Forward-Looking Enterprises Pursue Faster Value, Measurable Returns in ProcureCon CPO Report
Icertis, the global leader in AI-powered contract intelligence, has published the 2025 ProcureCon Chief Procurement Officer Report in partnership with ProcureCon Insights. The annual survey found that 90 percent of procurement leaders have considered or are already using AI agents to optimize operations in the year ahead.
According to the study, nearly 40 percent of CPOs are looking to drive value for their enterprise beyond cost savings and turning to advanced analytics and AI to deliver insights to key decision-makers. By embracing transformational technologies such as AI agents, procurement is advancing its influence on enterprise profitability and capturing the opportunity to directly impact commercial outcomes through contracts.
"Global commerce is comprised of relationships between customers and suppliers, each embodied in a contract that starts at the negotiation table in procurement. With AI agents, procurement teams have tremendous potential to action smarter decisions about those relationships and ensure optimal commercial outcomes for all parties," said Bernadette Bulacan, Chief Evangelist, Icertis. "By automating complex contracting tasks at scale while keeping financial goals at the forefront, these agents will fundamentally transform the foundation of commerce in 2025, empowering enterprises to realize the full potential of every relationship and bringing data-driven strategies to life across core functions like procurement, legal, and finance."
Key findings from the 2025 CPO Report include:
- CPOs are preparing for an unstable year ahead. Reducing risk and diversifying the supplier base (40 percent), managing supply chain disruptions and volatility (36 percent), and addressing inflationary pressures and cost increases (35 percent) are among the top five challenges anticipated in 2025 as procurement teams adjust to the new geopolitical climate.
- Procurement is successfully cutting costs, but not yet driving measurable ROI. 64 percent of survey respondents said maverick spending has improved over the past 12 months, but 62 percent said procurement ROI had either stayed the same or worsened over the same period. This points to an urgent need for the partnership of AI to help optimize contract terms and automate the inclusion of revenue drivers in every contract.
- AI and value creation are top priorities over ESG. Survey respondents cited leveraging AI in procurement processes and decision-making (66 percent) and improving speed-to-value and ROI (55 percent) as their top two priorities in 2025, ranking both above ESG and sustainability goals, and improving compliance.
- AI partnerships are critical to overcome adoption barriers. Integration issues (88 percent) and data quality issues (75 percent) are detracting from procurement confidence in AI. By turning to industry leaders like Icertis with proven track records in enterprise-grade innovation, procurement teams can harness the power of contract data and seamlessly integrate purpose-built AI and large language models (LLMs) with the systems that run their business.
"We're witnessing a substantial shift in the procurement function from reactive to proactive as CPOs look to anticipate challenges and build resilience for their businesses with new strategies and technologies," said Chris Rand, Head of Research, ProcureCon Insights. "The next generation of leaders is not only embracing AI, but demanding a tech-first approach to sourcing and contracting processes that welcomes AI as a coworker in the ongoing race to capture more revenue."
The ProcureCon CPO report is published each year based on research by ProcureCon Insights, the research arm of the ProcureCon event series. Survey respondents include supply chain management, procurement, and risk management leaders from companies across the U.S. and Canada. More than 60 percent of respondents represent companies with over $1 billion in spend under management.
Download the full report to learn more: 2025 Annual ProcureCon CPO Report
About Icertis
Icertis is the global leader in AI-powered contract intelligence. The Icertis platform revolutionizes contract management, equipping customers with powerful insights and automation to grow revenue, control costs, mitigate risk, and ensure compliance the pillars of business success. Today, more than one third of the Fortune 100 trust Icertis to realize the full intent of millions of commercial agreements in 90+ countries.
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Media Contact
Michelle Rodriguez
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
corpcomm@icertis.com
