Procurement tech buying: How procurement teams should make decisions in 2026

Procurement tech is evolving fast - and so are the expectations placed on procurement teams. With inboxes full of AI-powered pitches, a crowded vendor landscape, and pressure to modernise quickly, choosing the right tool has never been more challenging.

In our recent AMA inside the Vertice WhatsApp Community for Procurement Leaders, James Meads broke down how teams should approach procuretech decisions in 2026 - what to focus on, what to ignore, and how to avoid the costly mistakes that trip organizations up.

Here are the key takeaways:

Start with the right lens: solve a real problem, not a theoretical one

The biggest misconception about buying procurement technology is that you should start with the tech.
James says the opposite.

Before shortlisting any vendors, procurement should:

• Document current S2C / S2P workflows
• Identify where friction is highest
• Prioritise problems the business already feels
• Define the minimum viable scope

This ensures the tech addresses a pain point that stakeholders recognise - not a wish list created in isolation.

Use clear criteria to narrow the market (before talking to vendors)

With over 400 procuretech tools available, procurement needs filters long before the first demo.

James recommends five practical criteria:

Use trusted databases, not blind Googling: Try Vertice's Insights Hub for monitoring SaaS app trends. Random Googling gets overwhelming, fast.

Check industry relevance: Not every tool works well in every industry. The best procurement teams look for vendors who clearly serve organizations with similar workflows, regulatory pressure, or buying patterns.

Match the tool to your company size: A $200m business buying a Fortune 500 procurement suite is a guaranteed failure. Teams need tech built for their size, not a slimmed-down enterprise product.

Look at customer success accessibility: Timezone, language, responsiveness - all matter more than buyers expect.

Assess the vendor's long-term stability: Teams increasingly check whether young vendors are growing sustainably and won't run out of VC runway

This shortlist-first approach prevents wasted time and helps procurement compare like with like.

Don't overestimate what a platform can solve

A common pitfall is expecting a single solution to fix everything.

James' take - "Users think they know what they want, but they're often looking for a unicorn no vendor could deliver." 

The reality: 
Every tool has trade-offs.

Every team has unique processes.

And no software replaces process maturity.

This is why scoping must focus on must-haves, not "nice-to-haves".

Run small pilots - and use them to build internal momentum

When you’re working in a business that’s cautious, traditional, or sceptical of new tools, the worst thing you can do is force a company-wide rollout from day one.

Instead, James recommends deliberately starting small:

“Pick a location that is pretty amenable and friendly and do a pilot project there.” - James Meads

Choosing the most open-minded site gives you the best chance of proving value quickly - which is exactly what a change-averse organization needs to see.

A solid pilot becomes your evidence.
Evidence becomes your leverage.

And this is where communication becomes just as important as implementation.

In organizations that “don’t like change,” people won’t simply assume the new tool works - you have to show them:

• before/after snapshots
• simple workflow comparisons
• short video demos
• a quote from a real user in the pilot
• a one-page summary of the impact

Visible, simple communication is what brings sceptical stakeholders along with you.
When people see real results from colleagues they trust, resistance drops dramatically.

This is how one well-chosen pilot can turn into wider adoption - slowly at first, then all at once.

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Be wary of "AI-native" claims

Legacy vendors are racing to rebrand, but procurement is increasingly sceptical.

The architecture matters. A 20-year-old codebase is hard to retrofit with modern AI capabilities - which is why newer intake and orchestration tools are gaining traction.

What this means for procurement teams in 2026

Procurement tech buying is no longer about simply choosing the strongest feature set.
It’s about:

• Diagnosing the right problem
• Scoping smartly
• Choosing the right-sized vendor
• Piloting strategically
• Communicating results visibly
• Growing adoption through proof, not pressure

And above all:

“Start somewhere. Start small, fix one problem and grow from there.” - James Meads

That’s how procurement teams make smarter, faster, more confident tech decisions in 2026.

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These insights came from a recent Ask Me Anything session in the Vertice WhatsApp Community for Procurement Leaders, where James Meads regularly shares his expertise with fellow procurement professionals. The community provides a space for procurement leaders to connect, share experiences, and learn from each other in an informal, accessible format.

Interested in joining the conversation? The Vertice WhatsApp Community brings together procurement leaders from around the world to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and innovations shaping our profession.

You can register your interest in joining here.