Technology innovations, especially those driven by advancements in consumer buying, social technology, and big data management, can now be applied to pull together the complex web of suppliers, intangible deliverables, and inconsistent pricing and processes of indirect spend. These readily available technologies can meaningfully simplify the buying experience while optimizing other aspects of indirect spend cost such as supplier fees, terms and conditions, performance specifications, and performance management. If executed correctly, optimizing indirect spend adds...

It seems that these days, you can’t go anywhere without hearing about artificial intelligence (AI). It really is one of the hottest buzzwords right now. But as we looked at in the previous chapter of our tale, a lot of the buzz around artificial intelligence is nothing more than that: a whole lot of noise. Lots of tech companies claim their products have AI. However, most are only using it at the most basic level,...

In Gartner’s recent annual report, they discuss their predictions as to what will have a great impact on procurement and sourcing technology in the coming year and how the market will change over time. One thing that is definitely clear – the procurement and sourcing market is evolving quickly as technology continues to advance. The summary of the report suggests that CPOs, IT leaders, and procurement organizations need to “plan for the impact of virtual...