PROCUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
The human element remains central Despite the increasing sophistication of automated systems, the human element in procurement remains irreplaceable, though it is evolving rapidly. Jessica Harris, Vice President, Procurement & Supplier Management at RGP, emphasises that successful automation implementation requires careful attention to the user experience, adding:“ This is particularly in indirect spend, where you will have a massive number of people who will engage with the procurement process but don’ t do this as part of their job.”
Jessica’ s insight highlights a vital aspect of procurement automation: the technology must serve people, not the other way around. She advocates for creating procurement experiences that mirror consumer expectations:
Critical Implementation Gaps
Many organisations underestimate the resources required for successful procurement automation. The most common gaps include data cleansing, strategic sourcing to enable guided buying, supplier enablement, change management and training. System integrators focus on configuration and deployment but aren’ t incentivised by adoption rates or post-implementation performance, leaving organisations to handle these critical elements internally.
“ Everybody now has their own buying experiences through Amazon and the like; they know what e-procurement feels like in their own personal worlds. The goal is to make your procurement experience in the business world to be just as intuitive.”
This user-centric approach extends beyond internal stakeholders to include suppliers as well.“ That user experience view should extend beyond the internal users to include the supplier experience,” Jessica adds.
“ I have seen too many organisations build supplier portals and network enabled invoicing that just don’ t get used, because it is so painful on the supplier side.”
New roles and responsibilities As automation handles routine tasks, new roles are emerging within procurement organisations. Jessica identifies several key areas where human expertise remains essential:“ Technology will require some new roles and activities and eliminate others. Beyond just having a sys admin, supplier enablement doesn’ t just happen, it requires someone to own driving supplier enablement, maintaining supplier catalogues, alignment of guided buying workflow to preferred / approved providers.”
Giulio has seen procurement professionals increasingly positioned as cross-functional leaders.“ Our sourcing function is uniquely broad, with a mandate that spans financial performance, environmental impact and risk mitigation.
110 October 2025