In the construction sector, millions of invoices are exchanged annually between clients, contractors and subcontractors. Since 1 January 2022, the DICO SALES005 format has been the supply chain standard for electronic invoicing in construction. Large construction companies have collectively agreed to mandate this format for their suppliers. This is a sector agreement, not a legal obligation. eConnect is DICO-certified and can both receive and transform DICO invoices to and from other formats.

DICO (Digitaal Informatie- en Communicatieplatform voor de bouw) is a collaboration of parties in the construction sector that develops standards for electronic data exchange. The SALES005 message is the DICO standard for e-invoices. The message is based on UBL but contains construction-specific extensions, such as fields for chain liability (Wka), G-account and order slip recognition.

The DICO standard ensures that invoice data no longer needs to be entered manually. All parties in the chain, from subcontractor to main contractor to client, use the same structured format.

eConnect is DICO-certified and supports the format in several ways:

Receiving DICO invoices. You can receive DICO invoices via the Email Receiver or via a direct integration. The platform automatically recognises the DICO format and processes it as a standard purchase invoice.

Transformation Peppol to DICO. Does your software package only accept DICO? No problem. eConnect transforms Peppol BIS Billing invoices automatically to the DICO SALES005 format, so your software can process the invoice.

Transformation DICO to Peppol. Do you send invoices in DICO format? eConnect can transform DICO invoices to Peppol BIS Billing, so your invoice can be delivered via the Peppol network to receivers that do not support DICO.

Legacy formats. In addition to the SALES005 format, eConnect also recognises and transforms the older INSBOU003 invoice format. Still using INSBOU003? The platform processes these invoices in the same way as SALES005.

Scan & Recognise. eConnect's IDR (Intelligent Document Recognition) can also recognise PDF invoices and convert them to DICO format, including the construction-specific fields.

Compatible software. Metacom (Van Meijel) natively supports importing multiple SALES005 documents via the PSB. Using other construction software? Get in touch to discuss the options.

Technical: the DICO SALES005 Invoice message has no official Peppol ProfileID. eConnect uses a proprietary DocumentTypeId (http://www.ketenstandaard.nl/factuur/SALES/005::Invoice##dico:[email protected]::1.0) that can be used in hooks to force transformation.

In the DICO standard, organisations are addressed with a GLN code (Global Location Number), a 13-digit GS1 address. This differs from the Chamber of Commerce or VAT numbers commonly used in the Peppol standard.

When transforming from DICO to Peppol (or vice versa), eConnect handles the correct translation of identifiers.

An important feature of DICO invoices in construction is support for the G-account (blocked account). This is a mechanism for chain liability under the Wet ketenaansprakelijkheid (Wka): part of the invoice amount is deposited into a blocked bank account as security for tax and social security payments.

The DICO format contains specific fields for the G-account amount and the associated IBAN. eConnect recognises these fields and processes them correctly, including during transformation to other formats.

Tip: the NLCIUS standard also supports G-account via an extension. Read more in NLCIUS with G-account.

There is an energy-specific e-invoice document: the NLCIUS with an energy e-invoice extension in the CustomizationID. This CustomizationID is not permitted on Peppol. A SEEF/energy invoice with the energy extension CustomizationID cannot be sent via Peppol as a result. The workaround is to remove the energy extension from the CustomizationID, leaving a standard NLCIUS invoice. The energy-specific data can then be included as a UBLExtension in the XML.

To receive DICO invoices via eConnect, you use the Email Receiver (SALES005). You link this connector to your administration via the eConnect platform. Below are the steps.

1. Go to Administration > Connections and click the orange button (+) to add a new general connection.
2. Choose "Email Receiver sales 005" and confirm.
3. Click "Generate key" and then "Quick connect".
4. A new tab opens. Use CTRL+V to paste the generated keys.
5. Select the correct administration and enter the email addresses for purchasing and/or sales.
6. Click "Apply" to save the configuration.

After these steps, the platform automatically recognises incoming DICO invoices and processes them as standard purchase invoices.

In addition to the standard Email Receiver (which forwards the file in the received format), there are connectors that force a transformation to a specific format:

• Always SI 2.0
• Always BIS v3
• Always SI 1.2
• Always SALES005 Invoice

These connectors are configured in the same way as the standard Email Receiver. eConnect ensures the document is delivered in the chosen format.

Want to remove the Email Receiver for DICO? Go to Connections, click on the relevant connection and choose "Revoke key". Then return to the overview, click the three dots next to the connection and choose "Delete connection".

The remaining configuration options depend on your software integration and your processing preferences. For questions, contact [email protected].

Want to learn more about eConnect's transformation capabilities? View the Transform API for technical details.

• G-account in a UBL invoice
• NLCIUS with G-account
• What is the difference between XML, UBL and NLCIUS?
• Transform API
• Email receiver: the dashboard and sender management
• Email Receiver: connecting via email