One US-based financial services firm – which is ranked among the nation’s top 100 by revenue and has over 100,000 employees and 10,000 suppliers operating in 40 countries – was facing increasing pressure to manage complex supply chains and procurement operations efficiently, securely and at scale. After partnering with GEP, the company was able to enhance security, improve accessibility, update more than 1,000 purchasing policies and transition almost entirely to digital invoicing. It’s not the only large enterprise that has significantly improved operations by implementing GEP’s technology.
“We build a central intelligence layer for enterprise procurement and supply chain operations, empowering organisations to unlock the full power of AI and automation,” says Santosh Nair, global head of product strategy at GEP. “Our embedded AI analytics deliver real-time insights into spend, category, and supplier, enabling faster, smarter decisions and proactive risk management.”
GEP provides a suite of platforms and solutions designed to simplify and optimise procurement and supply chain operations. At the core is GEP Quantum, a low-code/no-code platform built natively on Microsoft Azure with AI and machine learning capabilities. It brings together data, automation and intelligence to help organisations streamline complex workflows, guide users through easier processes and make advanced insights accessible across the business.
“The foundation of our solutions on Azure provides stability, scalability and performance necessary for enterprise procurement and supply chain operations,” says Nair. “This architectural synergy ensures customers benefit from a robust, secure environment.”
GEP Quantum platform powers key solutions including GEP SMART, GEP NEXXE and GEP GREEN. GEP SMART supports the entire source-to-pay process, helping businesses analyse spending, manage sourcing and contracts, collaborate with suppliers, and run procurement operations more efficiently in one place. GEP NEXXE is focused on supply chain management, combining planning, visibility, collaboration and execution tools to help companies stay agile and aligned with their long-term goals. GEP GREEN is a core environmental, social and governance solution that empowers enterprises to seamlessly measure, manage and improve sustainability performance across their supply chains, driving toward net-zero goals.
The firm’s offerings are accessible to a wide audience of Microsoft customers who can use GEP capabilities directly within their existing Azure environments. “This integration enhances our value proposition and solidifies our position as a leading provider of comprehensive procurement and supply chain solutions within the Microsoft cloud landscape,” says Nair.
GEP’s strong investment in AI drives value and return on investment for its customers around the world.
“By working closely with clients to understand their priorities, co-create solutions and align procurement with broader business objectives, we ensure our tools deliver meaningful outcomes,” says Nair. “We also help streamline procurement budgeting by allowing clients to set clear priorities, track spending in real time and ensure alignment with financial and strategic goals.”
GEP also supports customers by identifying key trends that are shaping the future of procurement and supply chain management, and helps them to overcome those challenges.
“Our experience working with chief procurement and supply chain officers highlights the fear of uncertainty to new software and automation,” he says. “Yet, the alignment of legal, IT, finance and business units with AI is essential for maximising the value of strategic partnerships, avoiding miscommunication, ensuring procurement initiatives are fully integrated with company goals.”
Another challenge for procurement and supply chain leaders is ongoing tariff uncertainty.
“Tariffs don’t only affect procurement – they ripple across finance, sales, logistics and legal,” says Nair. “Forming cross-functional war rooms ensures faster, more aligned decision-making across the business. Procurement and supply chain leaders can prepare strategies for this by enabling impact analysis and scenario modelling so teams can simulate tariff changes by region, supplier or product and adjust sourcing, pricing and fulfilment accordingly.”
These pressures are also accelerating the need for more resilient sourcing strategies, particularly in the face of geopolitical uncertainty.
“Leaders should start by mapping multitier supply chains to identify upstream vulnerabilities,” says Nair. “Visibility into sub-tier suppliers, especially in high-risk geographies, allows you to proactively mitigate exposure and build early warning capabilities. It’s also important to avoid overdependence on any single region or supplier. Dual sourcing or multisourcing, regional balancing and nearshoring can help maintain continuity.”
And firms should consider strategic suppliers not just by cost, but by resilience potential.
“Forge deeper, collaborative relationships with key suppliers,” says Nair. “This includes sharing forecasting data, jointly managing risk and establishing flexible commercial terms such as buffer capacity or variable pricing tied to external volatility indicators.”
Additionally, firms should embed geopolitical risk insights, trade data and market intelligence into category and sourcing decisions.
“Intelligent category management solutions help by incorporating data and analytics into sourcing strategies for dynamic risk adjustment,” says Nair. “Plus, shifting from rigid long-term sourcing to modular, agile contracts that allow faster pivots enables organisations to respond quickly to market volatility, minimise disruption and maintain supply continuity.”
Note from microsoft
“We’re excited to offer GEP’s AI-powered procurement software suites via Azure Marketplace, helping our mutual customers make smarter decisions and thrive in today’s fast-moving world,” says Yvonne Muench, senior director of marketplace and independent software vendor journey, Microsoft
GEP SMART and GEP NEXXE were built natively on Azure to help organisations manage spending, uncover savings and risks, and build more sustainable supply chains.”