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Service producer prices

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National Reference Metadata in Euro SDMX Metadata Structure (ESMS)

Compiling agency: Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (French NSI).

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Name of indicator/source: Services Producer Price Indices, which are output price indices for the service production of resident producers, are collected mainly from the survey "Observation of Prices in Industry and SErvices" (Opise), for BtoB, BtoC and BtoE (exports) indicators, combined with Consumer Price Indices for coverage of BtoC indicators, in order to get BtoAll output price indices.

24 June 2025

List and definition of variables:

Service Producer prices include discounts and exclude VAT (and transport costs for some special activities like publishing), where possible. They are consistent with output of firms by products, in the sense of National Accounts (hence, output can be "net" instead of "gross" turnover).
Three price indicators are collected: BtoB, BtoC and BtoE (BtoE is broken down between euro zone and non euro zone). The price indicator BtoAll is calculated by “horizontal” aggregation (BtoAll = BtoB + BtoC + BtoE).
There are two kinds of BtoB price indicators disseminated: at basic prices and including intra-group transactions on one side, at market prices (including taxes and excluding subsidies on products) excluding intra-group transactions on the other side. This second notion is mainly released for contract escalation.
Field surveyors regularly contact firms to define the elementary products to be included in the basket. The selected products are representative of the price evolution of a product family (kind of product crossed with kind of market). In practice, they are most often products with the biggest turnover within each family. Discounts are included. Insee aims to obtain a price close to the real price of transaction.

Planned changes in information collected: None.

Accounting conventions: Full consistency with National Accounts, for instance for scope of exports (BtoE) in freight transport services, or for "net" concepts of output.

Reporting unit: Firms. Sometimes several departments of a single firm (according to their organization) or a head office of a group for all of its affiliates.

Observation unit(s): Class of transactions sold by selected firms.

The statistical population is defined by Structural Business Statistics in services: 1.7 million legal units for sections H to J, L to M and division 95 for 2023, with a turnover of 1,2 billion euros.

The survey covers French economic territory, including Corsica and overseas departments (Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion). On the contrary, overseas territories (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna) are out of scope.

SPPI are quarterly.

The main sources of error are the following ones:

  • Non probability-sampling error (a "cut-off" technique is used for most industries);
  • Aggregation of indices based on too few representative products;
  • Misunderstandings concerning price questionnaires;
  • Non-response;
  • Errors in data processing;
  • Handling of quality changes in products;
  • Handling of new products entering and old one exiting from the market;
  • Measurement difficulties in unique/one-off products;
  • Uncertainty of imputation models.

The indices are provisional for three quarters. Every quarter, the revision of previous quarter data is published for total services and BtoB, BtoC, BtoE and BtoAll indicators.

Indices (reference 100 in 2021) on prices expressed in euros.

Estimates for non-response:

Many techniques are used, depending on the context:

  • Imputation of the average price change in the series (mainly);
  • Prices kept constant;
  • Imputation of the average price change for the same respondent;
  • Selection of another product from the same respondent;
  • Selection of a similar product from another respondent.

When a product disappears, the firm is contacted in order to supply data for a new one.

Estimates for grossing-up to population levels: None.

Type of index: Chain-linked Laspeyres indices in reference 100 in 2021 (annual average), from CPA 4-digit upwards.

Planned changes in production methods: None.

Type of source: Statistical survey.

Frame on which the source is based: The annual survey of firms (SBS) is used, along with the business register identification system (Sirene)

Sample or census: A two-stage sample is drawn: the first stage selects firms, the second one chooses transactions representative of the output of firms (with a contact between field surveyors and firms).

Criteria for stratification: The biggest firms are selected until at least 70% of the commodity-class total turnover is covered. Units that do not fall within these criteria might be selected to obtain a better coverage of a particular product family, especially when previously selected units appear to be misclassified. The choice of representative services is made by field officers when they contact the sampled units, in agreement with the contact person inside the firm.

Threshold values and percentages: Firms whose turnover in the service industry is below 4 million euros are excluded. 2,200 firms are surveyed for SPPI (and 900 for buildings’ maintenance and improvement work price index).

Frequency of updating the sample: Every 5 years, for each class of CPA (4-digit).

Quarterly, at T+60.

Timeliness: Indices are released near the 30th of the second month following the reference quarter. They are provisional for three quarters.

Timetable of data collection: Questionnaires for quarter Q prices are sent at the end of Quarter Q. The response is to be made before the 15th of the first month of Q+1. For internet respondents, if they do not complete the questionnaire, they can receive up to two reminder e-mails. The first is around the 15 of the first month of Q+1. If they still do not answer, the second is sent to them around the 25 of the first month of Q+1. For paper respondents, only one follow-up letter is sent around the 20 of the first month of Q+1. If necessary, a follow-up call can be made until the deadline (around the 20 of the second month of Q+1).

Overseas departments are included in French economic territory, whereas overseas territories are excluded.

SPPI in reference 2010, 2015 and 2021 have been aggregated and chain-linked since first quarter 2005 (with the help of large imputations in past years).