5 Quick Procurement Wins to Start 2026 Off Like a Pro
January 27, 2026
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Start 2026 Off Like a Pro
5 quick procurement wins...
Welcome to this month's issues of The Sidekick!
Today we're highlighting five quick procurement wins you can check off the list early this year to save time, cut costs, and impress your boss (without the need for a full overhaul).
We're also covering nine humanoid robots that are poised to transform manufacturing and logistics, and more.
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Let's get into Issue #025...
Getting the Most Value Out of Your Indirect Spend Categories
A playbook for understanding the significance of indirect spend, the challenges it presents, and how to successfully unlock its value.
5 Quick Procurement Wins
Start 2026 like a pro...
Can you believe we’re already one month into 2026? Hopefully you’ve had a relaxing break and are full of new-year energy. Our guess is that you want to hit the ground running, impress the boss with some smart moves, and set the tone for an epic year in procurement!
You don't need a massive overhaul to see real results. Here are five quick wins that’ll save you time and money in procurement.
1. Declutter the Procurement Closet
Grab a coffee, pull up your vendor database, and spend a couple of hours spotting the duplicates or underperformers. Ask yourself, "Am I over-relying on that one supplier who's jacking up prices every quarter?"
By consolidating to fewer, more reliable partners, you could slash costs and improve efficiency right off the bat.
2. Negotiate Expiring Contracts Early
Don't wait for the renewal notice to drop like a surprise bill. Reach out to key suppliers now with data in hand, showing them your spend history and market benchmarks. A friendly chat could lock in better rates or terms, like extended payment windows or discounts, just by being proactive.
3. Trial Some Procurement Tech
If you're still drowning in email chains for approvals or feel like your speed-to-source could be improved, dip your toe into basic procurement software like a free trial of something user-friendly.
Automate purchase orders or set up e-procurement alerts for price drops. Start small, like digitizing one sub-category. Embracing tech (including trialling Generative AI or AI agents) is a modern flex that screams "I'm ahead of the curve" in your next team meeting.
4. Search for Mavericks
Dive into last year's data to identify maverick spending (rogue purchases bypassing procurement rules). Plug those gaps by having a chat with repeat mavericks and ask them why they’re not following the process.
With just a small tweak, you may be able to reclaim budget control and reduce waste. The wins add up fast, potentially saving thousands without breaking a sweat.
5. Join a Group Purchasing Organization Like Una
Supercharge your leverage! Una pools the buying power of over 10,000 active members, negotiating massive savings on everything from IT to janitorial supplies that you couldn't swing alone.
Signing up is straightforward, and you get fast access to over 2,500 pre-negotiated contracts offering savings averaging 18% to 22%. In 2026, this could be your best secret weapon for starting strong, impressing stakeholders, and scaling up without reinventing the wheel.
There you have it: five actionable wins to kick off the year with momentum. No time-consuming overhauls, just smart, engaging steps that position you as the procurement pro everyone envies.
Here's to crushing 2026!
9 Humanoid Robots to Watch in 2026
They're transforming logistics and manufacturing.
If you work in IT procurement, you've probably already dipped your toes into procuring AI solutions, whether it's targeted point solutions for specific pain points or those massive, end-to-end platforms that promise to transform everything. Headline-grabbers like ChatGPT and DeepSeek have trained most of us to picture AI as lines of code running on servers or in the cloud.
But what about humanoid robots: the real, physical ones straight out of Isaac Asimov’s imagination? The kind that walk, lift, grab, and navigate messy real-world environments?
If you're in automotive, manufacturing, warehouse automation, or logistics, 2026 could be the year you find yourself evaluating RFPs for actual robots: bipedal machines with arms, hands, and AI brains, rather than just software licenses.
Here's a rundown of the humanoid robots (and a few specialized logistics players) worth keeping on your radar in 2026. These are the bots making headlines for practical industrial use, partnerships with big names, and paths to scalability.
General-Purpose & Industrial Humanoids
Boston Dynamics Atlas
The legendary Atlas has gone fully electric in its latest version, ditching hydraulics for better reliability in real factories. Production is ramping up, with initial fleets already committed for 2026 deployments, starting with Hyundai's manufacturing plants.
Expect it in heavy-lifting scenarios (up to 50kg payloads) and environments where agility counts. If your operations involve challenging terrain or variable tasks, this robot is the benchmark for mobility and strength.
Image: Boston Dynamics
Image: Tesla
Tesla Optimus
Tesla is planning to sell Optimus externally starting in 2026. It borrows the same AI vision tech as their self-driving cars, aiming for versatility in manufacturing, logistics, and beyond.
Elon Musk's vision is mass-production affordability (potentially $20-30k range long-term), so watch for it in repetitive or hazardous roles. It's a general-purpose contender that could disrupt if scale hits as promised. If only it didn’t have that creepy opaque visage…
Figure 03
Figure has locked in big partnerships, like with BMW for automotive assembly lines. Their focus is on practical, electric-actuated designs built for factory floors, safe human-robot collaboration and real task execution.
They're pushing toward broader commercial rollout, making this a strong pick for manufacturing procurement teams eyeing dexterous, reliable bots. Figure 03 is also being marketed for home use, described as “the robot for your kitchen.”
Image: Time
Image: Agility Robotics
Agility Robotics Digit
Digit's bird-like legs give it excellent stability for warehouse and logistics work. Agility has Amazon partnerships and a dedicated mass-production facility (RoboFab) scaling up for thousands of units.
If your supply chain involves tote handling, ramps, or human-shared spaces, Digit is already proving itself in pilots and is optimized for efficiency where wheels fall short.
Unitree Robotics G1/H1
Hangzhou-based robotics company Unitree dominates the affordable end of the market with agile, compact models. The G1 brings cost-effectiveness and high mobility for inspection, manipulation, and light industrial tasks.
They're pushing scalability and viral demos of acrobatics. If you haven’t seen the video of a Unitree robot performing flying kicks and flawless backflips, be sure to check it out.
Image: Unitree
Image: Sanctuary AI
Sanctuary AI Phoenix
Phoenix stands out for its super-dexterous hands and Carbon™ system that learns tasks fast from human demos. It's targeting retail, light manufacturing, and anything needing fine manipulation.
If your procurement involves roles requiring precision grip or quick upskilling, this one's a dexterity leader.
Specialized Business & Logistics Robots
While not humanoids, these "physical AI" players are already reshaping logistics. Many procurement teams will encounter them first.
Amazon Hercules and Pegasus
Amazon has deployed over a million units already, with Hercules lifting heavy inventory and Pegasus handling package sorting via conveyors. Their AI keeps fleets efficient in massive warehouses.
If you're in e-commerce or large-scale distribution, these systems are the gold standard for proven, scaled automation.
Image: Amazon
Image: Serve Robotics
Serve Robotics Delivery Robots
These sidewalk autonomous bots are spreading fast, with over 2,000 deployed by late 2025, with more cities launching in 2026. Partners like Uber Eats and DoorDash use them for last-mile delivery.
Analysts call them a top "physical AI" play for solving urban navigation headaches affordably and sustainably. One challenge that needs to be solved is discouraging people from hitching a ride on these robots as they roll past.
Hyundai Motor Group MobED
Fresh off a CES 2026 Best of Innovation Award in Robotics, MobED is a modular mobile platform hitting mass production in early 2026. It's built for logistics, delivery, and facility tasks, handling uneven terrain with AI navigation.
Hyundai's pushing it hard for automotive and beyond, so expect it in industrial settings soon.
Image: Hyundai
2026 looks like the tipping point where humanoid robots move from cool demos to line items in procurement budgets. If your organization deals with labor shortages, safety risks, or repetitive heavy work, start building those vendor relationships now.
Will your team be piloting one of these in the next 12 months?
If so, it might be time to get ahead of the RFP wave.
📰 In Other News...
Keeping a pulse on the industry.
Container ships are (cautiously) returning to the Red Sea: Major container shipping lines largely stopped transiting the Red Sea in mid-December 2023 following a surge in attacks on commercial vessels by Houthi militants.
Survey Says: ISM survey reveals U.S. manufacturing activity fell to a 14-month low in December, marking the 10th consecutive month of contraction. Survey respondents nominated tariff impacts as the main driver of this trend.
Critical Minerals: The U.S. government will invest $1.6 billion to acquire a 10% stake in USA Rare Earth, enhancing the domestic supply chain for critical minerals, particularly for electric vehicles and defense, through the development of the Round Top mine in Texas.
🤖 AI Procurement News
Artificial intelligence shaping the industry.
Most procurement AI “lacks context,” according to an analysis by the CEO of Focal Point. This context gaps hinders its ability to make informed decisions, as it lacks access to critical organizational data and insights necessary for effective supplier selection and risk assessment.
Procurement AI readiness continues to lag. ProcureAbility’s 2026 CPO Report found only 11% of procurement leaders consider themselves “fully ready” to deploy AI with confidence and scale.
USA launches Pax Silica, a strategic initiative and economic coalition aimed at securing global technology supply chains for AI, semiconductors, and critical minerals. Signatories since the December 2025 launch include Gulf States, Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the UK.
💫 Resources from Una
- Staying Relevant in an AI-Driven World
- Why Some Procurement Teams are So Darn Slow
- Accelerating Success: Navigating Fleet Procurement With Una and MKT Fleet
- Change the Game of Procurement With a GPO
- Purchasing in the Subacute Healthcare Space: The Money You're Leaving Behind
- By the Numbers: The Incredible Power of Group Purchasing
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