Global leader in autonomous sourcing and advanced optimisation Keelvar has announced the launch of Kai, its next-generation AI Orchestrator.

Kai executes intelligent sourcing workflows end to end and transforms natural language requests into real sourcing actions – accelerating decision-making, boosting efficiency, and delivering measurable commercial value at scale.

Unlike traditional AI tools that stop at recommendations, Kai reasons and acts. Built directly into the Keelvar platform, Kai intelligently orchestrates specialised AI Agents to execute sourcing tasks – from building bid sheets and designing event parameters to recommending optimal strategies and launching events – all within a single, conversational interface, powered by advanced AI reasoning.

“Kai represents a major leap forward in sourcing automation,” said Alan Holland, CEO of Keelvar. “It acts as the brain of a multi-agent system – reasoning, coordinating, and executing complex sourcing workflows so organisations can achieve scale, speed, and savings without increasing headcount.”

AI that reasons and executes, not just advises

Kai marks a new generation of sourcing operations where intelligent agents handle execution while teams focus on strategic priorities. Acting as the central intelligence of Keelvar’s multi-agent system (MAS), Kai continuously balances trade-offs between cost, speed, and capacity constraints to drive superior results.

From instant event creation to AI-driven supplier recommendations, Kai combines over a decade of sourcing expertise with cutting-edge AI orchestration, ensuring every sourcing decision is faster, smarter, and strategically aligned.

Alan Holland, CEO, Keelvar

Core capabilities

  • Natural language intake: Describe sourcing needs in plain language; Kai interprets and executes.
  • Event creation: Instantly generates structured bid sheets and launches a sourcing event from a single prompt.
  • AI-driven strategy: Recommends optimal sourcing strategies, supplier mixes, and event settings in real time.
  • Intake orchestration: Intelligently routes requests to the right sourcing path within Keelvar – whether launching a new event, an autonomous sourcing AI agent, or an existing rate.
  • Autonomous negotiations: Optimises supplier bidding and feedback loops for faster, better outcomes while retaining full control.

Proven outcomes

Leading global enterprises using Keelvar have achieved measurable gains in efficiency, savings and governance:

  • Scale and efficiency – A global heavy-equipment manufacturer increased sourcing event volume by 1,620% YoY; a leading beverage company saved the equivalent of 1,575 workdays over 175 events; and a multinational consumer goods firm now manages $228M in spend per month (up from $4M).
  • Savings and speed – A global ingredients producer achieved 26% average savings; a healthcare technology leader cut time-to-bid by 90%; and a major electronics manufacturer realised a 649x ROI.
  • Governance and accuracy – A Fortune 500 food and beverage company achieved 8% price compression in competitive events and reduced analysis time from hours to minutes.
  • Future readiness – 85% of sourcing activity in Keelvar is now automated, with some competitive events completing in under 15 minutes.

“Sourcing used to be a game won only by highly specialised experts, but Kai changes the rules,” said Dylan Alperin, Chief Customer Officer at Keelvar. “Its powerful software agents instantly elevate all buyers to expert level, delivering optimal results for everything from quick spot buys to complex strategic events. Just as AI agents proved they could consistently beat world champions in Chess and Poker, Kai ensures every single sourcing event is executed with flawless, expert-level precision, every time.”

With Kai, organisations gain access to an AI-native framework that integrates seamlessly into existing systems and governance models – delivering oversight, transparency and ROI from day one.

We believe in a personal approach

By working closely with our customers at every step of the way we ensure that we capture the dedication, enthusiasm and passion which has driven change within their organisations and inspire others with motivational real-life stories.