Where AI Creates the Most Value in Procurement

Recently, Unimarket hosted a panel discussion, A Practical Guide to Using AI in Procurement. Darren Blakely, Executive Vice President, Unimarket; Dan Mackay, Head of Solutions Engineering, Unimarket; and Jeff Groves, Founder & CEO, Groves & Co., explored where artificial intelligence is creating real value across the procurement lifecycle. They also discussed how organizations can move beyond experimentation into practical adoption. If you missed the live session, watch the on-demand recording here and read the key takeaways in this recap blog article.

One theme emerged repeatedly in the discussion: the greatest opportunity for AI is not replacing procurement professionals; it’s helping them spend less time on manual, repetitive work and more time on activities that drive strategic value.

That message comes at an important time, too. According to industry research highlighted during the discussion:

92% of Chief Procurement Officers are assessing or planning AI capabilities
49% have already piloted an AI use case
But only 4% have scaled AI across procurement operations
And 83% still lack an enforced AI policy

For most organizations, the question is no longer if AI belongs in procurement, but where and how to first deploy it for the greatest impact?

Repetitive Work, Not Strategic Judgment

The three panelists rallied around one important point: the greatest value from AI comes from automating highly structured, repetitive, and document-heavy processes. Invoice processing, supplier document verification, compliance screening, contract extraction, and data entry all consume significant staff time while following predictable patterns. By using AI to handle these activities, procurement professionals can focus on exceptions, analysis, and decision-making. The key distinction is that AI should support and speed up tasks while humans continue to own judgment and accountability.

AI excels at identifying patterns, extracting information, and flagging risks. However, it should never be solely responsible for supplier approval, contract interpretation, risk acceptance, or award decisions. Anywhere organizational risk is involved, humans must remain in the loop. AI can surface issues and recommendations, but accountability should always have a named owner.

Increased Productivity, Not Headcount Reduction

Institutions are not adopting AI to eliminate jobs, they’re using it to increase productivity across often under resourced teams. When AI is used for data extraction, validation, and document review, staff can spend more time on supplier performance, fraud prevention, risk management, strategic sourcing, and root-cause analysis. The value is not simply efficiency but redirecting skilled professionals toward higher-impact work.

"The organizations getting the most value from AI are not focused on eliminating people or jobs but on freeing highly capable people to spend more time on higher-value activities."

— Darren Blakely, EVP, Unimarket

A practical use case for AI increasing productivity is helping end-users navigate complex procurement policies. Rather than digging through lengthy policy documents or repeatedly contacting procurement staff for guidance, employees can ask questions and quickly receive answers, in plain language, tied directly to institutional policy. The result is improved compliance, fewer support requests, and more time to focus on strategic initiatives for both Buyers and procurement staff.

Governance Before Scale

Most likely, your organization’s employees are already using AI in some form. However, as the sobering stat above revealed, it’s likely you don’t have an enforced AI policy in place. Successful organizations establish ownership, define acceptable use, clarify where human review is required, and measure outcomes BEFORE scaling AI initiatives.

"The choice isn’t AI or no AI, but governed or ungoverned AI."

— Jeff Groves, Founder & CEO, Groves & Co.

Unimarket’s Beacon AI: Built for Procurement

During the webinar, Dan Mackay demonstrated how Beacon AI addresses many of the key challenges discussed. Unimarket built Beacon around one simple principle: help procurement professionals spend less time gathering information and more time acting on it.

Beacon AI supports invoice processing by extracting invoice details and surfacing exceptions. In supplier management, it analyzes compliance documentation, certifications, sanctions data, and supplier records. It can interpret procurement policies in plain language and help users understand purchasing requirements. Within contract management, it can extract key terms, renewal dates, obligations, and supplier information, transforming contracts from static documents into actionable data.

By eliminating repetitive administrative work, Beacon AI helps procurement teams focus on supplier strategy, spend optimization, risk management, and other initiatives that deliver institutional value.

Procurement’s Future Is Intelligence-Driven

As AI adoption continues to accelerate, the most successful organizations are not automating everything at once. They're taking a deliberate approach, establishing the right foundations, identifying high-value opportunities, and scaling based on measurable results. To move beyond experimentation and build a sustainable AI strategy, the following steps can help guide the journey:

Assess your data foundation and ensure procurement information is accurate and accessible.
Identify high-impact AI use cases that reduce manual effort and deliver measurable value.
Establish governance policies defining ownership, security, and human oversight requirements.
Strengthen integration between procurement, finance, supplier, and contract data.
Start with focused pilots and scale based on proven results.
Invest in training and change management.
Incorporate automation to create capacity for strategic sourcing and supplier management.

To gain the greatest advantage from AI, use it to eliminate low-value administrative work, unlock intelligence hidden in procurement data, and empower procurement professionals to focus on decisions that drive institutional impact.

"The biggest mistake organizations make [regarding AI] is not getting started."

— Darren Blakely, EVP, Unimarket