Top News in Procurement: Zycus, Gap, UPS, Ivalua, Amazon

Zycus: Challenging Enterprises to Revolutionise Procurement

As Zycus prepares for the return of its flagship Horizon event, it is calling on enterprises to reassess the role of procurement in the age of agentic AI.

At the centre of Zycus' strategic approach is its revolutionary Deep Value plan, marking a paradigm shift in organisational procurement methodology.

"The Deep Value plan is at the heart of what Zycus stands for today," explains Founder and CEO, Aatish Dedhia.

"It's our commitment to delivering outcomes that go beyond surface-level efficiency gains. Instead of just automating tasks, the Deep Value plan focuses on unlocking strategic advantages such as deeper savings, increased efficiency, improved compliance, cost optimisation, risk mitigation and sustainability alignment.”

How the Gap is Harnessing Sustainable Sourcing & Circularity

Gap operates more than 2,500 stores across the US, UK, Canada, France, Ireland and Japan. The global apparel retailer has published its 2025 Impact Report detailing its environmental and social performance.

The report covers the company's operations and tracks progress against sustainability targets set in earlier years. Gap was founded in 1969 and published its first sustainability report in 2003.

The company had its emissions targets verified by the Science Based Targets initiative in 2024. Gap has set targets to reduce Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 90% and Scope 3 emissions by 32.5% by 2030 from a 2017 baseline.

The retailer also plans to source 100% renewable electricity for company-operated facilities globally. Its long-term target is to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its value chain by 2050.

UPS: Addressing Procurement Challenges With Investment

UPS has committed US$50m to network infrastructure targeting automotive and industrial supply chains. The investment supports procurement operations through expanded air freight capabilities and tracking systems.

The delivery company plans to extend its North American Air Freight services to and from Mexico starting in August. The network upgrade addresses procurement challenges including border delays and supply chain visibility.

UPS became the first major logistics company to deploy Radio Frequency Identification technology across its entire US vehicle fleet in 2026. The system tracks packages without manual scanning from pickup through delivery.

Matt Guffey, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer at UPS, says: "Our automotive and industrial customers want an easy button for logistics.

"They need reliability, visibility and a partner that understands their supply chains – end to end, today and tomorrow. We have made strategic investments to build the team and the network that meets their needs, unlike any other in the industry."

How Ivalua is Changing how Procurement Works With AI

Ivalua, one of the leading AI platforms for procurement, has announced its IVA Studio, which the company is calling a ‘fundamental’ new way for procurement teams to work.

The platform is built to work as a way to streamline AI agents, moving them away from atop fragmented data and disjointed systems, as the IVA Studio claims to allow procurement teams to perform any activity across the Source-to-Pay (S2P) process through a single agent.

Ivalua says that its IVA tool will know your data, follow rules set by the user and “get work done on day one”, as the IVA Studio tool works as an AI control tower, managing IVA’s skills, permissions, tools and MCP integrations.

Amazon Carbon Credits Simplify Procurement Complexity

Amazon has launched its carbon credit service in the UK, marking the first international expansion of the programme since its US debut in 2025.

According to the company, the service aims to make high-quality carbon neutralisation and inset credits accessible and transparent for organisations committed to climate progress. The expansion addresses procurement challenges that have historically made the voluntary carbon market difficult to navigate.

Amazon is targeting its net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2040. The service provides qualified UK companies, including Amazon suppliers, enterprise customers and Climate Pledge signatories, with access to rigorously vetted credits.

The platform simplifies procurement by reducing sourcing complexities and delivering the transparency needed for carbon-neutralisation investments. This streamlined approach removes traditional barriers that have prevented smaller organisations from participating in high-quality carbon credit markets.

Procurement teams face substantial obstacles when sourcing carbon credits. According to Amazon, only around 5% of neutralisation credits in the voluntary carbon market meet the company's quality standards.

Most organisations lack the expertise required to identify high-quality carbon credits. The voluntary carbon market presents challenges around price volatility, supply availability and administrative burdens that complicate procurement decisions.