State of Sourcing 2026: The Email & Excel Economy | Whitepaper

State of Sourcing 2026: The Email & Excel Economy

The world’s supply chains still run on email and Excel. The board just noticed.

Behind enterprise-scale sourcing, a surprising reality persists: RFx events managed through inboxes, thousands of bids handled manually, fragmented ERP environments, and strategic sourcing teams spending valuable time chasing quotes. And as workloads rise without matching increases in headcount or budgets, that operating model is reaching its limit.

Built from 652 enterprise engagements across 48 countries, this field report captures what procurement, sourcing, IT, and finance leaders are actually experiencing—and the signals pointing toward what comes next.

What’s Inside the Report?

• 22 field signals revealing where enterprise sourcing really stands
• Why 189,000 bids can still be managed manually
• What rising workloads and flat headcount mean for sourcing teams
• Why speed is becoming a revenue problem, not just a procurement problem
• The growing trust gap between AI promises and enterprise adoption
• Why autonomous negotiation is entering enterprise sourcing roadmaps
• The four laws defining the Email & Excel Economy
• A 90-day exit plan for moving routine sourcing work beyond manual execution

Download the Report

State of Sourcing 2026: The Email & Excel Economy

See what 652 enterprise engagements reveal about the state of sourcing – and why the shift from manual execution to autonomous sourcing may be closer than it appears.