How GATX is Scaling Procurement with an AI-First Strategy

GATX, the leading global provider of railcar leasing and service in North America, needed a way to scale its efficiency as responsibilities increased, but resources stayed the same. In a recent SIG webinar, Bob Campbell, the Director of Sourcing and Procurement at GATX, and Mari Carmichael, Head of Solutions Consulting at Levelpath, discussed how GATX took an AI-first strategy in procurement.

The GATX procurement team was faced with more responsibilities due to supply chain disruptions, tariffs, and ESG focuses. Despite a heightened need for procurement, their headcount remained the same, leading them to find ways to increase efficiency. 

Their existing approach relied on SharePoint, a static and manual tool, to track procurement processes. They knew that they wanted a tool that could streamline sourcing, capital projects, and contract management on a unified, real-time system. After trying a few other tools, they realized that just having a one-stop shop for sourcing events was not enough. Procurement needed something that could increase their capacity. GATX eventually decided on an AI platform that could provide better visibility and ensure compliance while simultaneously reducing their manual workload. This led them straight to Levelpath.

When evaluating platforms, GATX created a checklist of key criteria. They prioritized AI capabilities, workflow automation, and the ability to support both current responsibilities and future growth. They also wanted to move quickly, with minimal reliance on IT resources.

Campbell explained that they were looking for a platform that could handle more than just sourcing events. Levelpath stood out for its AI-native foundation, configurable design, and fast implementation timeline. GATX deployed the platform in less than one week. Within days, they had begun transitioning away from SharePoint, moving contracts, rebate agreements, and category strategies into Levelpath.

The ability to move quickly and demonstrate value early helped the team build internal momentum. GATX focused first on corporate-level workflows to ensure alignment with procurement policies, then began expanding usage across shop-level teams.

One of the most impactful features for GATX has been Levelpath’s AI Assistant. The AI assistant helps the team quickly analyze bids and create selection matrices. Tasks that previously took hours can now be completed in seconds. “But with the AI Assistant, it’s kind of our own analyst now, and it’s even more powerful when you’re comparing bids with 10 plus vendors, it becomes much more powerful. You can do the same thing in 10 or 15 seconds and get that information back,” Campbell noted.

Contract review has also become significantly faster. GATX uses Levelpath’s OCR and native AI capabilities to scan large documents, sometimes 70 to 80 pages in length, and extract key clauses such as warranty terms, renewal dates, or termination language. Instead of manually searching through PDFs or relying on memory, the team can now search, summarize, and retrieve relevant data in seconds. This improves both turnaround time and risk management. With contract lifecycle tracking and AI-powered metadata tagging built into the platform, GATX has better control and visibility across all contract activity.

The procurement team also integrated vendor spend data from SAP directly into Levelpath. Users can search for supplier spend and access contract and performance information from within the same system, without needing a separate login or switching between tools. All supplier data is centralized and searchable, which supports faster sourcing decisions and better planning. Levelpath also enables supplier enrichment to support ongoing supplier management and compliance.

Levelpath’s mobile functionality has added another layer of agility for GATX. The platform is accessible from a native mobile app, allowing procurement leaders and stakeholders to review and approve requests from any location. Whether reviewing a savings request or moving a capital project forward, users can take action in real time. For GATX, this mobile access has helped prevent delays, improve cycle times, and ensure that procurement stays connected to broader business operations.

GATX has demonstrated what is possible with an AI-first strategy in procurement. By starting with high-impact workflows and building from there, the team delivered measurable improvements in sourcing speed, contract visibility, and stakeholder engagement. Since deployment, GATX has identified over $3.5 million in savings through AI-native contract analysis alone.

The team implemented Levelpath in less than one week, allowing them to move quickly off static tools like SharePoint and begin driving immediate value. With Levelpath’s AI Assistant, bid comparisons that once took hours are now completed in 10 to 15 seconds. This level of efficiency has enabled GATX to scale its sourcing operations, increasing RFP capacity by a factor of ten without adding headcount.

Looking ahead, GATX plans to expand its use of Levelpath to include a change order process, supplier scoring, and risk management. As Campbell noted, “We do not really know where AI is going to take us… but we definitely want to have that AI mindset.”

GATX’s journey is proof that teams do not need to increase headcount in order to expand their impact. By leading with an AI-first strategy in procurement, they were able to modernize operations, improve efficiency, and better align with strategic business goals.

For procurement teams facing growing demands, GATX offers a model worth following. Start small, focus on what matters most, and choose a platform that can scale with your needs. If you want to learn more about GATX’s journey, read their case study for an in-depth look or watch this session on demand. To find out more about Levelpath, request a demo today or join one of our monthly sessions.

–Rose