DPW Amsterdam 2026: qado pitches AI for strategic procurement
News
On 1 October, our co-founder Nicolas Pardon pitched qado at Digital Procurement World (DPW) in Amsterdam. In the Market & Pricing Intelligence Startup Showcase in the Startup Arena, he showed how AI in strategic procurement spots savings opportunities, prepares negotiations and secures negotiated value all the way into the P&L. It was our first DPW, and the response was bigger than at any event before: 60 meetings were booked at our booth S03 before the doors even opened.
RECODE: What do AI agents in procurement run on?
The theme of DPW 2026 was RECODE, and almost everything revolved around AI agents. Hardly anyone asked what those agents actually run on. Procurement data is spread across contracts, purchase orders, invoices, market reports and more. Procurement counts the saving when the contract is signed, finance only when the invoice is paid. Nobody checks what happens in between.
The best AI therefore needs a view of all supplier data. That is where qado comes in: our data model brings together ERP, contract and market data, creating the foundation that AI in strategic procurement can work on.
The pitch
The starting point was a capacity problem: no procurement team can monitor hundreds of suppliers continuously. That costs twice. 9 out of 10 savings opportunities only surface at renewal, when the leverage is long gone. And around 8% of contract value is lost every year after signature.
Nicolas showed two examples. In the first, a software supplier has raised its prices by 4% a year for years, while the industry index has risen by only 1%. Shortly before renewal, the press reports a data breach at the supplier. The radar connects both signals, and qado prepares the renegotiation, arguments included.
In the second example, the contracted aluminium index has fallen, but the price in the ERP has not changed in years. qado quantifies the gap, finds the price adjustment clause behind it and initiates the claim.
Finally, the pitch turned to the role of procurement itself. qado doesn't replace buyers, it turns them into value shapers, with a focus on real savings in the P&L.
"That is what procurement was always meant to be. qado simply gives it back." – Nicolas Pardon, Co-Founder, qado
At booth S03
The live demos at the booth covered the full range of strategic procurement:
Manage contracts: find any clause in seconds, from payment terms and notice periods to price adjustment clauses.
Detect overspending: check purchase orders, goods receipts and invoices against the contract and claim deviations directly.
Spot savings opportunities: use the AI radar to see where the next negotiation pays off, whether to renegotiate, bundle, tender or terminate.
Negotiate better and source smarter: compare competing quotes and automate negotiations with AI agents.
Three voices from those conversations:
"We know value is leaking from contracts, but tracking and recovery takes too much manual effort."
"Finally an AI that works seamlessly across systems."
"A very interesting angle nobody has addressed before."
Thanks to everyone who stopped by booth S03. We are now following up on those conversations, and we will be back at DPW in 2027. Respect also to the startups who shared the Startup Arena stage with us.
What does qado find in your contracts?
In 30 minutes we will show you, on a real example, where negotiated savings are leaking.
