JAGGAER Supports Betsson Group in Strengthening Procurement Governance Across €130 Million in Spend

JAGGAER has announced the successful delivery of a procurement digitalisation programme with Betsson Group, reinforcing governance, transparency, and operational control across more than €130 million in managed spend.

The initiative positions JAGGAER’s source-to-pay platform at the centre of a structured transformation designed to support scalable growth in a highly regulated, multi-jurisdiction environment.

Delivering structured digital procurement at scale

Operating across 24 jurisdictions, Betsson Group sought to enhance internal controls, centralise contract management, and improve visibility across its procurement processes.

Following a formal RFP process, Betsson selected JAGGAER One to support its budget-to-pay lifecycle. The implementation included eProcurement, Contracts+, and Contracts AI modules, consolidating workflows and contract governance within a unified system.

The programme has delivered measurable outcomes, including:

  • Full budget traceability across more than €130 million in managed spend

  • Centralisation of over 2,000 active contracts

  • Structured management of more than 6,000 purchase orders

  • Validation of more than 300 supplier onboarding requests through coordinated procurement and legal workflows

For enterprises operating in regulated sectors, these capabilities are increasingly foundational rather than optional.

Supporting governance and compliance in regulated environments

“In our industry, speed and accuracy are essential. Ensuring strong internal controls and full compliance is a critical part of enabling sustainable growth,” said Fabio Palusci, Procurement Director at Betsson Group.

The project reflects a broader market trend where procurement digitalisation is closely aligned with governance maturity, risk mitigation, and scalable operating models.

Bob O’Leary, SVP Sales Europe at JAGGAER, highlighted the collaborative nature of the engagement, noting how structured governance combined with intelligent source-to-pay capability can elevate procurement into a stronger business enabler.

A signal for the wider procurement market

As procurement functions increasingly operate across multiple regulatory environments, demand for unified workflows, real-time visibility, and contract transparency continues to grow.

JAGGAER’s work with Betsson Group demonstrates how digital procurement platforms are being leveraged not only to improve efficiency, but to strengthen governance discipline and support international expansion.

Looking ahead

Betsson Group has indicated it will continue evolving its procurement processes, including exploring further automation and AI-supported insights to enhance efficiency while maintaining strong oversight.

The project reinforces JAGGAER’s position within the enterprise procurement technology market as organisations seek structured digital foundations for long-term growth.

Supplier Risk Is No Longer a Procurement Side Issue

Supplier Network

Supplier risk has traditionally been treated as a secondary concern, addressed through periodic reviews or escalated only when issues arise. That approach is no longer sufficient. As supply networks become more complex and volatile, supplier risk is moving to the centre of procurement decision making.

For procurement leaders, managing supplier risk is now inseparable from delivering continuity, resilience, and value.

Why supplier risk has intensified

Global supply chains have been exposed to a sustained period of disruption. Geopolitical tension, regulatory change, climate events, and financial instability are affecting suppliers across regions and industries.

At the same time, supplier bases have become more concentrated. Consolidation, single source dependencies, and specialised capabilities mean that the impact of a supplier failure is often greater than in the past.

These dynamics have increased both the likelihood and the consequences of supplier risk events.

Why this matters for procurement leaders

Supplier risk directly affects service levels, cost stability, and organisational reputation. A failure at the supplier level can quickly escalate into operational disruption, customer impact, or regulatory scrutiny.

Procurement leaders are therefore being asked to:

  • Provide clearer visibility into supplier exposure

  • Anticipate risk rather than respond to it

  • Balance commercial objectives with continuity of supply

  • Work more closely with risk, legal, and operations teams

This has elevated supplier risk management from a tactical activity to a strategic priority.

How supplier risk shows up in practice

Supplier risk rarely presents itself as a single, isolated issue. Instead, it often emerges through a combination of warning signs, deteriorating performance, financial stress, capacity constraints, or compliance gaps.

Without consistent monitoring and clear escalation paths, these signals can be missed or addressed too late. In some cases, procurement teams only become aware of issues once disruption has already occurred.

This reactive model increases cost, limits options, and places additional pressure on procurement teams during critical moments.

Rethinking how supplier risk is managed

Effective supplier risk management requires a shift in mindset. Rather than treating risk as a periodic assessment, leading procurement teams embed risk considerations into everyday sourcing, contracting, and relationship management.

This includes:

  • Ongoing monitoring of critical suppliers

  • Clear segmentation based on risk and impact

  • Cross functional collaboration on mitigation plans

  • Regular review of assumptions and dependencies

Technology can support this process, but governance and accountability remain essential.

What procurement leaders should focus on next

  • Identify critical suppliers
    Prioritise risk management efforts where impact is highest.

  • Integrate risk into sourcing decisions
    Consider resilience and continuity alongside cost and performance.

  • Improve visibility and communication
    Ensure risk insights are shared with relevant stakeholders.

  • Develop mitigation strategies in advance
    Avoid relying solely on contingency plans created after issues arise.

  • Strengthen supplier relationships
    Open dialogue often surfaces risk earlier than formal reporting.

Looking ahead

Supplier risk is no longer a peripheral concern for procurement. As expectations around resilience and reliability continue to rise, procurement leaders who proactively manage supplier risk will be better positioned to protect performance and support long-term business objectives.

Why Procurement Cost Savings Are Getting Harder to Deliver

procurement cost savings and supplier pressure

For many procurement teams, cost savings targets remain as aggressive as ever. Yet delivering those savings has become increasingly difficult. Inflationary pressure, supplier consolidation, and ongoing volatility across global markets are limiting the levers procurement leaders have traditionally relied on.

As expectations remain high, procurement is being asked to find value in an environment where straightforward cost reduction is no longer easy or sustainable.

What is changing

Over recent years, procurement teams successfully captured savings through renegotiation, supplier rationalisation, and volume leverage. Many of those opportunities have now been exhausted. At the same time, suppliers are facing their own cost pressures, reducing their flexibility in negotiations.

Rising input costs, labour shortages, and regulatory requirements have tightened margins across supply markets. In many categories, price increases are being passed through rather than absorbed, leaving procurement with limited room to manoeuvre.

This shift has fundamentally changed the nature of savings conversations.

Why this matters for procurement leaders

Cost savings remain a core performance measure for procurement, but the tools available to deliver them are evolving. Procurement leaders are now required to balance financial objectives with continuity of supply, risk management, and supplier stability.

This creates tension between short-term savings and long-term value. Excessive pressure on suppliers can introduce risk, reduce innovation, or weaken critical relationships. As a result, procurement leaders must increasingly justify decisions that prioritise resilience or collaboration over immediate cost reduction.

Where procurement teams are finding value instead

As traditional savings become harder to realise, procurement teams are expanding their definition of value.

This includes:

  • Demand management and specification optimisation

  • Total cost of ownership analysis

  • Process efficiency and cycle time reduction

  • Improved contract compliance

  • Risk avoidance and continuity of supply

While these benefits may not always show up as headline savings, they deliver measurable impact across the business.

The role of data and insight

Data remains central to identifying opportunities, but expectations around analytics must be realistic. Many procurement teams are still working with fragmented or inconsistent data, limiting their ability to generate actionable insight.

Improving data quality, visibility, and integration can unlock new forms of value. However, technology alone is not a solution. Procurement expertise and commercial judgement remain critical in interpreting insights and translating them into outcomes.

What procurement leaders should focus on next

  • Reset expectations
    Align stakeholders on what sustainable value looks like in current market conditions.

  • Broaden the value conversation
    Move beyond price to include risk, resilience, and performance.

  • Strengthen supplier relationships
    Focus on collaboration rather than purely transactional engagement.

  • Invest in capability
    Develop commercial, analytical, and influencing skills across teams.

  • Communicate impact clearly
    Ensure non-financial value is articulated in terms that resonate with leadership.

Looking ahead

Procurement’s ability to deliver cost savings is not disappearing, but it is changing. Leaders who adapt their approach, redefine value, and engage stakeholders effectively will be better positioned to meet expectations in an increasingly constrained environment.

The One Capability Procurement Leaders Say They Need More Than Technology

strategic decision making in procurement leadership

Technology continues to dominate procurement transformation conversations, yet many leaders suggest that tools alone are not the primary barrier to progress. Across executive interviews and leadership discussions, a recurring theme emerges: success depends less on the sophistication of technology and more on an organisation’s ability to use it effectively.

While digital platforms, analytics, and automation play an important role, procurement leaders consistently point to one capability that determines whether transformation efforts succeed or stall.

The capability that keeps coming up

Across leadership conversations, the capability most frequently cited is decision making maturity. This refers not just to the ability to make decisions quickly, but to make them consistently, transparently, and with confidence across the organisation.

Procurement teams often have access to more data than ever before, yet struggle to translate insight into action. In many cases, technology highlights options, but uncertainty around ownership, authority, and accountability slows execution.

Decision making maturity encompasses how decisions are framed, who is empowered to make them, and how trade offs are evaluated when objectives conflict.

Why technology alone is not enough

Digital tools can surface insights, automate workflows, and improve visibility, but they cannot resolve ambiguity around priorities or risk tolerance. When procurement teams lack clarity on how decisions should be made, technology can even increase friction by presenting more information without direction.

Leaders often describe situations where analytics identify opportunities, yet teams hesitate to act due to unclear governance or fear of unintended consequences. In these environments, technology adoption progresses, but impact remains limited.

This gap explains why similar procurement platforms deliver dramatically different results across organisations.

What strong decision making looks like in practice

Procurement organisations with high decision making maturity share several characteristics.

They define decision rights clearly, ensuring that accountability sits at the appropriate level. They align procurement objectives with broader business priorities, reducing tension between cost, risk, and sustainability. They also establish decision frameworks that guide trade offs rather than relying on ad hoc judgement.

Importantly, these organisations treat data as an enabler rather than a substitute for leadership. Technology informs decisions, but human judgement remains central.

How procurement leaders can build this capability

Building decision making maturity requires deliberate effort.

  • Clarify decision ownership
    Define who owns which decisions and where escalation is required.

  • Align objectives across stakeholders
    Ensure procurement, finance, operations, and sustainability teams share a common understanding of priorities.

  • Standardise decision frameworks
    Use consistent criteria to evaluate options and manage trade offs.

  • Invest in capability development
    Develop commercial judgement, stakeholder engagement, and analytical confidence within teams.

  • Use technology to support, not replace, decisions
    Position digital tools as inputs into structured decision processes.

Why this capability matters now

As procurement takes on greater strategic responsibility, the cost of poor or delayed decisions increases. Volatile supply markets, regulatory pressure, and sustainability commitments demand faster and more confident responses.

Procurement leaders who focus solely on technology risk missing the organisational foundations required to turn insight into action. Those who prioritise decision making maturity alongside digital investment are better positioned to deliver lasting value.

Final thought

Technology will continue to evolve, but the ability to make effective decisions remains a defining capability for procurement leadership. By strengthening decision making maturity, organisations can ensure that technology investments translate into meaningful outcomes rather than isolated improvements.

Procurement Risk Is Shifting from Cost to Continuity

procurement risk and supply continuity

Procurement risk has traditionally been viewed through the lens of cost control and commercial exposure. Today, that focus is changing. As supply markets remain volatile and operating models become more interconnected, continuity of supply is emerging as a primary concern for procurement leaders.

Rather than asking where costs can be reduced, organisations are increasingly asking where disruption could stop operations altogether.

What is changing

Recent shifts across global supply markets are altering how procurement risk is perceived and managed. Economic uncertainty, geopolitical tension, climate related disruption, and supplier financial stress are combining to increase the likelihood and impact of disruption.

In many organisations, cost focused sourcing strategies have resulted in lean supplier networks with limited redundancy. While efficient in stable conditions, these models are proving fragile when unexpected events occur. As a result, procurement teams are being asked to reassess risk assumptions that were previously considered acceptable.

At the same time, boards and executive teams are demanding clearer visibility into supplier exposure. Procurement is now expected to provide early warning signals and contingency plans, rather than react once disruption has already occurred.

Why this matters for procurement leaders

A shift from cost focused risk to continuity focused risk changes the role procurement plays within the organisation. Leaders are no longer judged solely on savings delivered, but on their ability to protect operations and revenue.

This shift brings new challenges:

  • Balancing resilience with cost efficiency

  • Justifying investment in alternative suppliers or buffers

  • Aligning risk tolerance across finance, operations, and procurement

  • Translating complex risk data into actionable insight for executives

Procurement leaders must now operate with a broader risk lens that reflects both financial and operational priorities.

How continuity risk shows up in practice

Continuity risk often emerges in less obvious ways. A supplier may appear financially stable but rely on a single sub tier supplier. A category may deliver consistent savings but depend on constrained logistics routes. In other cases, compliance or sustainability requirements can introduce disruption if suppliers are unable to adapt quickly.

Without visibility beyond tier one suppliers, procurement teams may underestimate exposure until disruption materialises. This makes continuity risk harder to predict and more costly to resolve.

What procurement teams should do next

  • Map critical dependencies
    Identify suppliers and categories where disruption would have immediate operational impact.

  • Expand risk indicators
    Look beyond cost and financial metrics to include operational, geopolitical, and sustainability factors.

  • Strengthen cross functional collaboration
    Risk management should involve procurement, operations, finance, and sustainability teams.

  • Build flexibility into sourcing strategies
    Where possible, design sourcing models that allow for rapid adjustment when conditions change.

  • Communicate risk clearly to leadership
    Translate risk exposure into business impact to support informed decision making.

Looking ahead

As procurement continues to evolve, continuity will play a central role in how risk is defined and managed. Leaders who recognise this shift early and adapt their strategies accordingly will be better positioned to protect their organisations in an increasingly uncertain environment.

Why Procurement Teams Are Struggling to Turn AI Pilots into Real Value

AI pilots in procurement decision making

Artificial intelligence has become a common feature in procurement transformation roadmaps, yet many organisations are finding that early enthusiasm does not always translate into sustained value. While AI pilots often show promise in controlled environments, scaling them into everyday procurement decision making remains a challenge.

For procurement leaders, the issue is no longer access to technology, but the ability to move from experimentation to meaningful, repeatable outcomes.

What is happening

Across procurement functions, AI pilots are being launched to address specific challenges such as spend visibility, supplier risk identification, demand forecasting, and contract analysis. These initiatives frequently demonstrate technical capability during trial phases, but stall when organisations attempt broader adoption.

In many cases, pilots are treated as standalone projects rather than components of a wider operating model. Tools are tested in isolation, data is limited to narrow use cases, and ownership is unclear once the pilot phase ends. As a result, insights generated by AI are not embedded into day to day sourcing, supplier management, or governance processes.

There is also growing evidence that procurement teams underestimate the effort required to prepare data and align stakeholders before scaling AI solutions. Without consistent data foundations and cross functional buy in, even technically strong pilots struggle to deliver lasting impact.

Why this matters for procurement leaders

AI is often positioned as a lever for improving speed, accuracy, and resilience in procurement. When pilots fail to scale, confidence in technology initiatives can erode, making future investment harder to justify.

For procurement leaders, stalled AI pilots can result in:

  • Fragmented tool landscapes

  • Limited return on technology investment

  • Reduced trust in data driven recommendations

  • Fatigue among teams asked to adopt new systems without clear benefits

As procurement continues to take on a more strategic role, leaders must ensure that AI initiatives support decision making rather than add complexity.

Common reasons AI pilots fail to scale

Several recurring issues emerge when procurement teams reflect on unsuccessful AI deployments.

First, pilots are often designed around what technology can do rather than what decisions need to improve. Without a clear link to business outcomes, AI insights remain interesting but unused.

Second, data quality challenges are underestimated. Inconsistent supplier data, fragmented spend classifications, and disconnected systems limit the reliability of AI driven outputs.

Third, change management is frequently overlooked. Teams may not understand how AI recommendations are generated or how they should influence decisions, leading to resistance or passive adoption.

Finally, governance is unclear. Without defined ownership, accountability, and escalation paths, AI initiatives lose momentum once initial sponsorship fades.

What procurement teams should do next

  • Define decision focused use cases
    Start with the decisions that matter most and design AI initiatives to support them directly.

  • Invest in data readiness
    Clean, consistent data across systems is a prerequisite for scalable AI adoption.

  • Embed AI into workflows
    Insights must sit within existing procurement processes, not alongside them.

  • Build trust through transparency
    Ensure teams understand how AI recommendations are generated and when human judgement should override them.

  • Treat pilots as stepping stones, not endpoints
    Plan for scale from the outset, including ownership, governance, and integration.

Looking ahead

AI has the potential to significantly enhance procurement decision making, but only when it is treated as part of a broader transformation rather than a standalone innovation. Procurement leaders who focus on clarity of purpose, data foundations, and organisational readiness will be better positioned to move beyond pilots and realise tangible value.