Explore how AI-enabled analytics can support better decision making in procurement
Procurement leaders face a new and growing challenge: while their organizations are gathering more data than ever, strategic decision making has become more complicated. With procurement’s extended mandate—from capturing savings and safeguarding resilience to boosting sustainability goals and increasing ecosystem value—making strategic decisions is becoming increasingly difficult. Traditional dashboards may no longer be fit for purpose.
AI has the potential to improve strategic decision making by connecting inputs from across the value chain, identifying patterns that the human eye is not able to see, and presenting insights within the right context. However, changing the way of working requires more than technology. It needs a trusted platform, an intuitive user front-end, and built-in expertise to help leaders make informed strategic choices.
In this episode of “Voices on Procurement Analytics”, our two experts explore how applying AI to spend analytics can support better strategic decision making in procurement. They highlight that today’s decisions depend on integrating a complex array of inputs, including cost structures, supplier data, emission metrics, risk indicators, customer sentiment, and market dynamics. These data points and insights typically sit in fragmented systems. Even when consolidated, dashboards tend to overwhelm users with KPIs rather than providing meaningful guidance and interpretation.
We see this phenomenon often in the real world. For example, when supplier A increases their prices, we need to assess alternative suppliers, supply continuity risks, carbon emissions, regulatory requirements, tariff effects, and customer expectations. AI brings the enhanced power to interpret complex relationships, quantify trade-offs, and provide reasoning—enabling guided, interactive strategic decisions which is where the human factor remains critical.
To embed AI-driven analytics effectively into strategic decision making, organizations need to build an integrated data foundation that dissolves silos and creates a consistent view of suppliers portfolio, markets, risks, and sustainability factors. With the power of AI, they can move from dashboard-driven reporting to curated analytical journeys that provide clear narratives. AI engines will become reliable partners, or buddies, that help procurement professionals explore choices and clarify trade-offs, so that human judgment is enhanced – not replaced.
Equally important is addressing the human side of this transformation. User experiences need to be intuitive, transparent, and supportive, helping teams develop confidence in data-driven decisions. Ultimately, embedding analytics is not about generating more information. It is about enabling better thinking—and delivering stronger, more confident decisions across the procurement function.
