Ready to revolutionize procurement with AI? Discover real-world tools for automation, predictive insights, and overcoming digital transformation challenges. Join us now!

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AI-Powered Procurement Transformation in Copenhagen

When: May 8th 2025

Start-Finish: 09:30-15:00

Welcome reception
Introduction
Topic Insights & Reflections I
Group Discussions x 2
Lunch
Topic Insights & Reflections II
Group Discussions x 2
Summary

Where: Radisson Collection Royal Hotel, Copenhagen City Centre (In person event only)

Who: Senior procurement professionals (practitioners), maximum 1 participant per company and registration may be subject to evaluation (given role, industry and possible registrations from same company) This workshop is not open for consultants/service provider etc to register to.

Cost: No cost but registration is binding, your presence can be substituted by a colleague

Topic overview: The three workshop overviews are suggestions, final content to be developed together with sponsors and speakers

Register to join EBG | Xperience in Copenhagen

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AI-Powered Procurement Transformation speakers

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AI-Powered Procurement Expert Organization

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Procurement’s AI Reality Check: Hype vs. Real Impact

The AI Transformation: Where Are the Real Gains?

AI is reshaping procurement conversations, but how much of it is real today? Many procurement leaders struggle to see tangible benefits, while AI-driven tools and platforms promise to reduce workload, automate tasks and enhance decision-making.

But do AI solutions—especially AI agents—actually work in procurement today? Or are they adding complexity rather than solving problems?

At EBG | Xperience CPH, this workshop will move beyond the AI hype to explore practical realities, helping procurement teams:

✔ Understand where AI is delivering results today (and where it isn’t).
✔ Evaluate whether AI agents can truly reduce workload or just shift tasks elsewhere.
✔ Decide whether to adapt existing tools or invest in AI-driven platforms.
✔ Overcome data, security, and integration challenges to make AI work

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Key Workshop Topics

1. Market Pulse: What’s Driving Procurement Transformation in 2025?

The stage is set for a transformative shift in procurement – but most organizations are still figuring out how to move from potential to practice. Vicky will draw from The Hackett Group’s latest research to provide an evidence-based, data-rich snapshot of how procurement functions globally are approaching AI and GenAI adoption, what barriers they face, and what distinguishes leading organizations that are delivering value today.

Key Themes:

– Digital World Class® Lessons: Top-performing procurement organizations run at 21% lower cost, have 32% fewer FTEs, yet deliver more value

– Doing More with Less: Procurement workload is set to increase by 10%, with only a 1% budget increase. GenAI and digitalization are seen as the critical levers to close that efficiency gap.

– The AI Acceleration is Imminent: While 64% of procurement leaders expect GenAI to transform how their teams work within 5 years, most are still in the pilot or investigation phase.

– What’s Holding Us Back? Top roadblocks include data quality, data security and lack of appropriate skills – yet leaders overcome these with targeted efforts, the right mindset and smart use case prioritization.

What You’ll Learn:

• A reality check on where the market stands today
• Insight into what’s working for top performers
• Ideas on how to translate ambition into execution
• A foundation for the discussions and use cases to follow throughout the day

2. From Confusion to Clarity: Making Procurement AI-Ready, One Step at a Time

What should procurement actually do next when it comes to AI and GenAI?

The reality is: most organizations are not there yet—and that’s okay. With decades of fragmented systems, scattered data, siloed functions and legacy processes, few can jump straight into “autonomous procurement.”

In this session, Jochen will offer a reality check and a path forward:

✔ Why AI isn’t something “to be ready for” – it’s already here, quietly enhancing your life (and your tools)

✔ Where GenAI is already working in procurement: from guided buying to supplier recommendations to contract management

✔ What it takes to move toward semi- and fully autonomous procurement processes—and why it’s not about replacing people, but augmenting their capacity

✔ How to evaluate and prioritize your next digital steps based on pain points, not hype

Expect concrete use cases, relatable analogies (including your mobile phone) and insights from real transformation projects—whether your organization is just getting started or has already begun the journey.

3. AI Agents in Procurement: From Automation to Intelligent Decision-Making

How Can AI Agents Reduce Workload, Improve Supplier Management & Strengthen P2P Processes
Most procurement teams acknowledge “we are not there yet” when it comes to AI-driven decision-making. The reality is that procurement operates in complex, fragmented system landscapes, with multiple ERPs, disconnected data sources and legacy processes that make AI implementation seem out of reach.

Yet, AI Agents in a Multi-Agent System (MAS) are being designed to work within these fragmented environments—not by replacing systems, but by enhancing how procurement teams interact with them. Rather than just automating repetitive tasks, AI Agents can analyze data across systems, detect risks, optimize workflows and enhance supplier collaboration.

Lars J. Andersson will introduce four key AI Agents that are designed to solve real procurement challenges:

🔹 AI Agents: Where Could They Add Value?

🛡 Compliance Agent – Ensuring regulatory and contract compliance

🔹 Procurement teams struggle with managing compliance across multiple contracts, policies and evolving regulations spread across different systems.

🔹 This agent monitors contract adherence, flags compliance risks and ensures policy alignment across fragmented data sources.
📊 Supplier Performance Agent – Turning reactive supplier management into proactive insights

🔹 With supplier data scattered across various tools, procurement struggles with real-time visibility into supplier risks and performance.

🔹 This agent aggregates and analyzes supplier KPIs, providing early warnings on performance risks before they escalate.
📜 Purchase Order Creation Agent – Reducing the manual workload in P2P

🔹 POs often require manual validation and correction due to mismatched data between procurement, finance and supplier portals.

🔹 This agent automates and validates PO generation across systems, reducing manual interventions and improving accuracy.
⚖ Predictive Dispute Management Agent – Preventing contract and invoice disputes before they escalate

🔹 Disputes often arise because pricing, contract terms and invoice data are stored in different systems, leading to mismatches.

🔹 This agent analyzes historical disputes, detects discrepancies early, and recommends corrective actions to avoid conflicts.

Discussion Topics;

This discussion is not about having the answers—it’s about exploring possibilities, identifying concerns, and learning from each other’s reflections.

🔹 Where do you see AI Agents delivering the most value in procurement? Which tasks today cause the most inefficiency? 

🔹 What would be a realistic first step? If your company is “not there yet,” what would make AI Agents feel more approachable?

🔹 What obstacles do you foresee? What concerns exist around data quality, governance, or decision-making control?

4. Procurement Technology Choices: Adapt or Transform?

• Can AI be embedded into existing tools, or do companies need AI-first platforms?
• Are AI agents more effective in standalone applications or integrated platforms?
• What procurement teams should consider when evaluating AI-driven solutions.
  
• Discussion: Do AI-enabled platforms truly reduce workload, or do they add complexity?

5. AI Strategy for Procurement: Aligning Objectives & Organizing for Success

Where Should Procurement Start and How Should AI Efforts Be Structured?

AI in procurement is not just about automation—it’s about having a clear strategy that aligns with business priorities. Whether an organization’s key challenge is cost pressure or growth, AI should be deployed with a purpose-driven approach:

🔹 If margins are the priority → Focus AI on reducing cost per task/process.
🔹 If speed and agility are the priority → Use AI to reduce time per task/process.

But AI’s success in procurement isn’t just about strategy—it’s also about structuring efforts correctly. Should AI knowledge sit inside each function, or should there be a Center of Excellence (CoE) to guide AI adoption across departments?

Christian Overgaard Lund will share his insights on:

• AI Strategy as a Business Enabler: How procurement should align AI adoption with cost reduction, efficiency, or agility.
• AI Readiness in Procurement: How data maturity and process structure impact AI success—and what to do when processes aren’t ready for automation.
• AI as a Support Tool, Not Just Automation: How AI can enhance procurement teams’ efficiency even when full automation isn’t possible.
• Organizing AI & GenAI Efforts: Should AI competencies be built within procurement, finance and supply chain functions or centralized in an AI Center of Excellence?

📌 Abstract Discussion: Defining the Value of Procurement Processes

• How do you currently assign value to procurement tasks and processes?
• What is the real pain point AI should solve in your organization?
• What factors should be considered before deciding to structure a process for AI-driven automation?

📌 Concrete Discussion: Prioritizing AI Adoption

• Which procurement processes are structured enough to be handed over to an AI Agent today?
• Which processes are not mature enough for full automation but could benefit from AI-enhanced efficiency?
• How should procurement structure AI adoption—CoE-led, function-led, or through a champions model?

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Why This Workshop Matters

For many procurement leaders, AI still feels abstract, and AI agents are an even newer concept. This workshop will bring together real experiences, challenges and future considerations to help leaders:

✅ Understand what’s real vs. what’s hype in AI-driven procurement.
✅ Evaluate whether AI agents can actually reduce workload—or if they’re just another tool.
✅ Decide whether to adapt existing tools or move toward AI-driven platforms.
✅ Address data challenges that impact AI effectiveness.
✅ Build a practical AI adoption roadmap that makes sense for their organization.

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Who Should Attend?

This workshop is designed for:

• Procurement leaders wondering how to automate and improve decision making using technology ahead (incorporating AI/GenAI or not?)
• Procurement Managers seeking practical applications for AI.
• CPOs and Procurement Leaders navigating AI-driven transformation.

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About Zycus

Zycus is the pioneer in Cognitive Procurement software and has been a trusted partner of choice for large global enterprises for two decades. Zycus has been consistently recognized by Gartner, Forrester, and other analysts for its Source to Pay integrated suite.

Zycus powers its S2P software with the revolutionary Merlin AI Suite. Merlin AI takes over the tactical tasks and empowers procurement and AP officers to focus on strategic projects; offers data-driven actionable insights for quicker and smarter decisions, and its conversational AI offers a B2C type user-experience to the end- users.

Zycus helps enterprises drive real savings, reduce risks, and boost compliance, and its seamless, intuitive, and easy-to-use user interface ensures high adoption and value across the organization. Learn more via zycus.com

Start your #CognitiveProcurement journey with us, as you are #MeantforMore.