Trials to test the validity of extensible mark-up language (XML) in e-procurement have been successful, according to the Office of Government Commerce It claims the implementation of the IT language will encourage radical changes in the way government suppliers conduct business with the public sector. The trials were a joint initiative with the Office of e-Envoy (OeE) and the Business Applications Software Developers Association (BASDA).
In proof of concept trials, 'order' and 'invoice' messages were successfully exchanged electronically between trading partners. These included central and local government bodies, and current government suppliers.
The OGC has now recommended that the chosen XML schemas, based upon its interoperability requirements and the BASDA eBIS-XML open standard, should be used by public sector bodies for 'e-ordering' and 'e-invoicing' processes. The schemas have been named UKGOV XML.
OGC's executive director for supplier and government marketplace development, Martin Sykes, commented: "I'm delighted that we have had so many enthusiastic partners working with us on the trials. OGC now intends to do all it can to promote the use of these tools to deliver value to both the public sector and our suppliers".
John Borras, director technology policy at OeE commented: "XML is a key strategic component of our e-Government Interoperability Framework, which sets the policies and standards for on-line government. I am therefore very pleased to see the prominence of using XML schemas, built upon open standards, in these trials. "
XML Schemas define the messages used for the exchange of information, via a common vocabulary, between different computer systems. In the past, suppliers and public sector customers who used different IT systems have encountered difficulties in exchanging information and conducting business effectively.
Quelle: Kablenet, 05.02.2004
