The role and strategic agenda of the chief procurement officer (CPO) have evolved over the past decade. In this ongoing series, we revisit what defined procurement and the CPO’s agenda based on responses to Ardent’s annual State of Procurement survey. The series started in 2006, the year I first tackled the the “CPO Agenda” study. While the report titled evolved with my move to Ardent Partners (the report, like this website is called “CPO Rising”), it has always been a fantastic way to get a deep view into the market and understand what is driving the industry each year.
Each week, I will outline the key procurement insights for the next year in this series, culminating in 2025.
Tools of the Trade: Why CPOs Must Embrace Technology in 2017
In every profession, the best practitioners rely on their essential tools. A master carpenter would never set aside a hammer or saw, just as a surgeon would never dismiss the importance of a scalpel. In procurement, the tools of the trade have evolved beyond negotiation skills and supplier relationships to include technology solutions that enable efficiency, visibility, and agility. Yet, despite decades of progress, some Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) still resist adopting supply management technology. While skill, creativity, and dedication remain indispensable, they cannot replace the transformative power of modern solutions. Those who continue to overlook technology are, in effect, manufacturing their own department’s obsolescence.
The Generational Divide in Technology Adoption
Many of today’s CPOs began their careers well before the emergence of eProcurement, contract management, and supplier management platforms. For some, these solutions appear overly complex, resource-intensive, or unnecessary. This generational divide has contributed to a lingering skepticism about the strategic value of automation. However, today’s competitive business environment and the relentless pace of innovation leave little room for outdated thinking. What was once optional is now critical. Just as supply markets demand constant reevaluation, so too must procurement leaders reassess their technology strategies. Without doing so, they risk leaving their organizations vulnerable to inefficiency and disruption.
Bridging the Technology Gap
Technology has always defined eras of progress, from the construction of ancient bridges to the dawn of the internet. What once seemed cutting-edge quickly became essential infrastructure. Procurement technology has followed a similar trajectory. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, supply management solutions were heralded as revolutionary but often fell short of expectations. Early platforms struggled to deliver on bold promises, and many procurement leaders dismissed them as impractical.
Over time, however, the market matured. Surviving providers refined their offerings, and new players emerged with solutions better aligned to procurement’s needs. Today’s platforms are far more advanced, capable of modeling complex processes, supporting strategic outcomes, and driving measurable business value. These tools have played a central role in procurement’s renaissance, elevating the function and empowering CPOs to become strategic leaders. Yet, despite this progress, adoption remains uneven. Too many procurement organizations continue to operate with limited automation, leaving them unable to pivot quickly in response to shifting business demands.
Why Technology Matters Now More Than Ever
The rise of the modern CPO stands as one of the most significant business stories of the 21st century. Once viewed primarily as cost-cutters, CPOs are now recognized as strategic partners who influence enterprise performance, innovation, and risk management. This transformation has been fueled in no small part by technology. Procurement leaders who leverage advanced tools can achieve higher levels of spend visibility, supplier collaboration, and process efficiency.
For every new dollar of enterprise spend brought under procurement management, organizations realize an average savings of 6% to 12% in the first contract cycle. That kind of impact is simply not achievable through manual processes alone. Technology enables procurement teams to capture savings, enforce compliance, and optimize supplier relationships at scale. Without it, CPOs risk leaving value untapped and exposing their organizations to unnecessary risk.
Overcoming Resistance to Change
Despite the proven benefits, many procurement organizations continue to lag behind in technology adoption. Ardent Partners’ research consistently shows that “leveraging technology to drive business value” remains one of the least-developed competencies among procurement teams. The reasons vary—from budget constraints to organizational inertia—but the effect is the same: missed opportunities and underperformance.
What is needed now is a CPO-led intervention. Leaders must challenge the enablers of mediocrity and break free from habits that no longer serve the business. Technology adoption should not be viewed as a one-time project but as an ongoing process of organizational innovation. By “adjusting the mirrors” and pulling the right levers, CPOs can create agile organizations that respond quickly to market shifts and business needs.
The Road Ahead
Technology alone cannot transform procurement—it requires vision, leadership, and a willingness to adapt. But when combined with the skill and creativity of procurement professionals, today’s tools can unlock new levels of value and resilience. The best CPOs understand that resisting innovation is no longer an option. Just as bridges once defined the progress of civilizations, procurement technology now defines the competitiveness of modern enterprises.
The message of CPO Rising 2017 is clear: the time has come for procurement leaders to stop acting like apprentices and embrace the full toolkit of the 21st century. Those who do will not only safeguard their department’s relevance but also position procurement as a driver of enterprise success for years to come.
