2019, some 41 of the 175 procurement tasks analyzed in our study were routine jobs, from PO dispatch and supplier returns to low-value purchasing and data entry. Purchasers these activities every day, interrupting flow, reducing strategic focus and diluting Today, automated triage, guided buying, supplier portals and Al-assisted invoice attention. Our 2026 survey confirms this trend, with two-thirds of Chief Procurement Officers operational activities. The majority say that operational work has declined significantly over the past five years, with a sharp drop in routines across company sizes and industries. B Share of effort spent on routine operational tasks, 2026