Future-proof procurement for the decade ahead

By Maxim Przystaw

The last five years have rewritten the rules of procurement: the pandemic and geopolitics are reshaping supply chains, inflation has shrunk profit margins, while regulations and customer demands are changing drastically. In response, we propose a dual-track strategy: in step one (Rebound), we outlined a path toward short-term margin recovery; now, in step two (Prepare), we focus on ten steps companies can take to increase long-term resilience in procurement.

To thrive in the decade ahead, procurement leaders need to go beyond defending margins; they must design supply bases that can withstand external shocks, build credibility with suppliers through performance-based collaboration, and exploit the digital revolution brought by generative AI (GenAI).

Creating greater resilience in procurement

The 2020s are reshaping procurement. Global supply chains, long celebrated for their efficiency, showed their fragility when Covid-19 disrupted flows of components, energy, and labor. Geopolitical conflict has further strained trade, while inflation and energy crises have squeezed margins. Meanwhile, national and international regulations are changing significantly, from the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to due diligence laws requiring in-depth supply chain transparency. Customer expectations, particularly for sustainability, are also evolving rapidly.

Against this backdrop, procurement cannot simply be a cost-cutting function. Executive boards now expect procurement to ensure resilience, agility, compliance, and innovation. Our Prepare strategy can do just this. It complements the immediate measures of our Rebound solution by laying the foundations for long-term competitiveness. Where Rebound focuses on recovering material costs in 90-180 days, Prepare addresses how companies can secure their supply, protect margins structurally and position procurement as a source of strategic advantage.

How to Prepare: Ten levers for long-term resilience

From joint sustainability initiatives to more flexible operating models, our ten-step Prepare agenda covers a range of levers that, activated together, can future-proof procurement.

1. Supply-base diversification
2. Dynamic pricing and hedging integration
3. Contractual pass-through of input risks
4. Performance-based supplier collaboration
5. Supply base resilience program
6. Joint innovation and sustainability initiatives
7. GenAI-enabled procurement efficiency
8. Sustainability as a core procurement value driver
9. Sustainability-linked sourcing and energy contracting
10. Agile procurement operating model

Execution roadmap: Scaling the levers of Prepare

Implementing Prepare is not about activating every lever at once but determining which have the greatest impact on a company’s resilience and ensuring they are scaled effectively. The journey begins with a foundation phase, in which procurement leaders analyze the entire lever set and establish a clear overview of where risks lie and to test individual levers through focused pilots.

Once this baseline is in place, attention shifts to scaling. Companies select the levers that promise the highest impact on resilience and expand them from pilots into broad application. The emphasis here is on concentration: scaling three to five levers decisively is more powerful than shallow progress across all ten.

Over time – typically 12 to 24 months – Prepare becomes part of a company’s operating model. At this point, the prioritized levers are firmly embedded into procurement processes and governance, while the remaining levers are gradually integrated to further strengthen structure.

Move from fragility to resilience

The Rebound playbook has helped procurement leaders recover margins in the short term. Now, the Prepare playbook equips them to thrive in the long term. By applying and embedding the levers described here, procurement organizations can move from fragility to resilience.

Procurement is no longer a passive cost lever. With Prepare, it becomes a strategic driver of resilience, agility, and competitiveness.

For further details on each of the ten Prepare steps and how to implement them, download the full report below.

We would like to thank Senior Project Managers Cristian Costoiu and Christian Mandl for co-authoring this publication.

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