Digital transformation was marked as the top enterprise priority for 2026, according to the State of Procurement report released by ProcureAbility in partnership with ProcureCon.
“AI is now commonplace in procurement, but as the survey results suggest, most organizations are still in the early or moderate stages of maturity. That means the real differentiator for CPOs isn’t whether you’ve adopted AI—it’s how quickly and effectively you scale it,” says Conrad Snover, CEO of ProcureAbility. “The leaders who can move beyond pilots to embed AI into the daily tasks, across sourcing, supplier management, and risk mitigation, will be the ones who turn today’s promise into tomorrow’s competitive edge.”
Key takeaways:
●100% of procurement leaders reported some level of AI implementation.
●72% of respondents considered their AI maturity “moderate,” with successful use cases in some functions and some efficiency gains.
●Only 6% of respondents ranked their AI maturity as advanced, with measurable results and widespread implementation across procurement functions.
· The report reveals that procurement teams deem AI to be essential for transforming supply chain risk management, using AI to do predictive risk assessment instead of traditional reactive monitoring.
· 65% of respondents reported struggling with supply chain shortages in the past 12 months.
· 47% of procurement leaders ranked managing supply chain disruptions, risks, and uncertainties as the most significant challenge facing procurement operations over the next 12 months.
· The report reveals that organizations are moving away from sole-source arrangements in order to diversify their supply to increase supply chain resilience.
· Most respondents ranked their supply chain adaptability as somewhat effective (59%) and not very effective (38%), highlighting a critical area for growth across procurement organizations.
· Digital transformation is the most important initiative for 65% of procurement leaders over the next 12 months.
· 51% rank enhancing ESG initiatives as one of their top priorities for next year.
· Regarding value creation, specifically, supplier relationship management (45%) and process efficiency (43%) are key areas of focus for procurement organizations for the next 12 months.
