To explore this, procurement.news hosted the first session of Procurement Perspectives, a recorded roundtable with experienced procurement leaders who have led transformations, built teams, and operated at scale.
👉 Watch the full discussion below.
Why reskilling is now a leadership issue
Across organizations, AI adoption in procurement is uneven. Some teams are moving quickly, experimenting with automation and analytics. Others are hesitant, unsure where to start or what skills to prioritize.
A recurring theme in the discussion was that reskilling is no longer an HR initiative or a future roadmap item. It is a core leadership responsibility. As the half-life of skills continues to shrink, procurement leaders must actively decide:
Which skills should be doubled down on
Which legacy capabilities are becoming less relevant
How teams learn continuously rather than through one-off programs
What has already changed in day-to-day procurement work
Panelists highlighted that AI is already delivering practical value in several areas:
Cleaning and normalizing fragmented supplier and spend data
Supporting RFP evaluation and specification matching
Improving visibility into contract terms, obligations, and performance
Providing analytical support for negotiations and scenario modeling
These changes are not theoretical. They are altering workflows today and freeing up time that was previously consumed by manual, error-prone tasks.
Skills that matter more — and skills that matter less
One of the strongest parts of the conversation focused on skills.
While technical literacy and AI fluency are increasingly important, panelists emphasized that procurement leaders may be over-valuing control-oriented skills tied to legacy processes and under-valuing capabilities such as:
Judgment and critical thinking
Influence and storytelling
Adaptability in the face of rapid change
Collaboration — with both people and technology
As AI takes on more transactional and analytical work, human value shifts toward interpretation, prioritization, and decision-making.
What effective reskilling looks like in practice
Reskilling does not happen through training catalogs alone. Examples discussed included:
Reverse mentoring, where junior team members help senior leaders build AI fluency
Pairing technical talent with deep procurement expertise
Creating safe environments for experimentation without fear of failure
A key takeaway: organizations that succeed treat reskilling as ongoing behavior change, not a one-time initiative.
Where humans remain irreplaceable
Despite rapid automation, the group was clear that certain areas remain deeply human:
Negotiation, particularly in complex or high-stakes situations
Relationship management with suppliers and internal stakeholders
Managing the social contract — trust, context, and long-term partnership
AI can support preparation and insight, but it cannot replace empathy, judgment, or the ability to navigate ambiguity.
Why this conversation matters
Procurement is at an inflection point. Teams that reskill intentionally will increase their strategic impact. Those that delay risk falling behind — not because of technology, but because of capability gaps.
This discussion offers practical perspectives from leaders who have seen these challenges firsthand.