Agentic AI is transforming procurement by shifting teams away from rule-based workflows and basic task automation. Earlier AI tools could respond to prompts, but they couldn’t plan, adapt or act independently. Today’s agentic systems interpret goals, build multi-step plans, evaluate trade-offs and execute decisions across sourcing, contracting and supplier engagement. This shift is redefining how procurement delivers value and responds to complexity. This podcast looks at how leaders can move from hype to real outcomes with agentic AI.
What You’ll Hear:
- How agentic AI elevates procurement from task automation to goal-driven decision orchestration across systems and teams
- Steps agentic AI takes to make compliance always-on by detecting document gaps, outdated clauses and emerging risks in real time
- What procurement leaders must prioritize now to prepare data, governance, workflows and teams for agentic AI adoption
PODCAST SUMMARY
The conversation breaks down how procurement has shifted from rule-based automation to goal-driven intelligence. Earlier technologies relied on predefined workflows and manual oversight. Agentic AI introduces a new model where systems analyze objectives, evaluate trade-offs and act across platforms with minimal intervention. This represents a foundational transformation in procurement’s operating model.
The hosts explore how sourcing changes under this new approach. Instead of routing tasks through catalogs or static RFQs, agentic systems handle both quick quotes and strategic events. They analyze supplier performance, generate pricing scenarios, recommend negotiation paths and coordinate tasks through a super-agent that ensures policy compliance from end to end. The result is a more unified and adaptive sourcing layer.
Category management also evolves. Rather than revisiting strategies annually, agentic AI monitors contract leakage, supplier KPIs, commodity indices and risk signals in real time. When thresholds shift, the system recommends updates, flags underperformance, and can even initiate renegotiation workflows when approved. This creates continuous strategy refinement instead of periodic reviews.
Compliance becomes proactive and embedded into daily operations. Agentic AI evaluates structured and unstructured data: supplier files, contracts, ESG reports and regulatory updates. This is to detect expired certifications, outdated clauses or carbon and diversity gaps. Instead of flags that require interpretation, the system recommends the next step, such as rerouting spend or requesting updated documentation.
The episode concludes by outlining what leaders must do to prepare: strengthen data quality, connect fragmented systems, design governance structures that ensure transparent decision-making and build teams ready to shift from manual tasks to validating and guiding AI-driven outcomes. Procurement leaders who adopt these practices will be positioned to unlock the full value of agentic AI and build more resilient, high-performing operations.