Last Thursday was a significant day for the procurement community in the Bay Area. Two industry events took place, and Levelpath had the opportunity to attend both. The morning began with a collaborative roundtable focused on modern procurement challenges and opportunities with AI. The afternoon followed with a Levelpath-led session on how contract intelligence tools can help mitigate financial risk in today’s volatile environment.
In the morning, Levelpath joined a working session with the Bay Area Procurement Community (BAPC). The event brought together procurement professionals and technology providers for an open and unmoderated discussion. The format encouraged participants to set aside sales language and instead focus on real experiences, shared pain points, and ideas for improvement.
One of the main themes was how technology initiatives can often overlook foundational issues with process and workflow. Several attendees described situations where large-scale implementations skipped the critical step of redesigning internal processes, which later created friction or stalled adoption. Stan Garber, President and Co-founder of Levelpath, shared how addressing the process early can lead to stronger outcomes when adopting new tools.
The conversation also discussed the importance of making procurement accessible and easy to engage with. Long intake forms, fragmented systems, and overly rigid workflows were identified as common obstacles. There was agreement that procurement systems need to be built for users first, with intuitive design and flexibility that supports the business.
AI was another area of focus. Leaders discussed how AI is influencing procurement tasks and workflows, but also emphasized that results vary depending on readiness and execution. Rather than chasing new technology, how can procurement teams approach new technology with curiosity and purpose? The opportunity lies in applying AI where it can simplify complexity, reduce manual work, and surface data that would otherwise remain hidden.
Later in the day, Levelpath hosted a session at SIG One-Day Bay Area titled “Surviving the Squeeze: Contract Intelligence for Cost Pressures.” The discussion focused on how procurement teams can address rising costs and financial uncertainty using AI native contract intelligence tools.
The session highlighted the growing impact of external financial pressures on the procurement team. CPOs are now expected to do much more than track spend, they are being asked to proactively manage risk at the contract level. Often, critical clause language related to price increases, CPI adjustments, and tariff shifts are buried in contracts and hard to find without a structured process.
Levelpath shared how its AI-native contract intelligence tools use Optical Character Recognition (OCR), smart search, and metadata tagging to surface this information quickly. Instead of manually reviewing individual files, procurement teams can instantly locate phrases such as “subject to CPI adjustment,” “in the event of a tariff increase,” or “supplier may increase prices due to material cost increases or inflation.” These common clauses, when left undiscovered, can lead to unanticipated cost spikes and strained supplier relationships.
The team also walked through a practical three-part process to improve visibility:
The takeaway was clear: contract visibility is no longer a nice to have. It is a foundational requirement for cost control and risk management. With the right tools in place, procurement can identify risk sooner, make informed decisions faster, and avoid unexpected budget impacts.
The two events had different audiences and topics, but they reflected a shared theme. Procurement is becoming more central to how organizations manage complexity, respond to volatility, and plan for the future. The work requires strong systems, but also strong collaboration between teams. It is not just about reducing costs but about improving decision-making across the business.
At both events, participants expressed a clear desire to move away from fragmented, legacy practices that no longer serve them or the business. Whether that means eliminating redundant workflows, applying AI to routine tasks, or gaining better insight into contract obligations, the goal is to reduce friction and increase impact.
May 1st showed what happens when procurement leaders come together to share ideas, challenge assumptions and explore new possibilities. Both events offered a useful view into where the function is today and where it is heading. We are very grateful to the BAPC and SIG for the opportunity to contribute to these conversations and look forward to continuing them in future sessions.
At Levelpath, we focus on unifying procurement so teams can operate with clarity, speed, and flexibility. Request a demo today or join one of our monthly sessions to see how Levelpath can make procurement a delight.