New year means new challenges and new opportunities to grow and mature your procurement function.
At the 5th edition of the Amstel Procurement Café, held in January 2026, participants kicked off the year with a mini maturity assessment and a resolutions-setting session, defining clear goals for the year ahead. Here is a lookback at the workshop.
The 15M Architecture
The primary approach used to assess procurement maturity during this workshop is the 15M Strategic Procurement Transformation Framework, developed by Prof. Gerhard Heß of the Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm.
The framework tells a clear transformation story that progresses from direction to execution and impact. It starts with SP1: Framework Strategy, which establishes a strong strategic foundation by defining procurement’s role and value contribution to the organization.
Building on this, SP2: Category Strategies translates the overall strategy into focused category strategies that reflect market dynamics and business priorities.
SP3: Supplier Strategies then ensures that supplier relationships are intentionally managed to drive value, resilience, and innovation.
With SP4: Process & Digital Strategies, strategy is operationalized through efficient processes and digital capabilities. This enables transparency, scalability, and data-driven decision-making.
Finally, SP5: Performance Management & Organization closes the loop by measuring performance and aligning the organization, ensuring that procurement continuously delivers impact and evolves with business needs.
Leveling up Procurement Maturity Stage
Most participants identified themselves at Stage 3: Sourcing Expert. At this stage, procurement delivers a visible and partly verifiable value contribution, supported by comprehensive transparency that is partially documented and the use of advanced sourcing methods.
The assessment is a firm first step. It provides clarity on where procurement stands today and a fact-based starting point for next steps. From here, organizations can translate insights into a focused transformation roadmap and strengthen procurement’s value contribution.
Sourcing Champions support this journey, from assessment to transformation, through our 15M Maturity Assessment.
Learn more about our 15M maturity assessment program
Resolutions: Setting up Goals with Plans
Participants first reflected on their 2025 achievements, such as restructuring their procurement organizations, professionalizing processes, and delivering measurable savings. The day concluded with a resolution-setting session, where insights from the assessment were translated into concrete goals for the year ahead. Rather than abstract goals, the focus was on defining clear, actionable resolutions.
AI Adoption in Procurement
AI emerged as a clear theme during the assessment.
We observed that AI adoption is currently most tangible in the more operational parts of the procurement function. This includes contract management, invoicing, and payment processes. At the same time, AI is a strong industry-wide trend though its real value depends on applying it in a focused and purposeful way.
The participants reflected this ambition in their inputs, with interest in applying AI to topics such as bid comparison, category strategy, data analysis, RFP structuring, and workflow optimization. These signals underline the opportunity to embed AI more systematically across procurement processes.
Download our 15M Resolution Worksheet!
During the workshop, participants worked on a worksheet covering the 15M framework, resolutions, and digital transformation powered by Ivalua. You can download this worksheet to guide your own procurement transformation journey.
