Why Predictive Intelligence beats Spend Analytics - Jeff Gerber from Suplari

In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads speaks with Jeff Gerber, CEO of Suplari, about the evolution from traditional spend analytics to AI-powered spend intelligence. The conversation explores how procurement teams can move beyond static dashboards and begin leveraging predictive insights and autonomous agents to drive better decision-making.

Jeff shares the story behind Suplari’s journey—from startup to Microsoft acquisition and back to independence—highlighting how an AI-native foundation has enabled faster innovation. The discussion focuses on how modern platforms are shifting from reporting on past spend to actively identifying opportunities and recommending actions in real time.

A key theme is the growing role of AI agents in automating complex procurement tasks, from managing tail spend to improving data quality and accelerating category strategy development. The episode also tackles common challenges such as poor data and limited internal resources, showing how AI can unlock value even without perfect inputs.

There is also a strong emphasis on usability, with conversational interfaces and prompt libraries helping users engage with AI more effectively, regardless of technical expertise.

Key insights include:

1. Why spend intelligence must go beyond dashboards to drive action
2. How AI agents can continuously monitor and optimise tail spend
3. The reality of working with imperfect data, and how AI improves it
4. How prompt-driven interfaces accelerate user adoption
5. Why AI enables faster, more effective category strategy development

Whether you are exploring AI in procurement or looking to enhance existing analytics capabilities, this episode offers a practical view of what’s possible today, and what’s coming next.

[00:00:01] Introduction and Jeff Gerber’s journey.

[00:03:55] Building AI-native spend intelligence platforms.

[00:11:15] Competing with DIY analytics and legacy systems.

[00:15:48] Overcoming poor data quality challenges.

[00:22:02] Managing tail spend with AI agents.

[00:29:02] Prompt libraries and user adoption of AI.

[00:33:38] AI in category strategy development.

And that wraps up another episode of The Procurement Software Podcast!

Thanks again for listening, and do please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify. Every one helps!

We'll be back at the same time next month, so see you there.

If you want to learn more about Procurement Software, check out the useful links below.

1. Connect with Jeff Gerber on LinkedIn
2. Check out Suplari
3. Download our Tech Map for Enterprise
4. Download our Tech Map for Mid-Market
5. Download our Tech Map for SMEs
6. Find your perfect procurement tech solution in our Software Finder app
7. Sign up for the Entproc Newsletter
8. Book an Intro Call and let’s talk all things Digital Procurement!
9. Connect with James on LinkedIn