Frequently Asked Questions

The SAP Business Network is an online platform to facilitate the customer-supplier relationship. The platform allows you to receive purchase orders, send Service Entry Sheets or invoices and follow up the status of the documents. It replaces our well-known P2P portal (“Lieferantenportal”) used by 50Hertz for more than a decade, as P2P is outdated and not compatible with SAP S4/HANA.

Yes. Suppliers are invited to join the SAP Business Network as soon as the business relationship between your company and 50Hertzis created. The commercial context established between 50Hertz, and your company will remain unchanged (regarding purchases of equipment and services) as well as the special conditions possibly negotiated in each case.

Then you are invited to join the SAP Business Network, you can choose to register with a new login & password or with existing credentials. Clicking on the 50Hertz invitation and registering with existing credentials will make the connection between your existing account and 50Hertz.

• Standard accounts are accounts which are free of charge, regardless of the number of documents or transaction volume processed. These accounts receive purchase orders via mail, where the user can click to go to the Ariba Network portal to ‘flip’ the order into an invoice (or a service entry sheet). Most information on the invoice is automatically gathered from the original PO, leaving only a few fields to be filled in by the user. After creating the invoice, you can check it for mistakes before sending it on the Network. No additional actions are required to complete the invoicing process. You can also access the  portal directly via https://supplier.ariba.com to find your orders.
• Enterprise accounts ‘flip’ purchase orders into invoices or service sheets in the same way but can be accessed in a more convenient way through multiple tabs on the top of the screen. Customized reports can be created to get a better view on the number of documents and amounts they represent. Accessto the Ariba helpdesk and a library of helpful documentation on Ariba Network is also available. Enterprise accounts can either be free or have to pay fees which  depend on the number of documents exchanged and the volume of the transactions they represent.

We made the necessary changes in our system to be able to receive “UBL X-Rechnung” and “PDF-A3 ZUGFeRD” electronic invoices. In case you would like to send an electronic invoice (e-invoices), please use one of the following methods to create and send them to us: 

• For UBL X-Rechnung 3.0.1 (see specification in German here)
  1. Submit via Peppol network (search on our VAT Nr.)
     Add the cost object in the XML field “cbc:AccountingCost” (BT-19). E.g. Cost Center T2120, Network plan + activity 52A000005052 0010, PSP-Element IN.24LCOHL05.
     
     Provide us with a brief description of the invoiced delivery or service in the XML field “cbc:Note” (BT-22). E.g. Redispatch, peak compensation, REBAP, maintenance, construction work, services, delivery of goods, seminars, etc.
     
     or
  2. By e-Mail to e-invoice@50hertz.com.
• For PDF/A-3 ZUGFeRD (see specification in German here)
  By e-Mail to e-invoice@50hertz.com.

Please note that the channels described for receiving e-invoices currently only apply to domestic deliveries within Germany. They do not apply to deliveries to Elia Group companies outside Germany. For invoices that are transmitted via SAP Business Network or invoices that are issued using the credit note procedure, the agreed billing channels remain in place. The e-invoice channels described above are therefore not applicable.

Yes, because it is technically required for proceeding with your order in the system. We invite all our suppliers to confirm their orders in SAP Business Network, in order to efficiently monitor the reception and acceptance of those orders.

50Hertz has to review the Service Entry Sheet and approve it before paying.

These documents are allowed on the Network, but they may only be issued against an existing invoice.

If you have any questions concerning the SAP Business Network, please contact the Supplier Enablement Team at purchasing@50hertz.com.

Do you have a question concerning e-invoicing, please contact reprue@50hertz.com.