It’s 2 a.m. The house is dead quiet. The kids are asleep, the dog isn’t even twitching, and the cat’s curled up like nothing’s wrong. Everyone should be asleep. But the Chief Procurement Officer? Wide awake, staring at the ceiling, mind racing. Coffee’s cold on the nightstand, and the phone is buzzing with alerts that won’t stop.
At the start of this year, CPOs across the U.S. are wrestling with a perfect storm of pressures.
Recent surveys from Deloitte, Gartner, and others paint a clear picture: geopolitical uncertainty, economic swings (including a noticeably weaker dollar), lightning-fast tech advancement, and talent shortages are dominating boardroom conversations. Far from abstract worries, these pressures hit budgets, supply chains, and careers directly.
What's Keeping the CPOs Awake at Night?
Understanding what’s keeping CPOs awake at night can help everyone in procurement, from analysts to category managers, tune their approach and match the organization’s risk tolerance. Here’s what’s really stealing sleep across the U.S. procurement landscape.
The Weakening Dollar’s Bite
The Greenback has taken a beating lately. The dollar fell by 9% in 2025, marking its worst annual performance since 2017. Early 2026 hasn’t brought a strong rebound. As of January, it’s softened further against major currencies, which means higher import costs for procurement teams sourcing globally. Raw materials, components, and finished goods from Europe, Asia, or Latin America suddenly cost more in dollar terms, squeezing already tight budgets.
This could nudge some companies to lean harder on domestic suppliers. But many suppliers are still tangled in global networks, so a volatile dollar creates ripple effects: foreign vendors face their own currency headaches, leading to price hikes, delayed shipments, or even instability. CPOs are forced to rethink sourcing strategies fast, such as shifting to nearshoring, renegotiating contracts, or hedging currency risks. And let’s not even talk about the spike in sleepless nights that occur before every upcoming Fed meeting…
Geopolitical Storms and Trade Turbulence
If the dollar feels wobbly, geopolitics feels like an earthquake. Trade protectionism is rising fast: tariffs, export controls, and friend-shoring policies are reshaping supply chains. The WEF nominated heightened protectionism as a top concern in its 2026 Global Risks report.
Trade policy shifts and ongoing tensions (China, Middle East flare-ups, and a worsening relationship with Europe) make long-term planning a struggle. Amid tariffs and sanctions hitting key supplier tiers, procurement leaders are scrambling to map multi-tier suppliers, build redundancy, and balance cost against resilience.
Critics of the current administration tell us its unpredictability is one of its worst traits, while fans will say it’s a strength. Without getting into a political debate, we can agree that unpredictability and uncertainty make it difficult for business leadership to plan ahead.
The AI Tsunami
Artificial intelligence continues to move at warp speed. Deloitte’s 2025 Global CPO Survey shows leaders betting big on GenAI and agentic AI for spend analytics, contract management, and automation. But most procurement teams struggle with data that isn’t AI-ready, leading to real fear about getting left behind. CPOs lose sleep over implementation risks, ethical concerns, bias in decision-making tools, data privacy headaches, and the security implications of handing over sensitive supply chain info to AI systems.
At the same time, they know AI can slash manual work, spot risks early, and drive smarter negotiations. The pressure is on to upskill teams, govern AI use, and prove ROI fast, before competitors pull ahead or regulators crack down.
Cybersecurity
Sophisticated ransomware, payment fraud, and AI-powered threats are rising, and the supply chain sits right in the crosshairs. A compromised vendor can cascade disruptions across operations, and CPOs know one breach could cost millions in downtime, fines, and reputational damage.
With geopolitical tensions fueling state-sponsored attacks, securing third-party access and monitoring supplier cyber hygiene is now table stakes. Many teams are investing in AI-powered visibility tools and collaboration platforms to share threat intel, but the pace of attacks outstrips defenses. The result? Constant vigilance, rising cybersecurity costs, and the nagging worry that the next big hit could come from a seemingly low-risk supplier.
The Talent Tightrope
Procurement roles are evolving and competition for talent is fierce. Procurement leaders are looking for people with digital literacy, strategic thinking, and soft skills like stakeholder management, all while demonstrating the ability to master AI tools.
Younger workers want flexibility, purpose, and clear career paths. Burnout is real after years of crisis mode. CPOs are pushing training, flexible work, and upskilling programs, but retention remains tough. Lose a key category manager or analyst, and months of institutional knowledge could walk out the door.
Turning Worry into Action
In 2026, the smartest (and fastest) way for CPOs to get a better night’s sleep is to join a group purchasing organization like Una. By tapping into Una’s $100 billion in collective buying power, you can unlock impressive discounts that create a much-needed buffer against price shocks from a weakening dollar, inflation spikes, or sudden tariff hikes.
Members de-risk procurement by consolidating the vendor base (if they choose to) around Una’s pre-vetted, high-performing suppliers, reducing exposure to unstable or risky players in volatile global markets. Best of all, you get immediate access to more than 2,500 pre-negotiated contracts that lock in competitive pricing, shielding your budgets from unpredictable rises.
Una’s free membership, no-obligation model, and consultative support make it an easy, high-impact move that delivers average savings of 18-22% across categories—freeing up resources to invest in talent, tech, and resilience.
The procurement leaders who adapt fastest will act now to de-risk their function. The rest will just keep staring at the ceiling.
Ready to work with a partner that will ease your mind? Contact Una to learn more.
