, since most companies already have or will soon have this infrastructure in place anyway.