Navigating Indirect Procurement: Sustainability, Digitalisation & Cost Control

Navigating Indirect Procurement: Sustainability, Digitalisation & Cost Control
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This month we feature Marcelo Stefani, Global Chief Procurement Officer, who discusses the strategies, philosophy, and goals of swapping from PepsiCo’s localised approach to a global one…

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CPOstrategy

CPOstrategy is the globally trusted resource for procurement professionals entrusted with leading transformation strategies within their organisations. We provide valuable insights into modern procurement processes, technologies, practices & journeys, using powerful storytelling & inspiring CPO narratives that highlight procurement’s role in driving business strategies.

Our content around procurement transformation and the procuretech ecosystem gives light to core topics such as digital procurement, sustainability & deep dives into the evolution of the procurement function.

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Top stories

Spotlight

Agentic AI revolution: Making supply chains more human

In a time of economic uncertainty, labour shortages, and complete redressing of traditional global supply chain relations, companies worldwide are…

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The experts at BWS delve into the do’s and don’ts of using AI in bid writing as the technology gains popularity with procurement teams.

The experts at BWS delve into the do’s and don’ts of using AI in bid writing as the tec…

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The automotive industry is one of the most vulnerable sectors in a time of Trump tariffs and trade wars….

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Bob Booth, Founder, AI Ethicals and Hailion AI, on the evolution of artificial intelligence in procurem…

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The latest edition of CPOstrategy is now live!…

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AI in Procurement

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Spotlight

Agentic AI revolution: Making supply chains more human

In a time of economic uncertainty, labour shortages, and complete redressing of traditional global supply chain relations, companies worldwide are…

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Bob Booth, Founder, AI Ethicals and Hailion AI, on the evolution of artificial intelligence in procurement and how it is transforming…

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-Zip, the AI platform for procurement, today unveiled a groundbreaking suite of 50 purpose-built AI agents at its inaugural Zip AI Summit in Brooklyn, New York. Leveraging Zip’s agentic AI suite for procurement, companies can now eliminate millions of hours of manual, tedious work currently plaguing every department across the enterprise – from tariff assessments to contract reviews, compliance checks, and more. With this launch, Zip introduces agentic procurement orchestration, a breakthrough new category that automates the entire purchasing process, giving the world’s largest organizations a competitive edge in an increasingly volatile and resource-tight global market. “Zip’s approach to agentic AI is going to make global companies more secure, save them millions of hours of laborious work, and generate billions in hard-dollar savings,” said Rujul Zaparde, Co-Founder and CEO of Zip. Share Procurement represents the second-largest spend category after payroll, yet remarkably few organizations have successfully applied AI, leaving trillions of dollars managed through manual, error-prone processes. Zip, which became the first procurement platform to introduce generative AI features back in 2023, has already helped hundreds of global companies streamline purchasing – delivering over 4.6 million actionable AI insights and saving customers billions. Today’s launch represents a fundamental leap forward as Zip moves beyond AI-assisted workflows to deploying intelligent agents that autonomously complete entire tasks on their own. “Today Zip is cutting through the agentic AI hype with AI agents that actually work,” said Rujul Zaparde, Co-Founder and CEO of Zip. “Not vague chatbots. Not generic assistants. Real, specialized AI agents that do one job and do it perfectly. Zip’s approach to agentic AI is going to make global companies more secure, save them millions of hours of laborious work, and generate billions in hard-dollar savings.” OpenAI, Canva, Wiz, and Webflow are among the first companies to leverage Zip’s groundbreaking AI agents. These and other long-time Zip customers have collaborated closely within the Zip AI Lab – launched during the company's landmark Series D funding round – flagging pain points across the purchasing lifecycle that the platform now addresses autonomously. “We’ve worked closely with the Zip team to power their agentic platform and it’s been really exciting to see how quickly they’ve turned real-world procurement pain points into focused AI task agents with our APIs,” said Kathryn Devlin, Head of Procure-to-Pay Operations, Travel and Expense at OpenAI. “As part of our overall collaboration, we’re excited to be among the first to integrate their AI agents to help manage spending and drive efficiency across the organization.” Zip’s Agentic AI Suite at a Glance Zip’s suite of 50+ AI agents enables customers to automate complex procurement tasks, including: AI Agent Builder: Provides an easy, no-code platform to build, customize, deploy and train AI agents. Tariff Analysis Agent: Dynamically assesses the impact of global trade policies on vendor pricing, helping companies navigate complex international procurement landscapes. Competitive Research Agent: Surfaces vendor alternatives and market rates to inform smarter, more strategic sourcing decisions. RFP Generation Agent: Drafts tailored Request for Proposal documents based on specific purchase requirements, dramatically reducing manual preparation time. DORA Assessment Agent: Screens vendors for DORA exposure and surfaces red flags for legal and procurement. GDPR Compliance Agent: Flags potential privacy risks in vendor documents, ensuring regulatory compliance. ESG Profile Agent: Identifies and evaluates ethical and sustainability concerns in potential supplier relationships. “We live in a world where procurement leaders need to utilize AI for our advantage, and Zip’s approach to agentic AI does exactly that,” said Idan Cohen, Technology Procurement at Wiz. “We’ll save so much time on the technical work and day-to-day tasks that we need to do as part of the procurement process, and be enabled to really focus on what we’re supposed to do – being a true partner to the business and to our vendors.” "Zip created an entirely new category of procurement applications, so it is appropriate to see them pressing forward and launching a suite of AI Agents, plus an AI Agent builder, that will drive efficiency, compliance and, ultimately, savings. Shaped by input from many of their hundreds of clients, Zip is providing a pathway to the future of procurement. We can't wait to see Zip Agents in action," said Patrick Reymann, Research Director, Procurement and Enterprise Applications, IDC.

The 50-agent suite from Zip will automate procurement, finance, legal, and security tasks. OpenAI, Canva, Wiz, and Webflow are already…

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ORO Labs’ new no-code AI Agent builder aims to reduce manual work, accelerate decision making, and improve cross-functional collaboration for procurement.

ORO Labs’ new no-code AI Agent builder aims to reduce manual work, accele…

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Kaspar Korjus, co-founder and CEO of Pactum exploring how businesses can effectively navigate the growing economic pressures, including tariffs, persistent inflation and low growth.

Kaspar Korjus, co-founder and CEO of Pactum exploring how businesses can effectively navigate the growing…

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Data in Procurement

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Spotlight Dr. Amit Kohli, Associate Professor at University Canada West, how digital twins could be a useful tool in accelerating the nearshoring of global supply chains.

Nearshoring and digital twins: Building supply chain resilience in the post-globalisation era

Dr. Amit Kohli, Associate Professor at University Canada West, how digital twins could be a useful tool in accelerating the nearshoring of global supply chains.

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Renaud Bettin, VP of Climate Action at Sweep, looks at the foundational role of data management in sustainable, resilient sourcing.

Renaud Bettin, VP of Climate Action at Sweep, looks at the foundational role of data management in sus…

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Mauro Cozzi, CEO and Co-founder at Emitwise, explores the role of accurate data in driving sustainability throughout the procurement process.

Mauro Cozzi, CEO and Co-founder at Emitwise, explores the role of accurate data in driving sustaina…

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Tim Mawhood, Executive Director, GHD Advisory, answers our questions on supply chain sustainability and procurement’s role in driving ESG transformation.

Consumers today are more environmentally conscious than ever, making sustainable procurement essential for businesses…

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Venki Subramanian, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Reltio, explores how CPOs can restore trust in fragmented ESG data.

Venki Subramanian, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Reltio, explores how CPOs can restore trus…

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Recent Publications

All publications

Issue 62

This month we feature Marcelo Stefani, Global Chief Procurement Officer, who discusses the strategies, philosophy, and goals of swapping from…

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Issue 61

This month’s exclusive cover story features a fascinating interview with Opella CPO Marie-Pierre Goyenetche and her team who discuss building…

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Issue 60

Our exclusive cover story this month sees us sitting down with Michael Altman, Kenvue’s Head of Global Strategic Initiatives, who…

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CPOstrategy – Issue 59

Our cover story this month features Eugene Galdi, Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer at Arxada…

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CPOstrategy – Issue 58

See how procurement is underpinning the growth of a brand-new city with Anis Tabka, SVP Procurement & Contracts at Expo City…

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CPOstrategy magazine cover image

CPOstrategy – Issue 57

In conjunction with this year’s PT100 launch we are sharing exclusive content to help you prepare for the year ahead…

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Digital Procurement

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Spotlight Robin Agarwal, Director at 4C Associates, explores how well-intentioned procurement wins can come at the expense of the broader business, generating friction, inefficiency, and undermining overall business performance.

Why your business isn’t performing (even when your individual departments are)

Robin Agarwal, Director at 4C Associates, explores how well-intentioned procurement wins can come at the expense of the broader business, generating friction, inefficiency, and undermining overall business performance.

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Paul Long, director of FindItIn Network, looks at the transition ‘Most Economically Advantageous Tender’ (MEAT) to ‘Most Advantageous Tender’ (MAT) in construction.

Paul Long, director of FindItIn Network, looks at the transition from ‘Most Economically Adv…

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Ian Nethercot, supply chain director at Probrand, outlines how digital solutions are helping to reduce tensions between procurement and IT by increasing transparency and ensuring the two, often oppositional, departments can operate in harmony.

Ian Nethercot, supply chain director at Probrand, outlines how digital solutions are helping to reduce tensions…

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Opella: Procurement built on innovation and strategic partnerships This month’s exclusive cover story features a fascinating interview with Opella CPO……

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A new report from Bluesight has found that streamlining pharmacy purchasing to address top procurement challenges is driving tech adoption.

A new report from Bluesight has found that streamlining pharmacy purchasing to address top procurement challenges is…

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Interviews

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Marcelo Stefani

Global Chief Procurement Officer

PepsiCo

Having led a major overhaul of procurement operations, Marcelo Stefani, Global Chief Procurement Officer, discusses the strategies, philosophy, and goals…

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Opella
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TII
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Procurement Strategy

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Spotlight

The turning tide of trade: Strengthening supply chains

The automotive industry is one of the most vulnerable sectors in a time of Trump tariffs and trade wars. Sebastian Dori, Chief Purchasing Officer at PHINIA, has a plan for how procurement can strengthen supply chains and help car makers weather the storm.

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The latest edition of CPOstrategy is now live!…

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Major digital transformation programs have “often failed” to deliver their intended value, according to a new government report.

Major digital transformation programs have “often failed” to deliver their intended value, according t…

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Robin Agarwal, Director at 4C Associates, explores how well-intentioned procurement wins can come at the expense of the broader business, generating friction, inefficiency, and undermining overall business performance.

Robin Agarwal, Director at 4C Associates, explores how well-intentioned procurement wins can come a…

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The UK government plans to allow local councils to take control of stalled house building projects. We hear from a procurement industry expert whether the plan can revitalise housing construction.

The UK government plans to allow local councils to take control of stalled house building projects. We h…

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Sustainable Procurement

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Spotlight New data from Argon & Co highlights high executive confidence and low concrete investment into meeting Scope 3 goals as regulations tighten.

“Potential disconnect” between executive confidence and real-world readiness to meet Scope 3 regulatory requirements

New data from Argon & Co highlights high executive confidence and low concrete investment into meeting Scope 3 goals as regulations tighten.

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Paul Long, director of FindItIn Network, looks at the transition ‘Most Economically Advantageous Tender’ (MEAT) to ‘Most Advantageous Tender’ (MAT) in construction.

Paul Long, director of FindItIn Network, looks at the transition from ‘Most Economically Adv…

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Allison Ford-Langstaff, Managing Partner at 4C Associates on the topic of ‘The business case for strategic sustainable sourcing and why ESG is not enough’.

Allison Ford-Langstaff, Managing Partner at 4C Associates on the topic of ‘The business case for strat…

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Welcome to the second installment of the Sustainability in Procurement Playbook!…

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In this article, CPOstrategy explores why supplier diversity is becoming an essential item on the CPO agenda….

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