Procurement Trends 2026: A Strategic Business Function
For a long time, procurement was seen as a cost center, focused mainly on negotiating the best prices. In 2026, this view is outdated. Procurement departments now play a central role in company strategy and contribute directly to performance, resilience, and transformation.
In 2026, procurement becomes a true business partner
The first major trend concerns the strategic positioning of procurement. Indeed, it is no longer limited to execution or negotiation. Procurement teams now intervene upstream in innovation, transformation, or investment projects. Consequently, they align business needs with supplier market realities and enhance overall performance. According to an Ardent Partners study, 50% of procurement departments believe they have a significant impact on company performance. Moreover, 6% consider themselves true change catalysts, beyond traditional cost savings. This illustrates the shift toward a strategic role.
As a result, procurement’s value is measured by its ability to deliver tangible, measurable results. It is no longer enough to demonstrate savings; financial, operational, and extra-financial impact must be highlighted. Therefore, monitoring and reporting this performance becomes a key factor in procurement credibility.
Resilience and comprehensive risk management
In a context marked by geopolitical instability, regulatory pressure, and growing ESG requirements, procurement acts as a central pillar of organizational resilience. It anticipates supplier risks, secures critical supply, and helps ensure business continuity. According to a French study of 865 procurement directors, 65% consider supplier failure a major risk, and 89% of companies have faced a supplier risk event in the past five years. This shows that proactive risk management is now a structural necessity. In 2026, procurement increasingly integrates risk evaluation into decision-making, playing a key role in overall company stability and resilience, beyond its traditional cost-control mission.
Tail Spend Procurement: a key performance lever for 2026
Tail Spend represents a significant yet underutilized lever. Although it accounts for an average of 20% of total company spending — for a company spending €1 billion, about €200 million — it often remains dispersed and poorly managed, with many suppliers, tail spend, and “rogue” purchases. Recent analyses show that up to 20–25% of indirect spend falls outside defined procurement processes, revealing a lack of control and visibility over this strategic area.
In 2026, the trend is clear: the most mature companies structure and digitize their Tail Spend procurement. This approach improves compliance by implementing consolidated management processes. It generates sustainable financial gains, reduces operational risks, and transforms Tail Spend into a cross-functional performance lever, enhancing overall efficiency while strengthening spending control.
iSupplier supports procurement departments
In 2026, iSupplier positions itself as the unique partner for managing Tail Spend procurement.
Our solution provides visibility, compliance, streamlining, and performance for procurement teams, optimizing their strategic role within the company.
Through this approach, our support helps create overall value, control risks, and improve operational performance, while freeing time for high-value strategic tasks.
Schedule a meeting with our experts to discover how we can support your procurement challenges and opportunities: Contact us !
