Why Automation Adoption Will Define Procurement's Success
Keelvar, a global leader in intelligent sourcing solutions, has published its annual CPO survey report, "Sourcing in 2025: AI & Automation Take Center Stage," which shed light on how procurement teams are leveraging automation to secure a competitive edge.
The report highlights that 52% of procurement teams have adopted automation technologies, significantly improving speed, efficiency and responsiveness, whilst those yet to act face growing challenges to remain competitive.
Who are Keelvar?
Keelvar, which is trusted by industry-leading procurement teams across the world, including Coca-Cola, Maersk, Siemens, Samsung and Mars, is an eSourcing tool that offers optimisation and automation in one single, easy-to-use software.
It empowers procurement teams to make the best sourcing decisions and get savings and efficiency gains with a tool that their entire organisation can use, built to drive instant results then grow with them.
In 2024, Keelvar was named in the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards, a ranking of the 50 fastest-growing technology companies in Ireland. Rankings are based on average percentage revenue growth over four years. As well as being recognised by Gartner's Hype Cycle for Procurement and Sourcing Solutions of 2024 and the Innovation Insight: Autonomous Sourcing report.
Keelvar's Voices of Sourcing 2025 report combines insights from global procurement leaders across various industries. It explores the challenges, opportunities and strategic priorities that will shape the future of sourcing.
AI and automation are no longer suggestions
The report also shows that 78% of procurement leaders believe the market has become equally or more unpredictable compared to last year.
Driving savings remains a top priority, as sourcing teams continue to grapple with internal cost pressure and external challenges like inflation. The findings showcase the simple fact that AI and automation are no longer suggestions – they are essential tools for navigating in this time of complexity and achieving progress.
"The race has begun, and early adopters of automation are already pulling ahead," says Alan Holland, Founder and CEO of Keelvar.
"In 2024, procurement leaders were asking, 'Is automation feasible?' By 2025, the focus must shift to, 'How can we implement it at scale?' The ability to automate effectively will be the defining success factor for organisations in the years ahead," he added.
Keelvar's report highlights the advantages realised by procurement teams adopting automation:
- 60% reduced time spent on repetitive tasks
- 56% decreased risk of errors
- 40% improved responsiveness to market changes
- 35% freed up resources for strategic initiatives
ProcureTech: A critical component
The report also found that leaders in procurement see ProcureTech vendors playing a critical role in enabling automation adoption, with 60% pinpointing budget constraints as the primary barrier.
Vendors must provide strong ROI cases to secure buy-in from CFOs and unlock automation's full potential.
Keelvar's Voices of Sourcing 2025 report combines insights from global procurement leaders across various industries. It explores the challenges, opportunities and strategic priorities that will shape the future of sourcing.
For more information and to download the full report, visit Keelvar's website.
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