90% of CPOs anticipate a difficult year: 53% are increasing their tech budgets. AI is progressing, but its effectiveness depends on reliable data: only 64% consider it up to date, a major obstacle.
A tense context that reshuffles the cards
The Purchasing function has never been in such demand. Persistent inflation, geopolitical uncertainties, new waves of regulations: the role of purchasing directors goes far beyond cost negotiation. They are now on the front line to secure the resilience and competitiveness of businesses. The 2025 edition of the State of Source-to-Pay Digitization report, conducted by Ardent Partners and sponsored by Ivalua, gives the measure: 90% of CPOs expected 2025 to be more difficult than 2024. However, far from suffering, Purchasing departments are investing: more than one CPO in two (53%) increased their technology budget this year, compared to only 30% last year.
Artificial intelligence, a business partner more than a gadget
This increase in investments reflects a conviction: the digital transformation of Purchasing is no longer a subject of speech, but of action. Nearly one in three purchasing directors already uses artificial intelligence to analyze expenses, identify new suppliers or optimize contracts. A sign of the times, 72% believe that AI will have a “transformative or significant” impact in the coming years. Behind automation, there is a real rise in power: AI is becoming a business assistant, capable of guiding decisions and providing visibility in globalized and weakened supply chains.
But this revolution faces a major obstacle: data. While 92% of CPOs consider reliable data to be critical, only 64% consider their “master data” to be fully correct and up to date. Without quality data, AI is just an engine running on empty.
From technology to sustainable competitiveness
The report highlights that the benefits of digitalization are already tangible. 60% of companies that have invested in Source-to-Pay suites see efficiency gains, 52% increased productivity and 46% better control of expenses. But the real progress lies elsewhere: moving from a one-off project logic to a continuous dynamic of improvement, where data becomes a strategic asset and integrated platforms a lever for agility.
In the months to come, the question is no longer whether purchasing departments should accelerate their digital transformation, but how they ensure they take full advantage of it. Those that can combine technology investments, data quality and intelligent adoption of AI will gain a head start. AI and data cease to be promises: they become the keys to sustainable competitiveness in an uncertain world.
