Automating the sending of invoices on Chorus Pro: the first steps towards widespread electronic invoicing

Chorus Pro: the foundation of the future electronic invoicing system

A portal created in 2012 by the Agence pour l'Informatique Financière de l'État, Chorus Pro speeds up procurement procedures with the Public Administration. It complies with European Directive 2014/55/EU, which aims to promote the digitization of businesses, particularly in the context of electronic invoice exchange.

In the same way that the generalization of electronic invoicing follows a timetable, the obligation to issue and track invoices with public entities via Chorus Pro has taken place in 4 stages, taking into account the size of companies:

• January^1, 2017 for large companies (over 5,000 employees);
• January^1, 2018 for mid-sized companies (ETI - 250 to 5,000 employees);
• January^1, 2019 for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs - 10 to 250 employees) ;
• January^1, 2020 for micro-businesses (fewer than 10 employees).

Chorus Pro represents a unified platform that promotes the widespread adoption of electronic invoicing by all businesses. It serves as the basis for the deployment of the new business-to-business e-invoicing model, transforming the current portal into the Public Billing Portal (PPF).

What are the advantages of automating invoice dispatch on Chorus Pro?

Centralize invoices

The first advantage of the portal is that Chorus Pro is the point of exchange - a direct communication channel - and management for all electronic invoices in France. By consolidating all invoicing processes within a single platform, Chorus Pro significantly simplifies and accelerates invoice management for companies of all sizes.

Speed up invoice processing

With Chorus Pro, electronic invoices can be sent and received instantly by the public entity, reducing processing times. It offers automated features such as automatic invoice validation and verification, reducing errors and further accelerating workflow.

This is particularly true for work invoices, which are complex to process due to the large number of parties involved. As a reminder, the process in question takes place in 4 stages:

1. Subcontractors' invoices are sent to the supplier, who integrates them into his global invoice;
2. Sending the supplier's global invoice to the prime contractor ;
3. Validation by the project manager, then transmission of the global invoice to the client;
4. Payment by the client to the supplier, with breakdown of sums to subcontractors.

By automating the sending of invoices via Chorus Pro, suppliers can monitor their invoices.

The portal system automatically validates electronic invoices to ensure their integrity and regulatory compliance. This automation prevents errors and ensures that documents comply with current legal and tax standards.

Follow the life cycle of an invoice

Invoice Lifecycle Tracking provides complete, transparent visibility of the invoicing process. Through this platform, users can track every stage of the process, from creation to dispatch, including receipt, validation and payment, as well as detect any blockages or delays.

Integrate Chorus Pro with internal information systems

Chorus Pro can be connected to a company's information system in two ways:

• EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) offers an automated, standardized connection, ideal for companies that outsource the management of their electronic invoices;
• Through an API (Application Programming Interface) that offers direct integration with the Chorus Pro platform via defined requests, with regular upgrades to adapt to new features of the Public Billing Portal (PPF).

Companies need to focus on user identification. Compliant identification data, such as a recognized digital certificate, is required to ensure authenticity and security of transactions. Once connected, companies can send and receive electronic invoices and other documents automatically and securely, taking advantage of Chorus Pro for efficient management of their operations.

The Freedz platform facilitates the automatic submission of invoices to Chorus Pro, thanks to its native integration with the portal. Freedz uses secure API connections to transmit electronic invoices directly to Chorus Pro, eliminating the need for manual data entry and ensuring fast, reliable document transmission. This automation simplifies the invoice submission process and improves the efficiency of accounting operations for Freedz users.