Economic volatility is rewriting the playbook for many finance, business, and procurement leaders. So how are you navigating procurement in a constantly evolving global market? Experts in finance, procurement, and operations across diverse sectors share how they’re future-proofing their business strategies while adapting to market shifts.

The consensus? Digital transformation is more than just a technological upgrade. It's now a fundamental reimagining of procurement processes. They shared 10 procurement trends, including AI and payments integration, sustainability practices, and strategic supplier relationships, that are poised to drive procurement excellence in any economic environment.

Read on to learn what today’s leaders are doing to enhance operational agility, improve risk management, and drive a culture of smarter procurement spending in 2025 and beyond.

Trend 1: The merging of financial data into procurement decisions accelerates.

One trend shaping procurement strategy in 2025 is the merging of financial data into procurement decisions to deliver cost transparency and value-based procurement. With limited margins and continued global supply chain disruptions, finance and procurement teams cannot continue to work in isolation. We always consider the industry of clients and prepare comprehensive financial planning systems and integrate procurement analytics to ensure that our clients can get better visibility into areas of spend, suppliers, and contract leakage. This enables businesses, particularly SMEs, to make faster and better-informed decisions that go beyond costs and instead consider long-term value, mitigation of risk, and the sustainability of suppliers.

— Jocarl Zaide, Founder & CEO, CFO Business Solutions

Trend 2: AI and predictive analytics transform supply chains.

One major trend impacting procurement strategy is the increasing integration of AI and predictive analytics into sourcing and supplier management. Procurement is no longer just about cost-saving. It's about building resilient, diversified supply chains that can anticipate risks before they happen. Leveraging AI to forecast disruptions, evaluate supplier performance, and optimize contracts is becoming essential for strategic decision-making.

Another key shift is the growing emphasis on sustainability and ESG compliance. Businesses are under mounting pressure from customers, investors, and regulators to ensure that their procurement practices support ethical sourcing, reduce carbon footprints, and promote social responsibility. Procurement teams are now expected to vet suppliers not only for price and quality but also for their environmental and social impact.

Supplier collaboration and innovation are also playing a larger role. Rather than treating suppliers purely as vendors, companies are building strategic partnerships to drive co-innovation, reduce lead times, and create more agile supply chains. This mindset is critical for staying competitive, especially in industries facing rapid technological change.

Finally, the adoption of cloud-based procurement platforms and automation tools is making procurement processes faster, more transparent, and less error-prone. Tools that streamline contract management, payments, and supplier onboarding are helping finance and procurement leaders cut down on administrative time and focus more on strategic initiatives.

— Gary Jain, CEO, Ledger Labs

Trend 3: Local sourcing helps strengthen operations.

One area that's really shaping our procurement strategy in 2025 is a deliberate shift toward local sourcing. Over the years, especially during periods of supply chain instability, I've seen how heavily we relied on global suppliers, sometimes out of habit more than necessity. But the past few years have made it clear that long shipping times, customs delays, and unpredictable freight costs can pose serious challenges for a company like ours that thrives on reliability and responsiveness. That experience pushed me to re-evaluate where we source materials and how those relationships align with our larger goals.

Now, we're leaning more heavily into local partnerships, not just because it simplifies logistics, but because it actually strengthens our overall operation. Working with vendors who are close by gives us shorter lead times, faster communication, and more control when changes come up on short notice. There's an agility that's hard to replicate when you're dealing across time zones or waiting on a container stuck at a port. With local suppliers, we're not just placing orders, we're building real relationships.

Equally important is the sense of shared investment. When we source locally, we're pouring back into the business ecosystem we're a part of. Our success becomes their success, and that creates a deeper level of accountability on both sides. I've seen suppliers go above and beyond, not because of contract terms, but because they care. That kind of alignment has helped us create a more resilient, transparent, and values-driven procurement process.

To be clear, we're not abandoning global relationships. There's still a place for them, especially for specialized products. But our foundation is now rooted closer to home, and that's given us the flexibility and trust we need to adapt quickly and grow sustainably in 2025 and beyond.

— Karen Sampolski, CFO, Viking Roofing

Trend 4: Blockchain-powered decentralized procurement enhances agility.

An emerging procurement trend shaping our 2025 strategy is the adoption of decentralized procurement powered by blockchain-based smart contracts. As supply chains become more global and complex, traditional centralized procurement models are proving too rigid to manage region-specific needs. Decentralizing procurement decisions and maintaining oversight through blockchain enables our local teams to source faster, more cost-effectively, and with greater autonomy, without compromising compliance or transparency.

Smart contracts are particularly game-changing because they automatically execute terms when predefined conditions are met, reducing payment cycle delays, eliminating disputes over delivery milestones, and improving vendor trust. This streamlines procurement operations and reduces the burden on legal and finance teams managing repetitive contract workflows.

Further, decentralized procurement supports better risk distribution. If one region faces disruption — geopolitical, environmental, or logistical — others can continue sourcing without being bottlenecked by centralized approvals. We've seen improved agility and resilience as a result.

From a CFO perspective, this model allows for better cost predictability, enhanced supplier diversification, and more granular spend visibility across business units. It also opens doors for dynamic pricing and real-time auditing, which are critical for managing inflationary pressures and volatile input costs.

— Rose Jimenez, Chief Finance Officer, Culture.org

Trend 5: Sustainability becomes a core procurement value.

One of the biggest shifts in our 2025 procurement strategy is our commitment to sustainability, not just as an initiative, but as a core financial and operational value. After years of working in both startups and large-scale organizations like McGraw-Hill and Standard & Poor's, I've learned that lasting efficiency doesn't come from cutting corners. It comes from aligning procurement with long-term priorities that matter across the business. That means embedding sustainability directly into how we evaluate, select, and work with our vendors.

We no longer view sustainability as a side goal or a marketing angle. It's a qualifying standard. We're prioritizing vendors who can demonstrate real, measurable efforts, whether it's in how they minimize waste, reduce emissions, or innovate with renewable materials. That has changed the nature of our conversations with suppliers. We now look beyond unit cost and delivery timelines to examine how our partners operate behind the scenes, how they manage energy usage, treat their workforce, and handle byproducts. If their values don't align with ours, we're willing to walk away from deals that, on paper, might seem more financially attractive.

This shift has also changed how our finance team measures value. We've developed new internal benchmarks that incorporate environmental and social impact into cost analyses. It's not just about what we're spending; it's about what we're supporting with that spend. That broader view of value is influencing cross-functional conversations, too. Operations is now more involved in assessing vendor best practices, and our leadership team is thinking more holistically about growth, risk, and reputation.

At its best, procurement becomes a mirror of your culture. And once you align your purchasing power with your mission, it stops being a challenge and becomes second nature.

— Jonathan Orze, CFO, InGenius Prep

Trend 6: AI-driven supplier intelligence guides decision-making.

The implementation of artificial intelligence-based supplier intelligence platforms serves as a primary procurement transformation, which guides better and faster organizational decision-making. The inflation-sensitive, supply-chain-disrupted environment forces finance leaders to abandon their dependence on historical data and fixed vendor associations. The organization integrates predictive software analytics with real-time data systems to assess supplier operations while forecasting economic risks and pricing trends before they occur.

Through early assessments, our business achieves price stability, better supplier acquisitions, and supply chain sustainability plans while optimizing financial performance. Our organization connects purchasing activity to financial forecasts by using central dashboards that link purchasing activities to cash flow predictions and return on investment assessments. The strategic approach to procurement, as opposed to treating it as a cost center, empowers us to manage savings effectively in both short-term opportunities and long-term value creation.

— Bhavin Swadas, Finance Expert, Squeal My Deal

Trend 7: Outcome-based models align supplier incentives.

One trend influencing our 2025 strategy is the shift toward outcome-based procurement models, where payments and supplier evaluations are increasingly tied to results rather than just deliverables. Instead of focusing solely on unit costs or service-level agreements, we're negotiating contracts that align supplier compensation with specific business outcomes, such as productivity improvements, sustainability milestones, or customer satisfaction metrics.

For example, rather than paying a technology vendor a flat fee for software implementation, we may structure agreements where payment is staggered and partially contingent on actual performance gains, like reduced downtime, faster processing, or improved user adoption. This not only incentivizes vendors to deliver more value but also shifts procurement into a more strategic, performance-driven function.

This model fosters stronger partnerships with suppliers and helps ensure that every dollar spent contributes directly to measurable business impact. From a CFO standpoint, it aligns with our broader push for value realization and ROI accountability across all expenditures. It also makes our budgeting and forecasting processes more agile, since we can reallocate resources based on real-time performance data.

Outcome-based procurement is especially relevant in areas like IT services, logistics, facilities management, and consulting, where impact is often qualitative and variable. As we refine our KPIs and data analytics, we're able to implement these models at scale.

— Wes Lewins, Chief Financial Officer, Networth

Trend 8: Build resilience through diversified sourcing strategies.

A key procurement trend driving our 2025 strategy focuses on strengthening supply chain resilience. Recent global disruptions from pandemic effects to geopolitical tensions have elevated supply chain reliability to our top priority. We now actively move beyond traditional “just-in-time” inventory approaches toward a more diversified and adaptable sourcing model. This shift reduces our vulnerability when single suppliers or regions experience disruptions.

We increasingly implement technology-driven solutions to monitor and manage supply chain risks. Our teams leverage AI and predictive analytics to spot potential problems earlier, whether raw material shortages or volatile shipping costs. This approach enables smarter, proactive decisions before minor issues escalate into major crises.

As we face intensifying pressure to control costs while ensuring consistent supply, building genuine supply chain resilience represents a fundamental business requirement. Organizations that successfully adapt to this reality will gain significant competitive advantages, maintaining growth even during future disruptions.

— Holly Andrews, Managing Director, KIS Finance

Trend 9: Real-time ESG scoring reshapes supplier selection.

Real-time ESG scoring woven into RFQ workflows is reshaping our 2025 procurement playbook. During a 2024 pilot with a midsized electronics maker, we required suppliers to attach audited Scope 3 figures via a simple spreadsheet upload that fed our sourcing tool. Seeing carbon cost next to unit price changed negotiations overnight; 37% of bids were re-ranked before any haggling began.

Within eight weeks, the team accepted a slightly pricier component that cut lifecycle emissions by 18% and unlocked a multinational customer's “green supplier” tier — bringing an additional annual contract. Consolidated insights also pinpointed two redundant freight lanes, trimming logistics spend by 6%. Embedding verified sustainability data, rather than chasing the lowest sticker price, proved to be the fastest route to margin protection and long-term supply resilience.

— Manish Sharma, Founder, FinanceX

Trend 10: Embedded virtual cards streamline procurement payments and reconciliation.

One final procurement trend in 2025 is breaking down silos between financial and procurement systems to create seamless end-to-end processes. Organizations are increasingly seeking integrated, AI-powered solutions that streamline the payment side of procurement to accelerate processes and empower employees.

For larger enterprises with complex purchasing workflows, integrating virtual cards into their procurement platform unifies workflows, prevents duplicate payments, strengthens governance, and enables business agility. Brex does just that by integrating with leading procurement platforms like Coupa and Zip.

Named Coupa’s 2025 Virtual Card Partner of the Year, Brex helps joint customers increase spend visibility and control and accelerate onboarding. “Brex Embedded payments is transformative for Coupa customers,” said Bill Wardwell, GM of Coupa Pay & Treasury. “By integrating payments into the Coupa platform, organizations can automate their business spend-to-payments lifecycle in one place while gaining greater visibility and control over their total spend. Brex's robust credit process and balance sheet make onboarding faster.”

Brex for Zip is a joint solution that combines Brex’s global card capabilities with Zip’s AI-powered procurement workflows in one seamless experience. It helps leading enterprises like Anthropic and Neuralink accelerate procurement, stay in control, and scale globally with confidence.

“Bringing together Brex's powerful global card capabilities with Zip's intuitive procurement workflows will eliminate the manual reconciliation work that currently consumes hours of our team's time each week,” said Adam Dix, Head of Financial Operations at Anthropic. Dianna Ty, Head of Procurement at Neuralink, adds: “Zip procurement and Brex global corporate cards together will allow Neuralink to dramatically increase spend control and operational speed. Everything will be seamlessly integrated and automated, from Zip request to card creation to transaction reconciliation.”

Bring your procurement workflows into the future.

Brex offers several ways to streamline procurement workflows, control spend, and improve business agility. Our accounts payable automation solution uses AI to streamline AP processes and help you manage all of your business spend in one place. For larger businesses, Brex’s direct integration with Zip and embedded virtual cards in Coupa efficiently sync procurement and payments so you can spend smarter and move faster.

Looking for more ways to bring efficiency and insights to your procurement processes? Sign up for Brex today to bring your procurement workflows into the future. To learn more procurement best practices for your business, check out Brex’s Spend Trends articles featuring insights on top retail procurement strategies, the ins and outs of purchasing cards, advice for achieving procurement automation, and more.