PROCUREMENT STRATEGY
Making solutions work for the business Procurement teams today have a wealth of digital tools at their disposal. From GEP SMART and Coupa, to SAP Ariba or JAGGAER, the market is well stocked with solutions promising real-time insights, automation and AI-driven efficiency.
Technology cannot do it alone. Procurement leaders must first define the strategy – then choose and implement tools that reinforce it. That means:
1. Start with clarity, not complexity Teams must first understand their business objectives: is the focus on cost reduction, risk mitigation, sustainability or innovation? Spend management solutions should be configured to serve those goals, not mirror legacy workflows.
2. Invest in clean, centralised data Poor data is the single biggest barrier to effective spend visibility. Procurement should lead efforts to standardise supplier information, unify category taxonomies and ensure data governance. The best analytics tools are only as powerful as the quality of their inputs.
3. Enable collaboration, not silos Finance, operations and procurement need shared visibility into spend data. Cross-functional dashboards and real-time reporting can ensure everyone is working from a single version of the truth.
4. Design for adoption The most advanced spend management tool fails if end-users bypass it. Procurement teams must prioritise ease of use, training and change management – ensuring that buyers, suppliers and stakeholders understand the“ why” behind the system.
5. Measure and iterate. Spend management should evolve alongside the business. Continuous measurement – savings achieved, compliance rates, supplier performance – helps identify where processes can be improved or automated further.
92 December 2025