Procurement teams are under sustained pressure to move faster, but many sourcing exercises still get slowed by manual administration. Emails, spreadsheets, supplier chases and approval bottlenecks can stretch even straightforward events into drawn-out projects.
That is why automation is becoming central to procurement operations. Arkestro says its Process Science approach is designed to remove repetitive work and reconfigure sourcing activity around faster, more consistent work...
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flows. The company argues that this can shorten cycle times by reducing the friction that typically accumulates between supplier outreach, quote comparison and sign-off.
The basic problem is familiar across procurement functions. Supplier onboarding, request for quotation activity, stakeholder approvals and reporting all involve multiple steps, and when those steps are handled through disconnected emails and spreadsheets, delays are almost inevitable. In practice, sourcing teams often spend as much time managing the process as they do making the actual decision.
Automation changes that by putting routine tasks into structured workflows. Instead of manually tracking responses or moving documents from one inbox to another, teams can use software to route work, standardise information and keep each stage visible. Arkestro presents this as a way to free procurement professionals from administrative repetition so they can focus on more strategic decisions.
Other technology providers make similar claims about the wider benefits of procurement automation. IBM says automation can improve efficiency, support compliance and strengthen supplier relationships, while also enabling quicker onboarding and better data-driven decisions. TechTarget notes that automated procurement can give organisations clearer spend visibility and more effective monitoring of risk, helping teams spot issues earlier and build more resilient supply chains.
The gains are not limited to visibility and control. Infosys BPM says automating procurement can accelerate approvals, reduce ordering cycle times and improve spend management by eliminating redundant work. Amazon Business has also argued that automated approval routing can remove manual tracking and bottlenecks, in some cases cutting procurement processing time from days to hours. Ivalua, meanwhile, highlights cost savings, productivity improvements and better compliance with negotiated contracts as further advantages of digitising the procure-to-pay process.
For Arkestro, the emphasis is less on automation as a standalone technology than on the discipline of process design. The company says the real improvement comes when repetitive tasks are removed, unnecessary steps are cut out and sourcing events are built on repeatable workflows. As those practices become standard, procurement teams can move more quickly, improve consistency and achieve meaningful cycle-time reduction.
In an environment where speed, resilience and cost control all matter, that combination is proving increasingly attractive. Procurement automation is no longer being sold merely as a convenience; it is being positioned as a way to make sourcing work at a pace that matches modern business demands.
Source: Noah Wire Services
