The project will be overseen by the National Procurement Service (NPS) of the OPW, while the Institute of Technology Sligo, a third level education institution, will be providing research and technical coordination.

Speaking in Dublin at the launch of the pilot, Minister Hayes said: "The pilot projects will take two months to complete. The objective after the pilot is to have a paperless billing system that cooperates across the public sector. That's good for business because it cuts down on red tape and cuts down on costs. The seven public sector bodies taking part in the pilot are: The Office of Public Works, the Department of Defence, the Department of Justice, HSE East, HSE North West, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Government Computer Services Board. Once the findings of the pilot projects have been compiled and reviewed, we will take a report to Government on the suitability of rolling out eInvoicing across the entire public sector. The cost-saving benefits of this project could genuinely help SMEs to compete and win additional Government business".

The Minister concluded: "The full rollout of eInvoicing could lead to multi-million euro savings for the exchequer in terms of reduced administrative and transactional costs, as well as providing savings to suppliers to the public sector. In addition Irish service providers in this area could become leaders in this technology across the EU Member States".

Further information:

• Official Press Release - National Procurement Service
• Office of Public Works