In 2026, the needs of procurement professionals are complex. Issues like increased pressure surrounding sustainability, cost saving, and changes influenced by artificial intelligence updates have rocked the industry in recent times.
"procurement functions are under pressure to deliver more value with fewer resources." McKinsey, October 27th, 2025
Technology is developing rapidly and many are finding ‘tried and tested’ methods of procurement are beginning to fall behind. Meanwhile, the demands of the business escalate in terms of efficiency and productivity.
So let's identify the needs of procurement.
Change Management
First, let's talk about AI. It's obvious by now the impact which it's having on procurement professionals (or any professional) whether they perceive it as positive or negative. It's also clear that while it is rapidly evolving and taking on new roles within businesses, it isn't going anywhere. Procurement teams who have already integrated some kind of AI into their workloads, or are looking to in the near future, are finding that managing the change is key to its success.
This means engaging with teams who are transitioning to using AI in their day-to-day, encouraging experimentation and being mindful of the learning curve.
"Simply putting new technology into people’s hands does not ensure they will use it effectively, nor does it profoundly change the way a company works. Instead, CEOs need to deploy a novel change management approach that mobilizes their people, turning them from gen AI experimenters into gen AI accelerators." McKinsey, August 13th, 2025
Those in positions of leadership should lead by example. If you believe that AI will have a positive impact, then demonstrate how. It's good practise, and it will give your team some confidence to try things, which can open new avenues of innovation.
Generally, consensus leads us to believe that AI (but also more generally, technology,) is improving working lives.
"Given the complexities of today’s operating landscape, adjusting the procurement operating model is no longer an option but a business imperative. [...] Analysis suggests that technology will reshape the procurement function into an organization that is 25 to 40 percent more efficient" McKinsey, October 27th, 2025
Risk and Compliance
Less glamorous, but no less important, one of the key needs of procurement is managing risk and compliance. Risks take many forms. You cannot mitigate them all. Instead, focus on where you are most vulnerable, and fortify there first.
"Regulatory shifts, regional instability, or trade restrictions in a single geography can surface hidden dependencies [...] Reducing this exposure requires greater transparency." McKinsey, February 20th, 2026
Transparency, as detailed in the above quote, is the catalyst for compliance. Having access to the data which highlights your weaknesses will afford you the opportunity to strengthen them. Building trusting and open relationships with key suppliers will make this aspect easier - though it's easier said than done.
"the share of organizations that claim a good understanding of risks associated with their tier-one suppliers, the share claiming similar visibility into deeper supply chain tiers has declined in recent years." McKinsey, December 2nd, 2025
It's clear that improvements can be made, and it's essential that transparency is achieved. Therefore, procurement must make risk management and compliance a priority in 2026.
Data Management
Now, it's time to bring it all together. To truly address the needs of procurement, you start with the basics and get really good at them. In this case, that means data management.
"Category teams are often buried under administrative workloads, sourcing cycles are too slow, and insight generation is fragmented across siloed systems." McKinsey, February 5th, 2026
I understand these issues on a fundamental level; it's why myself and my team have worked hard to streamline this aspect of supplier management and procurement. Our objective is the same as yours: to speed up processes, increase accuracy and accessibility, and to provide value. I want procurement teams to have the best chance of success, and I truly believe that technology (including AI) is the answer.
When you're managing huge categories of spend, you cannot afford to lose a second to something as fixable as processes. Even better, you don't have to. You can demonstrate value, and access data across teams, and improve those teams' daily workload all at once. See for yourself.
P.S. My team are running a webinar in May where they'll discuss everything I've talked about through the lens of AI and source-to-contract. It's well worth tuning in for, so do yourself a favour and sign up for access now.