Procurement Tech Roundup, August 2025
What shipped, why it matters, how to act.
The procurement software market is moving from chatty copilots to task agents you can actually measure. Here is what changed, and what to care about before you buy.
Coupa
Coupa put multi-agent AI front and center at Inspire 2025 with Navi, then bought Cirtuo to pull category strategy into day-to-day sourcing. Coupa Pay is expanding too, with a September platform update that includes a Coupa-issued virtual card and tap-to-pay, plus a Japan launch with SMCC as a local issuer in JPY.
Note, why it matters: You get strategy to execution in one place and new ways to pay suppliers. Pilot Navi on your real events, and verify card issuance, controls, and reconciliation in your country and ERP before you scale.
SAP Ariba
SAP is rolling out Joule across Guided Buying, Guided Sourcing, and Supplier Management in the 2508 window, with a clear Business Network cadence, quarterly then monthly.
Note, why it matters: If you are SAP heavy, this is a safe path to AI at scale without breaking approvals. Ask for the exact Joule features you get by region and language, and require before and after cycle time numbers on your categories.
Ivalua
Ivalua kept its focus on governed depth, showing pragmatic AI across supplier workflows and reinforcing a single data model message.
Note, why it matters: Built for control in regulated, multi-entity environments. Validate multilingual supplier evidence ingestion and which AI features are shipping today versus shown on stage.
GEP
GEP pushed an Azure-native, AI-first story and signal-driven orchestration with NEXXE alongside strong analyst momentum.
Note, why it matters: The promise is intake to award with live supply signals. Ask for a single demo that runs across SMART plus NEXXE using your taxonomy and ERP, and get transparent pricing for orchestration volume, not just seats.
JAGGAER
JAGGAER paired leadership changes with ISO 42001 AI management certification and introduced JAI, a human-guided AI copilot and orchestrator.
Note, why it matters: Public sector and higher-ed buyers get stronger governance and auditability. Confirm where JAI is embedded end to end today, EU data residency options, and how ISO 42001 changes model change control and incident response for your tenant.
Zycus
Zycus doubled down on agentic automation, showcasing Merlin for intake, autonomous sourcing, and negotiation, with renewed recognition in independent evaluations.
Note, why it matters: Useful if you want targeted autonomy without a full suite swap. Demand an auditable trail for autonomous negotiations, policy guardrails, and proof of ERP write back without custom glue.
Mixed bag, quick hits that still matter
Funding and feature momentum continued among other challengers and startups. Levelpath raised 55 million Series B led by Battery, keeping intake-to-procure hot. Arkestro added 36 million from Altira and Aramco Ventures to scale predictive procurement. Zip topped Spend Matters’ new Intake and Orchestration category. Fairmarkit partnered with Conduent to tie AI sourcing to finance analytics. In AP, Medius launched embedded payments and formalized Yardi ecosystem status, while Basware’s monthly notes focused on fraud control. In MENA, Alaan raised 48 million to grow AI-powered corporate spend management.
Treat these as options to plug gaps or pilot against a big-suite roadmap.
One more thing on market context
SAP with Ariba remains the revenue share leader in procurement software at roughly 29% - followed by Coupa and others - but their market share is shrinking fast. Use this as directional context when you benchmark vendor maturity and ecosystem depth.
Keep exploring
Want to see what is shipping right now in AI for procurement, not just the slideware. Explore the latest tools on Chaine.AI: https://www.chaine.ai
Then join the discussion with peers, share wins and lessons learned, and compare rollouts inside Chain.NET: https://www.chain.net
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