通过人工智能采购优化成本、速度和弹性（英）-GEP

Optimizing Cost, Speed, and Resilience Through AI-Enabled ProcurementHBRAnalyticServicesBRIEFING PAPERSponsored bySPONSOR PERSPECTIVEBeyond the Hype: Making AI Work for Your BusinessIn boardrooms and war rooms alike, procurement is being reimagined, not through theory but through necessity. Forward-thinking companies are not just tweaking procurement; they are rebuilding it for speed, resilience, and intelligence.Artificial intelligence (AI) is help-ing a consumer goods company spot supplier risks weeks in advance by scanning financial reports, weather, and political events, allowing teams to act before shipments are delayed. An automaker uses predictive analyt-ics to adjust sourcing based on global events. A pharmaceutical firm has used AI to cut contract cycle times by 30%, giving teams more time to focus on innovation and patient care.These aren’t lab experiments. They are operational realities and, increasingly, competitive imperatives.The traditional procurement model, designed to manage costs and enforce policy, worked in an era of relative stability. But in today’s envi-ronment of inflation shocks, trade volatility, sustainability pressures, and supplier instability, predictability is a luxury. Procurement teams must now navigate more risk and complex-ity than ever before.AI is not a silver bullet. But used well, it shifts procurement from reactive to proactive, from compliance-focused to value-oriented. It enables teams to anticipate disruptions, model deci-sions, and guide the business with the speed and confidence only data-driven intelligence can provide.Still, the use of AI isn’t just a technol-ogy upgrade. It’s an operating model redesign. The companies realizing meaningful returns from AI are doing more than deploying tools. They are rethinking workflows, reskilling talent, reorganizing teams, and investing in data governance. They treat AI not as a pilot but as infrastructure.Leadership is essential. Organizations that approach AI as an isolated proj-ect often stall in fragmented use cases. Those that embed it into the DNA of how procurement works and link it to business outcomes are build-ing capabilities that endure.Equally critical is choosing the right partner. Deploying AI in procurement is not about platforms alone. It’s also about aligning insights with impact and making AI useful, usable, and fully embedded across a fragmented procurement landscape. The right partner brings not only technology but also deep domain fluency and change management muscle to deliver trans-formation at scale.This report, developed by GEP in asso-ciation with Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, explores how procurement is being transformed by AI. It offers insights into the practical steps and structural shifts required to move from experimentation to impact and how organizations can position themselves for long-term success.Santosh NairChief Product OfficerGEPHARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW ANALYTIC SERVICES 1Optimizing Cost, Speed, and Resilien