Procurement at Intuit Goes From Gatekeeper to Growth Partner

For many companies, procurement has developed a reputation as the "no" function, focusing on compliance, control and cost.

Intuit is working to rewrite that narrative. Harnessing the power of AI, automation, data and its internal platform known as Swift, its procurement function is evolving into a strategic accelerator of outcomes for the business – priding itself on its ability to give speed, simplify buying and elevate the employee experience.

What's more, Intuit is building on the momentum by sharing it around, bidding to create a more inclusive, transparent and connected supplier ecosystem.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal's CFO Journal, Emma Chontos, CPO at Intuit, said: "The technology transformation has already repositioned procurement from a gatekeeper to an accelerator of business activity."

This transformation isn't just about speed – it's about strategic enablement. When procurement moves from approving transactions to shaping outcomes, it becomes a catalyst for innovation, agility and value creation across the enterprise.

From gatekeeping to strategic acceleration

No one can deny the fundamental transformation AI has brought to the value chain of procurement. Tools like predictive analytics can anticipate supplier risk, while intelligent automation which is helping sourcing cycles to be quickened.

In the same interview, Emma added: "Years ago, we began by embedding analytics into procurement, but it became clear that traditional automation alone wasn't enough. We built Swift, a centralised front door for procurement and expense management, offering an intuitive, AI-powered experience for employees.

"Rather than programming bots to perform isolated tasks, we've embraced a new model centred on natural language interaction, self-service and data fluency."

Intuit's Swift platform is helping to arm employees with these tools, with its AI-powered interface helping to make procurement simpler and more seamless. It helps guide users to approved suppliers, automate workflows and embed governance invisibly. As a result, users obtain a consumer-grade buying experience which is transparent, fast and empowers the user – all while procurement gains real-time insights into spend, supplier health and risk patterns.

Through the use of AI-driven insights, the team at Intuit have the capacity to make faster, smarter decisions, helping business partners achieve desired outcomes in days, rather than weeks. These data models can help to uncover trends before they become an issue.

As machine intelligence and human judgement combine, it unlocks a new, highly-functioning model – one which is proactive, transparent and collaborative. Procurement no longer waits for business requests – it anticipates them, co-creates solutions and delivers measurable impact.

Reimagining partnership and value

Digital transformation is clearly reshaping how procurement engages with the wider organisation. Business partners now view procurement not as a checkpoint, but as a trusted adviser helping them navigate complexity, mitigate risk and seize opportunities.

This evolution marks a fundamental shift in how procurement is perceived:

• From enforcing policies to enabling collaboration
• From processing transactions to providing strategic insight
• From cutting costs to generating value and driving innovation

The results speak for themselves. Procurement teams are spending more time collaborating with stakeholders from the start, participating earlier in planning cycles and shaping decisions that drive business results.

This upstream engagement – enabled by AI, Swift and analytics – unlocks innovation, builds resilience and accelerates execution.

The people behind the change

At Intuit, an environment is being built where procurement professionals think strategically, act with courage and collaborate deeply with their partners.

This means developing teams who can leverage AI and data with confidence, encouraging them to question conventional approaches and rallying around a unified mission: powering prosperity through smart, agile decision-making.

Through Swift and its supplier programmes, Intuit is extending this momentum beyond its organisation, equipping both employees and partners to innovate with confidence.

The future of procurement will be shaped by innovation and intelligence, not just operational efficiency.

Emma tells The Wall Street Journal: "Building Swift wasn't just a tech choice – it was a strategic decision that gave us control over the employee experience, to scale responsibly, and empowered our teams to innovate faster. We're just getting started."