Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant promise in procurement. It is becoming an operational layer that is transforming how companies analyse spend, manage suppliers, negotiate contracts and anticipate risk. Its real impact is not simply that it automates tasks, but that it moves procurement from a reactive administrative function to a more predictive, strategic and value-driven discipline. Procurement in the age of artificial intelligence For years, procurement has o

By a procurement practitioner There's a moment in every procurement professional's career when something clicks. You're in a contract review meeting with a strategic supplier. You've spent weeks preparing your argument: benchmarking, should-cost analysis, market alternatives. You have numbers, you have leverage. But then the supplier looks at you and says: "Why don't we sit down and understand what you're trying to achieve this year, and see how we can help you get there?" An

By a procurement practitioner When COVID shutdown factories in Wuhan, most procurement teams had a moment of collective realization: if our questionnaire had a question about business continuity planning (section 4.2.c), our supplier answered it. The box was checked. We moved on with the qualification. But here's what the questionnaires rarely captured: where are your suppliers' suppliers located? And more importantly: what does the map look like when you actually draw it? Im