A Call to Action: Building Digital Literacy in Procurement Together

Headline Highlights:

• How can we, as stakeholders in the digital procurement ecosystem, stay ahead in a fast-evolving digital world?
• Why digital literacy matters for everyone across the procurement ecosystem—from practitioners to tech vendors and consultancies.
• A vision for collective learning and growth: let’s build a momentum that benefits all of us.

The future of procurement is digital—and it’s unfolding right now. Emerging technologies like AI, advanced data analytics, and automation aren’t just reshaping our operations; they’re redefining the essential skill sets for procurement professionals to thrive. Yet, as we face this rapid shift, we’re confronted with a crucial question: Are we, as a community, truly prepared to navigate this new digital landscape?

The recent Future of Procurement report by Proxima and Edbury Daley underscores a gap we can’t ignore. While 68% of procurement leaders recognize the critical importance of tech and data skills, only 14% feel confident in their teams’ readiness. This disconnect highlights the need for a united, industry-wide movement—a collective effort to bridge the gap through shared learning, a culture of curiosity, and a commitment to nurturing digital literacy together.

To truly thrive in this digital future, simply acquiring digital skills won’t be enough. We need to foster an environment where we’re continuously challenging and encouraging one another to push the boundaries of what we know. Every procurement professional—whether starting their career or leading digital transformation—must embrace a mindset of lifelong learning. This isn’t about ticking boxes on a checklist; it’s about cultivating a culture of curiosity, constantly asking, “What can I learn next?” and “How can I apply this to drive greater value?”

In this regard, CPOs and leaders play a pivotal role as champions of change, bridging strategic vision with practical application. They aren’t just navigating new technologies themselves; they’re inspiring others, creating frameworks for collaboration, and enabling their teams to thrive in a digital world. Leaders must also prioritize data literacy and digital skills within their roadmaps, recognizing that true transformation depends on the human elements—our skills, curiosity, and a shared willingness to grow.

However, to truly create momentum, we need to look beyond individual growth. Imagine a virtuous circle where every stakeholder across the procurement ecosystem—practitioners, software vendors, consultancies, and thought leaders—works together to build digital literacy. As each group elevates its capabilities, the entire industry benefits, creating a positive feedback loop. Practitioners gain the skills to leverage advanced technologies effectively, software vendors gain insights into the profession's needs and challenges, and consultancies find more opportunities to drive impactful transformations. This collaboration doesn’t just prepare us for future disruptions; it propels us forward with shared knowledge and innovation.

There’s also a clear commercial benefit for everyone involved. As procurement professionals elevate their skills, they deliver greater value to their organizations. For software vendors, this growth means more satisfied customers and a better understanding of the evolving needs of the profession, driving further innovation. Consultancies, in turn, find more opportunities to lead successful transformations and build capabilities that support the industry’s digital journey.

But this journey can’t be taken in isolation. Professional growth flourishes when it’s fueled by a community that shares insights, questions, and challenges. Let’s lean into this shift as a collective—engaging in conversations, sharing resources, and creating spaces for open dialogue where everyone feels empowered to ask questions, explore new solutions, and challenge the status quo.

As we dive deeper into the digital age, I invite each of you to consider how we can support one another in this transformation. How can we collectively elevate our digital literacy? What steps can we take to encourage intellectual curiosity within our teams? Please, please share your thoughts, insights, and experiences—because together, we can not only prepare for the future but shape it.

Let’s commit to building a digitally literate procurement community that’s ready for whatever lies ahead. Together, we can create a dynamic space where learning is continuous, curiosity is celebrated, and growth is shared, benefiting all players across our ecosystem.

To spark this conversation, I’ve tagged several people who are deeply passionate about advancing digital literacy in procurement. You can help build our community by tagging others in your network in the comments below and sharing any valuable resources—videos, articles, thought leadership pieces, or other learning tools. Let’s create lasting momentum and make this article a living resource that we can revisit and learn from as our community grows.

I’ve been thinking about this article for a while, particularly when I’ve been travelling to and from industry events like DPW , SAP Ariba Spend Connect, JAGGAER REV, Coupa Software Inpsire, Procurement Leaders | A World 50 Group Community , Ivalua NOW, Procurement Strategies & Innovation and more.

I wrote it myself but Chat GPT has helped with the structure, clarity and impact as it does with a lot of my content now.?

I hope enough of you feel this is an initiative worth contributing to in order to create momentum!

So, finally with a nod to the inspirational James Marland of SAP here’s the same article in the style of an 80s rapper.?

Why??

Well, James gave me that idea in a recent workshop, the mid-80s is when I got into Rap music and ChatGPT can do that in about 10 seconds so why not??

It’s fun to play around with these things - I believe that’s part of what we call intellectual curiosity!!

Title: Yo, Procurement Crew! Let’s Get Digital and Build This Future Right! ??

Highlights to Kick It Off:

• Can we, the procurement pros, keep up with a digital world that’s movin’ FAST?
• Digital skills for everyone—practitioners, tech vendors, consultancies. If you’re in, you’re in!
• Let’s grow, learn, and make this a movement, 'cause together we all win.

Now listen up, y'all, 'cause I’m about to drop some rhymes On a future in procurement that’s all about the grind. The tech is here—AI, analytics, automation’s the scene, Transformin’ the game like a digital machine.

So here’s the question that’s too big to ignore: Are we ready to go digital, take it right to the core? The Future of Procurement report says it best, 68% say tech’s the way, but only 14% feel blessed— They’re confident, they’re ready; the rest? They’re stressed! We got a big gap to fill, let’s get obsessed.

Now, to thrive in the future, we gotta do more than survive, We gotta build up our skills, keep the spirit alive! It’s not just checkin’ boxes, it’s a mindset thing, Where everyone’s curious, learning’s the bling. Ask yourself daily, “What’s my next move?” “How can I level up, keepin’ it smooth?”

CPOs and leaders, yeah, we need you to lead, To spark that change, to plant that seed. Not just sittin’ back, but showin’ the way, Bridge the tech to strategy, rock it all day. The roadmap is digital, with skills on deck, Transformation’s the journey, so let’s get respect.

But yo, this is bigger than you and me— It’s a virtuous circle, a community! Imagine the ecosystem, every player in sync: Practitioners, vendors, consultancies in the link. As we level up, everybody gains, Skills grow, ideas flow—innovation reigns.

And there’s cash in it too, let’s not pretend: Value for orgs, happy clients for the vendors we send. Consultancies get more, leadin’ the change, Together we’re buildin’ a powerful range.

But here’s the deal, we can’t do this alone, Professional growth needs a crowd, a zone. So lean in, join up, let’s be a crew, Share those insights, keep it all new. Bring your questions, bring your flow, Let’s build somethin’ big and let it grow.

So here’s my call to all you cats out there— Tag your friends, spread this everywhere. Drop your favorite vids, articles, the best you know, Let’s make this piece the place to go. We’ll revisit, relearn, as our knowledge grows, Together we rise, as the community flows.

#DigitalProcurement #FutureIsNow #SkillsToBuild #RapItReal #LearnTogether #LevelUpCrew #ProcurementTransformation #LetTheBeatFlow

Proxima Simon Geale Edbury Daley Simon Edbury Etosha Thurman Bill Wiseman Jeff Collier Justin Sadler-Smith Martin Hayles Simon Thompson Mark Webb John Dickson Paul Desrosiers Graham Wright Martin Ward Adam Brown Kaspar Korjus Michael DeWitt Travis Johnson Will Featherstone Andries Feikema Conor Mullaney Mo Ahmad Robyn Ludlam Koray K?se Madeleine Joubert Richard Stewart FCIPS Ruji Akhtar Mahmud Trevor Bailey Michelle Armstrong Diarmuid O'Donoghue Cyril Pourrat Matthias Gutzmann Mark Perera Peter Smith Rachel Repper Rosalia Snyder Rory Lamont FCIPS Lance Younger Kieren Kelly Fouad Katat Caitlyn Lewis

Future Purchasing excelerated 麦肯锡 ProcureTech #DPWAmsterdam