Three strategies for successful digital transformation in procurement

Procurement teams across industries are embracing digital solutions to streamline operations, reduce costs and mitigate risk. A broad Economist Impact study, sponsored by SAP, reaffirms this shift by identifying digital transformation, including AI strategy integration and spend analytics, as top priorities for procurement leaders globally. Yet, as the study also reveals, digitalization alone is not enough. To achieve lasting impact, organizations must adopt a holistic approach that prioritizes cross-functional collaboration, aligns with business objectives, and builds a foundation for long-term agility and resilience.

Accenture, a leading global professional services firm, exemplifies effective procurement transformation by implementing powerful digital solutions. Managing over $5 billion annually, Accenture’s procurement team enacted strategies that prioritized visibility, control and standardization. This approach allowed the broader organization to sustain robust growth and address infrastructure challenges. The following three strategies were crucial to their success:

1. Build for comprehensive buy-in

For companies managing global teams or operations, comprehensive adoption of new solutions is critical. Change can be disruptive and costly, but broad implementation creates a foundation of support, engagement and readiness, contributing to long-term success.

What this looks like can vary by organization. Key stakeholders may include employees, management, suppliers or consultants. By ensuring all parties are aligned, organizations are more likely to successfully leverage new technology, avoid costly roadblocks and drive better business outcomes.

In Accenture’s case, this manifested as close collaboration with global IT teams to rapidly deploy a technology-centered procurement approach. After three years, they’ve deployed the solution to 25 countries, with the majority operating on a global baseline. In close collaboration with SAP, Accenture tailored its roadmap to its users and prepared for future innovations.

2. Upgrade the user experience

Getting new tools into the hands of end users is key to effective implementation and sustained momentum as the business evolves. This is especially true when those tools help automate tedious tasks, freeing up team members to focus on higher-value work.

Reducing manual workloads through digital solutions not only boosts procurement efficiency but also enhances the user experience. For example, digitalizing and embedding reviews and approval stages into the buying workflow can eliminate manual tasks and accelerate decision-making. A smoother experience helps drive improvements across contracts, compliance and data transparency.

By putting users at the center of all strategy, procurement teams can better evaluate performance and seize new opportunities to drive innovation across the business. This focus on user experience aligns with the 2025 Economist Impact study, which found that improved user experience and process efficiency were among the top outcomes from AI adoption and digital transformation.

3. Invest for visibility

In a digitized world where competitors often use similar tools and technologies, data becomes a key differentiator. Reliable, relevant and responsible data is crucial for making good decisions and maintaining confidence in procurement’s ability to offer recommendations.

For procurement teams aiming to modernize, poor data quality can be a barrier to adopting powerful AI technology, as good AI needs good data. Greater visibility into data across the enterprise leads to better forecasting and talent insights.

A technology-driven approach, with visibility at its core, can deliver improved compliance, increased productivity and measurable business outcomes. This can empower procurement teams to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive, strategic decision-making that drives long-term value.

Accenture’s comprehensive approach to procurement transformation

Recognizing the need for its procurement arm to function more strategically, Accenture transitioned its philosophy from managing controls and compliance to enhancing the user experience for its 775,000 employees in 120 countries. This approach drove faster, more compliant and cost-effective purchasing by directing users to contracted goods and services. Team members shifted their focus from day-to-day tasks to creating value around supplier management, innovation and sustainability.

By partnering with SAP, Accenture enabled data accessibility and analytics for supplier performance, spend management and more. For the firm’s Procurement Operations Desk, SAP Fieldglass helped streamline approval activities and consolidate information to enhance service quality and reduce turnaround times.

As a result of these efforts: SOW-based spend operations became 70% more efficient, on-time payments reached 98% with rejection rates below 3% and compliance saw a five-fold increase for the first two years.

With a new wave of digital solutions in place for its workforce, Accenture demonstrates the power of an innovative, future-proof mindset and operation. This transformation will enable the firm to focus on its main priority: ensuring clients reach their business goals by leveraging technology and human expertise.

By embracing these three strategies – building comprehensive buy-in, upgrading the user experience, and investing in visibility – organizations can successfully navigate digital transformation and drive significant value for their businesses.

About the authors:

Gregg Schneider is America’s Innovation and Transformation Lead in Accenture’s Procurement Plus organization. Amber Roth is Vice President of Global Presales & Strategy for SAP Fieldglass.

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