This report provides a first-of-its-kind look into how AI is actually being deployed on the front lines. You will discover:
- The Savings Paradox: While 75% of CPOs rank cost savings as their #1 priority, only 31% have explicitly prioritized AI deployment. Does your strategy align with the leaders who now view AI as the primary engine for savings, productivity and scale?
- The Great Technology Flip: Will AI soon be more common than your core platforms? Ardent Partners estimates that by the end of 2026, more procurement teams will be actively using AI than those that have an eProcurement system in place.
- The Agentic Horizon: Are you prepared for the "Digital Employee"? With 67% to 84% of organizations planning to deploy agentic AI (autonomous systems that execute multi-step workflows) within the next 24–36 months, the "manual middle" of procurement is rapidly disappearing.
- The Skills Collision: As AI handles the transactional heavy lifting, which human skills are most valuable? While 70% of CPOs now prioritize data literacy and business acumen, only 20% report having emerging AI expertise within their current teams.
The "SaaS-pocalypse" and New Economics: Why is the "per-seat" pricing model dying? Learn how consumption and outcome-based models are resetting the rules for how procurement negotiates for value rather than just access.
Beyond the data, this research offers practical inspiration and background on AI adoption by organizations at all maturity levels (Exploratory Phase (32%), Piloting (35%), or Actively Deploying (22%))
"AI is no longer an aspiration; it is the plan for nearly six in ten CPOs." — Andrew Bartolini, Chief Research Officer, Ardent Partners
Download the Full Report to see the 2026 insights and accelerate your conviction toward Agentic Orchestration
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