The trials were a joint initiative from Office of Government Commerce (OGC), the Office of e-Envoy (OeE) and the Business Applications Software Developers Association (BASDA).
OGC recommends that the chosen XML schemas, based upon the OGC Interoperability requirements and the BASDA eBIS-XML open standard, 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. "
Commenting on the trial, Dennis Keeling, CEO of BASDA, said: >
"This exercise proves that an industry-wide open-standard can meet the UK Government"s eProcurement requirements. The BASDA eBIS-XML standard, that was adapted for these trials, is currently being used by over 100 organisations across Europe. With minor enhancements these organisations will be able to start exchanging orders and invoices with Government departments. We were delighted by the positive feedback we had from all the participating government departments and their suppliers, who found the XML technology very easy to implement and use."
The Proof of Concept trials of the common IT vocabulary (known as XML) are another example of a growing "joined up" approach between government and the IT Industry to establish common IT standards for eProcurement. These standards will enable suppliers and public sector buyers to conduct business online more easily.
Quelle: Tenders Direct, 06.02.2004
