Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

Survey: 90% of procurement leaders to adopt AI agents in 2025

digital image of procurement and AI

CPOs say procurement is successfully cutting costs, but not yet driving measurable ROI, Icertis and ProcureCon report shows.

Supply Chain Xchange Staff
By Supply Chain Xchange StaffJan 30, 2025
Supply Chain Xchange Staff
See Full Bio

A whopping 90% of procurement leaders have considered or are already using AI agents to optimize operations in the year ahead, according to a survey from Icertis, a provider of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered contract intelligence tools.

That result came from the “2025 ProcureCon Chief Procurement Officer Report,” which was produced by Icertis in partnership with ProcureCon Insights.

Additional results from the survey showed that:

  • CPOs are preparing for an unstable year ahead. Reducing risk and diversifying the supplier base (40%), managing supply chain disruptions and volatility (36%), and addressing inflationary pressures and cost increases (35%) are among the top five challenges anticipated in 2025 as procurement teams adjust to the new geopolitical climate.
  • Procurement is successfully cutting costs, but not yet driving measurable ROI. 64% of survey respondents said maverick spending has improved over the past 12 months, but 62% said procurement ROI had either stayed the same or worsened over the same period. This points to an urgent need for the partnership of AI to help optimize contract terms and automate the inclusion of revenue drivers in every contract.
  • AI and value creation are top priorities over ESG. Survey respondents cited leveraging AI in procurement processes and decision-making (66%) and improving speed-to-value and ROI (55%) as their top two priorities in 2025, ranking both above ESG and sustainability goals, and improving compliance.
  • AI partnerships are critical to overcome adoption barriers. Integration issues (88 percent) and data quality issues (75%) are detracting from procurement confidence in AI. By turning to industry leaders like Icertis with proven track records in enterprise-grade innovation, procurement teams can harness the power of contract data and seamlessly integrate purpose-built AI and large language models (LLMs) with the systems that run their business.

“We’re witnessing a substantial shift in the procurement function from reactive to proactive as CPOs look to anticipate challenges and build resilience for their businesses with new strategies and technologies,” Chris Rand, Head of Research, ProcureCon Insights, said in a release. “The next generation of leaders is not only embracing AI, but demanding a tech-first approach to sourcing and contracting processes that welcomes AI as a coworker in the ongoing race to capture more revenue.”

ProcureArticleFinance & Strategy
icertisprocureconprocurement
ProcureArticleFinance & Strategy
icertisprocureconprocurement

Recent

reagan national DCA airport photo
Move

Reagan National airport plans to reopen today after deadly crash

An image of a highway cutting through a lush green forest. A truck and two cars are traveling on the highway. Overlaid over the image are icons for such things as charts, a computer, a location stamp, and a globe among others.
Blog

Three ways to elevate your empty miles strategy

More Stories

minority woman with charts of business progress

Study: Inclusive procurement can fuel economic growth

Inclusive procurement practices can fuel economic growth and create jobs worldwide through increased partnerships with small and diverse suppliers, according to a study from the Illinois firm Supplier.io.

The firm’s “2024 Supplier Diversity Economic Impact Report” found that $168 billion spent directly with those suppliers generated a total economic impact of $303 billion. That analysis can help supplier diversity managers and chief procurement officers implement programs that grow diversity spend, improve supply chain competitiveness, and increase brand value, the firm said.

Keep ReadingShow less
illustration of two people working together with the help of a neutral party

The standing neutral: An innovative approach for managing supplier conflict

Editor’s Note:This article serves as a follow-up to “Avoiding supplier conflict and disputes before they begin,” which appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Supply Chain Xchange.

The concept of using a neutral third party to resolve conflicts between suppliers and customers is not new. Mediation and arbitration have long been considered as more efficient and less costly ways to resolve contractual disputes than litigation. In fact, 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the Federal Arbitration Act, which allows for contract disputes to be resolved through a private resolution process instead of going to court.

Keep ReadingShow less
GenAI procurement tool screenshot

Dun & Bradstreet and IBM launch GenAI procurement tool

Dun & Bradstreet and IBM have collaborated to create a generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) assistant for procurement teams, saying the tool will help users to make faster data-driven decisions, mitigate risks, and drive efficiencies across their supplier networks.

The “D&B Ask Procurement” product works by synthesizing vast datasets and providing intelligent recommendations, according to Dun & Bradstreet, which calls itself a provider of business decisioning data and analytics.

Keep ReadingShow less
person using AI at a laptop

Gartner: GenAI set to impact procurement processes

Progress in generative AI (GenAI) is poised to impact business procurement processes through advancements in three areas—agentic reasoning, multimodality, and AI agents—according to Gartner Inc.

Those functions will redefine how procurement operates and significantly impact the agendas of chief procurement officers (CPOs). And 72% of procurement leaders are already prioritizing the integration of GenAI into their strategies, thus highlighting the recognition of its potential to drive significant improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, Gartner found in a survey conducted in July, 2024, with 258 global respondents.

Keep ReadingShow less
A series of blocks. The first block is balanced on the edge so that it shows both "glob" and "loc" the rest of the blocks read "alization" to create the sense of both "globalizaiton" and "localization."

Balancing global sourcing and local availability can improve supply chain resiliency and sustainability.

Prazis Images via Adobe Stock

“Glocalization”: The path for navigating a volatile global supply chain

Over the last two decades, globalization became more intense, and with it, competition among companies and their supply networks. The constant fight for new sources of raw materials at a more competitive cost, the development of suppliers in low-cost countries, and the ability to manage logistic chains have become part of the routine of strategic sourcing.

In today's economic environment, companies are continuously pressured to reduce costs to combat slower growth; to offset increases in material prices, energy, and transportation; and to counterbalance various other pressures, such as inflation. Despite these issues and the economic instability worldwide, companies must continue to differentiate themselves and find growth opportunities to compete in the global marketplace. For example, in order to boost revenues and fuel growth, many companies are now under as much pressure to reduce product life cycles and speed-to-market as they are to find savings and reduce operational costs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Copyright ©2025.