Procurement Data Unlocked

Hear perspectives on the opportunities and challenges that data presents in modern procurement, in decision-making and the importance of data in a clear business context. From breaking free of fragmented systems and “spreadsheet culture” to building the business case for investment, this candid conversation will spotlight how to frame the value of data at the executive level and the path forward.

• Where are the gaps?
• Building a procurement data strategy that delivers value
• Why data matters now: The strategic role of data in driving procurement’s value proposition
• CPO realities: Stories from leaders who are still grappling with data complexity, silos, and quality issues
• Building the business case: How CPOs position data strategy to CFOs and other executives to unlock budget and prioritize resources
• Using data to unlock opportunity - accelerate supplier optimization, enhance spend visibility, and fuel rapid decision-making
• How to leverage AI  - turning messy, disconnected data into actionable

• Achieving data quality and consistency across systems
• Focusing on control first – stop polluting and focus more on inputting clean data
• Integrating procurement data with finance and supply chain
• How procurement data feeds enterprise performance and more. How to unlock budget and prioritize resources
• Improving collaboration with IT and CDOs to better achieve goals
• What a mature approach to effective data looks like
• How can we stop being mostly reactive?
• How to leverage AI
• How am I building a business case
• What are the opportunities with data

Conrad Smith, Founder & CEO, Graphite Connect

& Customer

Designing a contract data repository that works for the business

• Defining what we mean by a “usable” repository for procurement and business
• Collaborating with different departments to ensure relevant data points are captured – filling the gaps
• How do you balance accessibility with data protection?
• Turning contract data into proactive risk intelligence
• Meeting cyber security requirements - having good visibility into your data for risk management

Establishing a database of contractual languages that procurement can use

• How we can approach and manage this concept
• Gain a clear roadmap for building, structuring, and maintaining a contractual language database that becomes a living, trusted resource for procurement.

A clear and well-structured taxonomy is the foundation for effective procurement. Without it, spend analysis, supplier categorization, and strategic sourcing become inconsistent and difficult to scale. This session will provide a practical look at what makes a taxonomy “good” and why it is essential for data-driven procurement.

• The role of taxonomy: Why consistent categorization underpins spend visibility, compliance, and supplier management
• Key elements of a good taxonomy: Standardization, hierarchy, clarity, and adaptability to business needs
• Common pitfalls: Overly complex structures, lack of governance, and misalignment with business objectives
• Practical applications: How a strong taxonomy enables better reporting, more accurate analytics, and stronger strategic decision-making

Chantal Schweizer, Head of SDS, Practice Director, Taxonomist, & Product TaxMOMinist, Pivotree

Ensuring your category map works for your organization

NAICS and other standard industry categorizations provide a framework, but they rarely reflect how your organization actually buys, manages, and reports spend. In this session, procurement will explore how to partner with finance, operations, and other stakeholders to design a custom category map that unlocks better analytics, supports decision-making, and enables more strategic spend management. A category map built with stakeholders — not for them — becomes a living asset that turns raw spend data into powerful, actionable intelligence.

• How can procurement work better with finance and key business stakeholders to build a category map which works best for their organization?
• How a good category map enables powerful “slice and dice” spend analysis

Panellists include:

Susan Walsh, Founder, The Classification Guru

Before organizations can unlock the full potential of AI and digital solutions, they need a strong data foundation. Centralizing data changes the game—once data flows through technology rather than being locked in it, organizations gain flexibility to build modern, scalable technology stacks. But challenges remain: capturing data accurately, ensuring quality, and governing it effectively. This session will dive into practical approaches to building and governing a solid data foundation, and explore how AI is beginning to reshape data cleansing and classification.

• Data capture and access: The tools and methods available to collect reliable data across disparate systems.
• Data quality as a prerequisite: Why quality and access are fundamental to scaling AI and digital initiatives.
• Governance in practice:
  • What do mature data governance programs look like?
  • Centralized master data teams vs. distributed ownership models
  • Service providers for enriching materials and services data
  • Tools for measuring data quality, standards, and definitions
• AI’s role in cleansing and classification:
  • How AI is being used for cleansing, classification, and enrichment
  • The reliability concerns and current limitations
  • Examples of where AI is showing promise and where human oversight remains essential

Leader: Susan Walsh, Founder & MD, The Classification Guru