Peppol FAQs
Answers to common questions about Peppol in Supply Lens, from Participant IDs and identifier schemes to trading partners, metadata, accounts, message statuses and failed deliveries.
Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) is a network that lets businesses and government bodies exchange electronic documents securely and efficiently. Supply Lens integrates Peppol so you can manage your Participants, trading partners and messages directly from the platform.
Getting started
What is a Peppol Participant?
Every business or public body that uses the Peppol network is a Participant. To register as one you must connect through an accredited Access Point provider, such as Supply Lens.
What is a Peppol Participant ID?
Your Participant ID is your organisation's unique address on the Peppol network: a digital address that ensures documents reach the right recipient. It's how other organisations find you and send you electronic documents such as invoices, orders or catalogues. Once registered, it becomes your digital identity within the wider supply chain. Participant IDs are often based on VAT or national company registration numbers.
How do I create my Participant ID?
Your Participant ID is created through your Peppol Access Point provider. Supply Lens handles the registration for you, using an approved identifier scheme such as your VAT number or company registration number. Once set up, your ID is discoverable across the network.
In Supply Lens you register by running the Peppol Wizard from the Peppol dashboard. See Register for Peppol.
What are Peppol identifier schemes?
Identifier schemes define the format of your Participant ID. Peppol supports a range of schemes, such as VAT numbers, company registration numbers and other national identifiers. Each scheme has a code that tells the network how to interpret your ID.
In the Peppol Wizard:
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| Identifier Meta Schema | Set for you already. |
| Identifier Schema | The identifier type, chosen from a list, such as GLN or VAT. |
| Identifier Value | Your value for that scheme. If you chose GLN, your GLN. |
Which identifier scheme should I choose?
Most UK organisations choose their VAT number or their Companies House registration number. The right choice is the one that best represents your legal identity and is familiar to your trading partners. The customer success team can guide you if you're unsure.
What do I need before I start?
An Organisation in Supply Lens. You manage your Peppol configuration within it.
Finding your way around
Click Peppol in the left-hand menu to open the Peppol dashboard. Its menu has four items:
| Menu item | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | A summary of your messages and a list of your Participants. If you have no Participant yet, it suggests running the wizard to add your first. |
| Messages | Your Peppol messages. You also create new invoices and add existing Peppol messages here. |
| My Participants | Your Participants, and their Peppol configuration. |
| Metadata | View and upload the metadata used when Peppol documents are created in Supply Lens. |
The Peppol Wizard does two things: registers you as a Participant, and adds your trading partners.
Connecting with others
What are trading partners?
Trading partners are the organisations you exchange documents with, such as your customers, suppliers or public-sector bodies. Adding them to Supply Lens stores their identifiers, preferences and requirements, so every document you send is accurate and compliant.
How do I add my trading partners?
You can either:
- browse and select them from Supply Lens's list of common trading partners (in the Peppol Wizard, or later from Metadata → Trading Partners); or
- add them manually when you send a message.
Once selected, Supply Lens automatically fills in documents with the correct information and routes them through the Peppol network. The Receiver list on a new message only contains your trading partners. If you can't find a trading partner in the directory, contact the Support Team and they'll add it. See Add a Peppol trading partner.
Configuration and customisation
What is metadata?
Metadata is the structured information Supply Lens uses to fill in your documents automatically. It includes your organisation's details (bank accounts, tax information, payment terms) and your trading partners' details (identifiers, VAT numbers, required references). Good metadata keeps your documents consistent, compliant and ready to send without re-keying, and reduces the risk of errors and rejected Peppol documents.
Metadata → Summary shows what you store, in two sections:
| Section | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Accounts | Your financial accounts, to include in messages such as invoices. |
| Trading Partners | The parties you send data to. Used to fill in the receiver's details on new documents. |
How do I add my metadata?
You can add metadata directly in Supply Lens, or upload it in the Supply Lens Peppol Metadata JSON format (the schema is published at peppol.supplylens.co.uk/peppol/metadata/schema):
- Go to Metadata → Upload Metadata.
- Click Choose file and select your metadata file.
- Click Upload.
Uploading overwrites your metadata
Uploading a new file overwrites your current metadata. Download your metadata and keep a backup first, then work in a copy of the file.
What are accounts?
Accounts are the bank accounts and payment instructions included on your invoices, so your customers know exactly how to pay you. They're part of your metadata, and storing them in Supply Lens means they're always applied correctly and consistently. You choose the Account when you create a message.
Operations
What do the message statuses mean?
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
Pending | Created or added, but not sent. Every new message starts here so you can review and validate it first. |
Sent | Sent successfully. |
Received | Received successfully. |
Failed | The message has an error. |
What is the Network column?
Each message shows Live or Test: whether it was sent over the live Peppol network (SML) or the
test network (SMK). You choose the network when you create or upload a message.
What's the difference between a Document ID and a Message ID?
The Document ID identifies the business document itself, such as your invoice number. The Message ID identifies the Peppol message envelope that carried it.
Can I upload a Peppol file I already have?
Yes. On Messages, click Add message to upload a Peppol UBL file, or a Standard Business Document that contains a Peppol UBL file, choose the Live or Test network, and click Upload message. See Send a Peppol invoice.
How do I troubleshoot errors or failed deliveries?
Start with the error shown on the message in the Peppol dashboard. Most issues relate to missing mandatory fields, incorrect identifiers or unsupported document types, and updating the underlying data usually resolves the problem. You can also click Validate on a message's Message Details screen to have every issue listed. If the issue relates to network delivery or validation rules, the Supply Lens team can help you diagnose and correct it.
Can I send documents to organisations that aren't on Peppol?
Yes, but not through the Peppol network. Supply Lens offers alternative delivery methods; get in touch with the customer success team to discuss the options.
Is Peppol mandatory in the UK?
Not currently. But many public-sector bodies accept or prefer Peppol documents, and adoption continues to grow across industries.