ProcureAbility CPO Benchmark Study Finds Procurement Expectations Outpacing Organizational Readiness

61% of procurement leaders face ever-increasing expectations as 71% report capacity-constrained teams 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ProcureAbility, a Jabil company and a leading provider of procurement and supply chain services, today released its "ProcureAbility 2026 CPO Benchmark Study: Five Priorities for a Future-Ready Procurement Function." The report offers insights and recommendations on the priorities, challenges, and performance of procurement teams and organizations in 2026. For the benchmark, ProcureAbility gathered feedback from 160 senior procurement leaders at large enterprises with annual spend ranging from $50 million to more than $10 billion. Respondents represent 21 industries and organizations operating globally.

The benchmark reveals a growing execution gap inside procurement organizations. While leadership expectations continue to rise, procurement teams face significant internal constraints related to talent, data quality, and technology readiness, compounded by persistent supply chain volatility.

Top Barrier to Savings 

Leadership expectations for procurement value continue to rise, with 61% of respondents reporting increased savings expectations in 2026 compared with 2025. Yet 43% identified late procurement engagement as the biggest barrier to achieving that value, suggesting teams are often brought in after critical cost, supplier, and specification decisions have already been made. 

"Procurement delivers the greatest impact when it is engaged as a strategic partner from the start," said Conrad Snover, CEO of ProcureAbility. "Once plans are locked in, many opportunities for value creation have been lost, and even the strongest sourcing cannot recover them."

Risk Evolving Faster than Risk Assessment 

Geopolitical disruption (62%) and logistics disruption (55%) are the primary risks procurement teams are managing. The survey data demonstrates a shift in procurement's risk focus from supplier health to supply continuity. However, only 6% have predictive or real-time monitoring tools and 62% still rely on manual or periodic tools. According to Conrad Snover, "Procurement teams need to invest in driving predictive capabilities to better anticipate and manage an increasingly volatile risk environment." 

Capacity and Skill Constraints 

Despite increasing expectations, procurement teams face significant execution challenges. Seventy-one percent of respondents describe their team capacity as moderately or highly constrained. More than four in ten respondents (42%) report experiencing both increased expectations and constrained team capacity simultaneously.

In response, only 19% are bringing on additional team members. The data instead shows a preference for developing skills in existing teams; 46% are investing in upskilling current talent.

31% of teams are turning to automation to reduce the workload, but many are running into challenges scaling AI, rooted in poor data quality. While investment in AI continues to grow, only 11% of respondents report scaling AI across multiple procurement processes. 

Common Data Concerns 

Poor data quality is a top issue in key areas for procurement teams.

• 50% named it as the leading barrier to scaling AI
• 51% named it as the top gap in analytics
• 44% reported it as the top challenge in supplier management

This data reveals a widespread issue in procurement; it also illuminates a single, high-impact fix. By fixing data quality, procurement teams can immediately address the AI scaling, analytics, and supplier management issues they ranked as concerns.

"Procurement organizations have access to more data than ever, yet many still struggle to turn it into reliable insights for decision-making," said Darshan Deshmukh, President of ProcureAbility. "The answer starts with strong master data governance, including clear ownership, consistent standards, and accountability for data quality across the enterprise. With that foundation in place, procurement leaders can trust their data and use it to make faster, more informed decisions."

To read more about the current state of procurement, and how procurement teams will overcome challenges, see the full report here: https://procureability.com/five-cpo-priorities-for-a-future-ready-procurement-function/ 

About ProcureAbility 
ProcureAbility, a Jabil company, a leading provider of procurement and supply chain services, offering advisory, managed services, digital, staffing, and recruiting solutions. For 30 years, we have focused exclusively on helping clients elevate their procurement and supply chain functions. 

We combine leading methodologies, analytics, market intelligence, and industry benchmarks with our uniquely flexible and customizable service delivery model. Global organizations of all sizes trust ProcureAbility to transform their procurement operations, drive growth, and reimagine what's possible. 

Let ProcureAbility help you reimagine your procurement and supply chain capabilities.

For more information, visit www.ProcureAbility.com. 

Media Contact: 
Kathleen M. Pomento 
Chief Marketing Officer, ProcureAbility 
[email protected] 

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SOURCE ProcureAbility