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In 2027, cost pressure will come from different sources depending on the category. In some, tariffs and input costs will set the pace. In others, the bigger risk is a change in how suppliers charge for their services. Category forecasts built on this year’s drivers may miss where the pressure actually comes from.

AI is speeding up the shift in how suppliers charge. As suppliers build AI into their services, the work buyers pay for is changing, and pricing models built around manual effort are starting to look outdated. Buyers who spot these changes early will be in a stronger position to renegotiate terms.

Join us for a walkthrough of the 2027 Spend Category Outlook with Ryan Shadle, Senior Director, Consulting, GEP. He will explain what’s driving prices across major spend categories, show where AI is changing supplier pricing and buyer leverage, and set out the sourcing and contracting moves to make before 2027 budgets are finalized.

Attendees will leave with a clear view of where costs are heading and practical actions for upcoming supplier negotiations, including how to tell AI capabilities that work today from those still on a supplier’s roadmap.

Speakers:

Ryan Shadle, Senior Director, Consulting, GEP

Ryan leads strategic procurement engagements with a focus on technology. At GEP, he has provided advisory and benchmarking across all major IT services T&M, managed services & IT outsourcing deals across clients. He has 25+ years of experience and has led sourcing projects, negotiations and category management in hardware, software, IT services and telecom. Ryan is also the leader of the GEP IT Category Advisory Group (CAG).