A day in the life of Natalie
See how AI-powered procurement transforms daily sourcing operations
Tactical Buyer
Supplier Manager
Category Strategy + Negotiation Expert
Category Strategy and Negotiation Autonomy
What Makes Her Work?
- AI category manager and negotiation specialist
- Handles both direct and indirect procurement
- Proactively analyzes data and sets category strategies
- Runs negotiations (leveraging game theory, auctions, etc.)
- Secures (contractually) optimal outcomes
- Guided by simulation, machine learning, and market intelligence
- Analyzes historic prices, terms, and forecasts (internal data)
- Leverages commodity and market data (unique external data)
- Builds cost models
- Develops data-driven strategies
- Determines optimal negotiation periods based on inventory and market conditions (timing & demand)
- Uses AI/M + game theory to run simulations and then engage
- Can operate in full autonomy, user-in-the-loop, or as a “superpowered” assistant
- Develops strategies and executes negotiations (with or without a human in the loop)
- Communicates with suppliers via email
- Collaborates internally via chat (e.g., MS Teams)
- Supports multiple sourcing approaches
- Conducts multi-round supplier negotiations
- Handles multilingual and cross-cultural communication
- Works within regulatory and legal frameworks by region
- Single supplier, single product/service
- Multiple suppliers, single product/service
- Single supplier, various products/services
- Multiple suppliers, various products/services
- Performs order splitting and allocation optimization
- Can split award decisions across suppliers
- Balances decisions based on cost vs. externalities (e.g., ESG, supply chain resilience, etc.), as defined by the organization
8:30 AM
Flags seven contracts that quietly rolled “evergreen” with above-market pricing.
Flags seven contracts that quietly rolled “evergreen” with above-market pricing.
%
Surfaces a $2M savings play to lock in aluminum this week.
Surfaces a $2M savings play to lock in aluminum this week.
%
10:00 AM
Gets sign-off on category strategy, arguments, and walk-away points.
Gets sign-off on category strategy, arguments, and walk-away points.
%
Spots four more opportunities to negotiate volume discounts off rising demand.
Spots four more opportunities to negotiate volume discounts off rising demand.
%
12:00 PM
Reaches out to suppliers by category and performance history.
Reaches out to suppliers by category and performance history.
- Some Tasks are iterative and kind.
- Others carry teeth: shift volume to an alternate incumbent.
%
14:30 PM
Detects a raw material price move in the US with Asia/Europe impact coming tomorrow.
Detects a raw material price move in the US with Asia/Europe impact coming tomorrow.
%
Analyzes supplier responses from the morning.
Analyzes supplier responses from the morning.
%
Gets authorization to award across six suppliers
Gets authorization to award across six suppliers
%
Lines up responses for tomorrow’s negotiations (“we’ll get ’em”).
Lines up responses for tomorrow’s negotiations (“we’ll get ’em”).
%
$3.5M saved today.
16:00 PM
Generates one-page sourcing summary.
Generates one-page sourcing summary.
%
Reviewed and approved for executive distribution.
Reviewed and approved for executive distribution.
%
Logs out of Office. Logs into online chess. Opens with Sicilian Defense.
Logs out of Office. Logs into online chess. Opens with Sicilian Defense.
%