ProcureAbility Report Reveals Strategic Value Gaps in Procurement

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 7, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- ProcureAbility, a Jabil company, has released findings from the "2026 State of Procurement Report," which surveyed 100 senior procurement leaders across diverse industries. The report highlights that procurement is increasingly viewed as a strategic business function, with 69% of respondents looking for both cost reduction and increased strategic value from their procurement department. Another 26% see procurement as a strategic growth enabler, helping to drive revenue and innovation.

Conrad Snover, CEO of ProcureAbility, emphasized the expanding role of procurement in strategic value creation.

The report identifies the timing of procurement engagement as a significant opportunity. While 45% of respondents said procurement is involved before supplier discussions begin, only 11% said it participates during business-case development and requirements definition, which is the earliest and often most strategic point in the purchasing cycle. By comparison, 39% said procurement is brought in after suppliers have already been identified, while 5% said it is engaged primarily during contract negotiation. Late involvement can limit procurement's ability to shape requirements, evaluate alternatives, assess risk, and create meaningful supplier competition.

Seventy-one percent of those surveyed stated they have moderate negotiation leverage, which means they can get reliable results in certain areas but lack consistency across the organization. Ten percent of organizations have very strong negotiation leverage, which has been built into early-stage planning to drive the desired results, while 19% stated that they have poor negotiation leverage because they get involved too late in the process and there are few suppliers to choose from.

Supply chain resilience remains a central priority as organizations navigate geopolitical instability, shifting tariffs, and ongoing market disruption. Seventy percent of respondents described their supply chain resilience strategy as "developing" and therefore not yet fully operationalized. Only 8% reported having a proactive, comprehensive framework that is continuously updated and tested.

Procurement organizations are actively pursuing AI, but the majority are doing so without a defined roadmap. Sixty-eight percent said they are piloting AI in select procurement areas without a formal plan, while 24% are still exploring possibilities. Only 8% have a defined procurement AI roadmap with clear milestones and active execution.

The leading use cases are AI-assisted contract review and risk identification (58%) and AI-powered spend analytics and category insights (55%). However, poor data quality or insufficient data infrastructure, identified by 48%, is the top obstacle to realizing measurable AI value. Difficulty distinguishing high-value tools from overhyped solutions follows closely at 47%.

For 30 years, ProcureAbility has focused exclusively on helping clients elevate their procurement and supply chain functions. The company offers advisory, managed services, digital, staffing, and recruiting solutions, combining leading methodologies, analytics, market intelligence, and industry benchmarks with a uniquely flexible and customizable service delivery model.