Home topics news Dan Collings Featured News Featured The 2026 procurement playbook: AI tools and trade deals you can’t ignore Yajush Gupta January 5, 2026 With Q1 2026 trade deadlines approaching, Dan Collings reveals the three urgent supply chain shifts every Australian business must prepare for now. What’s happening: Australian businesses in 2026 face converging pressures as consumers demand sustainability credentials whilst navigating cost-of-living concerns. AI-powered procurement tools have become affordable necessities rather than luxuries, and the potential EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement creates strategic urgency for supply chain reconfiguration. Why this matters: Combined with regulatory changes and consumer expectations, procurement has evolved from a back-office function to a strategic differentiator that directly impacts competitiveness, customer loyalty and long-term viability. For Australian businesses entering 2026, procurement has transformed from administrative necessity to strategic battleground. Companies spending approximately 70% of revenues with third-party suppliers now face unprecedented pressure to demonstrate transparency, sustainability and efficiency simultaneously. Dan Collings, Executive Vice President APAC at Proxima, relocated from the United States to immerse himself in the Asia-Pacific region’s dynamic markets. His insights on navigating 2026’s procurement landscape reveal urgent priorities for small and medium enterprises facing intersecting pressures from consumers, regulators and competitors. “Businesses should look to adopt AI-powered spend analytics and supplier risk monitoring tools in 2026,” Collings says. “With organisations spending around 70% of revenues with third-party suppliers, the ability to rapidly analyse spending patterns, identify savings opportunities, and flag supply chain risks in real-time becomes critical, particularly as trade tensions and tariffs