The magnificent Sheraton Hotel, in the city of Dammam, hosted the Supply Chain and Procurement Conference 2026 which focused on how enhancing the global position of Saudi Arabia in the field of supply chain and procurement management can support delivery of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The Supply Chain and Procurement Conference 2026 looked to build on the success of last year’s inaugural event. This year, a wide array of expert speakers were complemented by interactive sessions and panel discussions with leading decision-makers on the latest trends and challenges affecting the industry, both now and in the future.
The conference also provided an opportunity to enhance cooperation between companies and their suppliers, providing a forum to exchange knowledge and explore how existing processes could be improved.
Organised and run by the Supply Chain and Procurement Society (SCPS), a national non-profit that aims to develop the Kingdom’s procurement and supply chain sector, this year’s event in Dammam brought the message home with an incredible line-up from the procurement space, focusing on six themes:
- Accelerating Saudi’s manufacturing capability by developing integrated industrial supply chain frameworks that support the growth of manufacturing in line with national priorities. This incorporates more efficient sourcing, logistics and warehousing strategies, as well as enhancing supplier readiness and operational capability to meet relevant standards and performance requirements. Additionally, it will be important to improve coordination and alignment across industrial value chains and with key stakeholders, as well as advancing operational efficiency and competitiveness across industrial and manufacturing ecosystems.
- Building a well-rounded supply chain through excellence in local content and sustainability, including sustainable procurement practices that support environmental and social responsibility initiatives, and that align with supply chain operation ESG standards. This activity will be best delivered through long-term partnerships across the full range of supply chain activities.
- Building effective partnerships to power Saudi’s supply chain for the long-term, including enhanced cooperation between the government, industry leaders, and supply chain stakeholders. Strengthening supplier and stakeholder relationships will also help integrate value chains, create value and enable knowledge sharing.
- Automating supply chains and procurement through Agentic AI to advance digital transformation initiatives, while applying AI solutions in procurement, planning, forecasting, and decision support. Automating supply chain processes will also enhance efficiency, accuracy, and operational consistency, while data analytics will support strategic decision making.
- Future-proofing supply chains and procurement through resilience, risk management, and adaptability, to ensure stability during disruptions and market volatility. This should include proactively identifying, assessing and mitigating supply chain risks to ensure business continuity and operational stability, while enhancing visibility across business networks to support timely decision-making,
- Building skills for the future including AI fluency and concept mastery of supply chain and procurement, including technical and strategic expertise, whilst promoting a culture of professional growth and development.
The conference made these themes come alive with an array of inspiring speakers who were complimented by a series of panel discussions and interactive sessions on a wide range of topics.
The conference opened with a welcome from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Supply Chain and Procurement Society (SCPS), Saleh Al-Shabnan, who noted that “Supply chains have become an integral part of national economic security, and Saudi Arabia has built an integrated ecosystem that has strengthened its ability to meet global challenges and maintain business continuity and the flow of goods, services and energy, based on an ambitious vision and long-term strategic investments.”
This set the tone for the event, with guests including the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, Khalid AlHajri VP Procurement at Saudi Aramco, and senior figures from across the kingdom’s procurement and supply chain ecosystem. It was very clear from the start that this event was built by practitioners, for practitioners.
His Excellency the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industrial Development, Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Ahmadi, then gave an opening speech which highlighted that, “Modern industry is not measured by the number of factories, but by its ability to build an interconnected system that creates local added value. We are working with partners at Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup to translate upcoming opportunities into industrial projects and localize them, to build national suppliers that compete globally.”
This was followed by an engaging presentation from the CEO of the Supply Chain and Procurement Society (SCPS), Mr. Saleh H. AL Suwaiti, who provided an overview of the Society’s journey since its establishment. “We started in October 2018 with an idea in small meetings that turned into a licensed professional entity and national responsibility, and we did not just build an association, we built an idea and turned it into initiatives, we created knowledge, spread awareness, and gathered specialists around it to create a leading professional community that today leads the empowerment and future of supply in the Kingdom.”
Three live partnership were also announced on the opening morning, including AI procurement platform, Penny, signing agreements with Lendo on supply chain financing, with SAP Ariba on local content integration, and with Roland Berger on procurement and local content technology.
The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 was heavily referenced throughout the day, including the infrastructure being built to deliver it. As the conference progressed, Nico Shutz, CEO of ASMO, laid out a practical operating model spanning procurement, inventory management, warehousing, logistics, and an eMarketplace. Kenan Nouwailati from Roland Berger delivered a session on Agentic AI, noting that a procurement organisation that wants to be high-performing in tomorrow’s world cannot avoid very substantial adaptation of Agentic AI.
The local content panel produced one of the sharpest moments of the day. A story about a supplier who was ready, qualified, and repeatedly invited to tenders, but never won them. This wasn’t because of their capability, but because the contract architecture was written in a way that made it structurally impossible for them to compete. It feels like the conference has a firm focus on building local supply networks over the next 20 years, so this kind of insight is essential, as it can help change how organisations go about sourcing suppliers.
Last, but certainly not least, Wael Safwat, FCIPS ExDip from Accenture closed the day with a presentation on talent and AI. He stated that roles are being fragmented by AI, rather than replaced. Tasks will be redistributed and the professionals who thrive will be the ones who can communicate, stay curious, handle complexity, and speak the language of AI. Therefore, this will become the new baseline for teams in the years ahead.
The second day featured several insightful sessions which looked at the question of how procurement and supply chain leaders actually build for what comes next, through some very different lenses. Hugh Lawson, IPA, AccBD and Principal, Lawson Leadership Advisory Ltd, delivered a notable first session and even managed to work in some Star Wars references.
Day two focused on digital transformation, making the point that there’s a big difference between digitising a process and transforming it. Mapping your old manual workflow into a new platform isn’t transformation. It is just a more expensive version of the same problem. Real transformation only starts when you design around outcomes, not the steps you currently take to get there.
AI maturity also featured prominently. Where are organisations actually getting value today? Some live examples included spend classification, RFX creation, supplier communications, contract drafting, and bias reduction in sourcing decisions. However, the harder truth is that most AI pilots still live and die inside a centre of excellence, without ever finding a business owner.
Mehdi Zrihni, Senior Presales Manager, MEAPAC, JAGGAER, delivered a session that brought things down to Earth. Tail spend consolidation that used to take two to three months now runs in seconds. Contract summaries, approval recommendations, and invoice anomaly detection are all embedded in the platform. Therefore, AI is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s mandatory infrastructure.
This was followed later in the day by a panel discussion about whether AI can be trusted with strategic procurement decisions. The consensus from the panel was that it could, but with conditions. AI earns trust when it is fed clean data, configured with the right context, and kept honest by humans who know what good looks like. The strongest use cases shared were not about replacing judgment. They were about removing bias, closing value leakage, and getting procurement into business planning conversations early enough to actually matter. Saudi Arabia designated 2026 as the Year of Artificial Intelligence and the discussions here in Dammam feel like it’s already well underway.
The keynote speech from Pascal Evertz, Managing Director, GoBeyondProcurement, on leadership reframed everything, though. Two thirds of Gulf Cooperation Council workers report some form of burnout or mental wellbeing challenge. Companies are building intelligent supply chains, but their people are running on empty. The message here was clear. Before strategy, technology, or content, there has to be connection, so this concept should feature in every leadership conversation happening in the region right now.
In the 2026 conference’s closing speech, Mr. Saleh H. AL Suwaiti, CEO of the Supply Chain and Procurement Society (SCPS), announced that the conference had surpassed the popularity of last year’s event, with over 21 participating entities, 55+ expert speakers, over 4,000 registrants, and more than 1,000 visitors. He also stressed the need for companies and suppliers to continue to work collaboratively to build a professional community that achieves “resilient supply chains… for a sustainable future” to achieve the goals of the Kindom’s Vision 2030.
Following another highly successful event this year, we can’t wait for the next instalment in 2027, as the Supply Chain and Procurement Conference firmly establishes itself as a key event in the annual calendar.
- Digital Supply Chain
- Sustainable Procurement