By Andrea Krtinic, Senior Product Marketing Manager, e-Invoicing & Finance Automation at Quadient
In June of this year, the UK government selected electronic procurement system Peppol as the core interoperability network for e-invoicing. Ahead of the 2029 mandate, Taxpayers and software developers now have the context to begin planning the rollout of e-invoicing solutions in time for the deadline.
For finance leaders this clarity is welcome. But it could also create a false sense that the hard decisions have already been made. This is not the case. Peppol may define how invoices move between organisations, but the responsibility remains to ensure the data within is accurate and the processes around it are ready.
Rather than rest on their laurels, businesses should use this period to prepare for more comprehensive automation, by modernising the Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR) workflows upon which compliance and many of the wider benefits will ultimately depend.
E-invoicing is a data challenge
At its core, this is a shift from documents to data. A PDF attached to an email may be electronic, but it is not an e-invoice in the sense envisaged by the mandate.
Peppol enables structured, machine-readable invoice data to move directly between systems, allowing it to be validated and processed without relying on manual interpretation. That distinction will expose weaknesses that are easy to overlook in a document-led process.
Inconsistent supplier records, missing tax information, duplicate entries and disconnected approval routes can often be corrected manually today. In an automated environment, the same problems can interrupt processing at scale.
That problem is already widespread. More than half (55%) of enterprise decision-makers surveyed for SAP Engagement Cloud said their organisation’s data was too unstructured to use effectively.
Connectivity will make poor data or fragmented workflows more visible rather than compensate for them. Changing this is crucial.
What finance leaders can do now
Fortunately, finance leaders need not wait for final specifications to begin strengthening the foundations within their control.
First, organisations need a clear picture of how invoices move through the business today. Finance leaders should map where invoices originate, the formats in which they arrive, the systems they pass through and the points at which people must intervene.
That audit should cover both AP and AR, revealing which processes can already handle structured data and where PDFs, spreadsheets or manual workarounds remain embedded.
Secondly, a process map should be matched by a data audit. Organisations need to establish who owns supplier and customer records, and who should, therefore, act when a transaction fails a check.
If the business can’t agree on responsibility now, automated processes risk moving bad information faster, with no one accountable for correcting it.
Thirdly, we must consider cybersecurity. For example, The Guardian reported in August that the cyberattack on JLR — Britain’s largest automotive employer — shut down systems across factories, offices and retail operations at a cost of around £1.9bn.
For finance leaders, resilience and access controls must, therefore, be designed into automation from the outset, with data transparency and traceability a fundamental part of the process.
Finally, technology choices should follow this groundwork rather than lead it. The aim should be a common layer that can connect existing enterprise resource planning (ERP), accounting and workflow systems, rather than forcing every business unit into wholesale replacement.
An ERP-agnostic approach will make it easier to exchange, validate and route structured invoices consistently while preserving flexibility as HMRC’s detailed requirements and internal needs evolve.
Europe’s lesson: the deadline is not the starting gun
Experience from European markets shows why this work cannot be compressed into the months immediately before a mandate. For example, France’s original July 2024 rollout was postponed for more than two years until September 2026, to give businesses and software providers sufficient time to prepare.
Connecting to the network is only one part of the programme. Organisations must also cleanse data, integrate systems, onboard trading partners, test exceptions and change established ways of working. Each step introduces dependencies, and delays in one can quickly hold up the rest.
The case for starting now is not limited to reducing implementation risk. Better invoice data and connected AP and AR workflows can cut manual handling, surface errors earlier and give finance teams a clearer view of approvals, payments and cash flow.
They also provide the consistent, trusted information that future automation — and eventually AI-led forecasting or anomaly detection — will need to deliver useful results.
By beginning with invoice data, process ownership and integration now, finance leaders can turn the 2029 mandate from a last-minute compliance exercise into an opportunity to build a more efficient and resilient operation.
