The obvious one is that automation/AI will create efficiencies in tendering/assessment. Asking a question to answer a question however; with the obvious opportunities that this presents (enabling procurement professionals to concentrate on the relationship/partnership aspects of procurement - the human element) are we confident that procurement has actually matured and developed in enough organisations (from a reactive function to a proper strategic partnership) to create the right foundations for this to happen? (And that across the industry, we've developed the right skillsets to adapt to this market i.e. facilitation, engagement, relationship management - the ability to sell procurement capability)?
Overall, the answer is no - procurement is immature compared with many other teams.
Additionally, this is a huge generalisation on my part but the point needs to made.
On the relationship side, I posed this question on LinkedIn in my comments today: What happens when two AI agents meet, talk, negotiate, and agree a point that typically requires a human relationship?
Do we go deeper into contract management, people management on the relationship side? Or do we see the end of procurement as is, plus many other professions such as legal for 90% of tasks?
The obvious one is that automation/AI will create efficiencies in tendering/assessment. Asking a question to answer a question however; with the obvious opportunities that this presents (enabling procurement professionals to concentrate on the relationship/partnership aspects of procurement - the human element) are we confident that procurement has actually matured and developed in enough organisations (from a reactive function to a proper strategic partnership) to create the right foundations for this to happen? (And that across the industry, we've developed the right skillsets to adapt to this market i.e. facilitation, engagement, relationship management - the ability to sell procurement capability)?
Overall, the answer is no - procurement is immature compared with many other teams.
Additionally, this is a huge generalisation on my part but the point needs to made.
On the relationship side, I posed this question on LinkedIn in my comments today: What happens when two AI agents meet, talk, negotiate, and agree a point that typically requires a human relationship?
Do we go deeper into contract management, people management on the relationship side? Or do we see the end of procurement as is, plus many other professions such as legal for 90% of tasks?