Tariff management and technology: A deep dive into how solution types and vendors can help
01/13/2025

This article provides deep intelligence into how procurement tech vendors are solving different parts of the tariff problem.
Tariffs are currently a hot topic following the result of the US 2024 elections, however:
The new or increased tariffs mentioned during the election campaign haven’t yet materialized and may never. They may just have been a way to put pressure on trade partners for upcoming negotiations and discussions, or new tariffs may, in fact, be implemented. This uncertainty explains why many have taken a wait-and-see attitude when others are taking action.
Tariffs are one example of the many flavors of unilateral measures and regulations in trade wars. Export/import controls, subsidies and litigations are other weapons in a protectionist’s arsenal.
Therefore, the key is readiness and agility to respond to these measures. Procurement teams must not wait to ramp up capabilities
It is less of an if or what question than one of when.
That being said and considering the renewed and focused attention on tariffs, we want to use tariffs as a sort of ‘case study’ to illustrate what procurement teams can do and how technology can support them.
It is for these reasons that we covered ‘tariffs’ in a mini-series we published at the end of last year. It covered:
Part 1: What tariffs are and what they mean for procurement (free)
Part 2: Tariff management and building an action plan (free on Basic registration)
Part 3: Tech capabilities for proper tariff management (for Insider members)
In this latest article, we will further explore how technology can help procurement teams answer several burning questions:
How will changes in tariff or even potential ones impact my organization?
What are the various opportunities to offset the negative impacts as much as possible?
Among all opportunities, which ones should I prioritize (feasibility, trade-offs, short/long term, etc.)?
How do I turn these qualified opportunities into actions and results?
How do I make my practice tariff-aware to ensure that any future evolutions can be addressed efficiently and effectively?
We also address the various use cases around these questions and look at the different provider segments and how they support them.
While there isn’t a single solution that would make an organization’s procurement processes and supply chain truly ‘tariff-aware,’ we will highlight how specific segments (solutions that many readers may already use!) and an ‘ecosystem play’ could, nevertheless, allow teams to identify and unlock benefits quickly. Such 'quick wins' focus on leveraging existing solutions covering sourcing, supplier management and risk capabilities.
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AP/I2P EPRO P2P SOURCING11/21/2019
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CLM06/17/2021
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AP/I2P CLM EPRO P2P S2C S2P SOURCING ANALYTICS08/26/2019
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AP/I2P EPRO P2P SOURCING11/21/2019
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CLM06/17/2021
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AP/I2P CLM EPRO P2P S2C S2P SOURCING ANALYTICS08/26/2019