Kearney · Tech Consulting · Medium · 25-35 min

Procurement Digital Transformation for a Saudi Champion

Last updated 2026-07-29

What is this case about?

A Saudi state-owned industrial group — SAR 18B annual third-party spend across maintenance, capital projects, and indirect categories. Purchase-to-pay is manual and paper-driven, with a 23-day cycle time. Vision 2030 mandates 60% local content. The CFO has SAR 50M to spend on tooling, expects 3–5% realised savings inside 18 months, and is choosing between Coupa, SAP Ariba, and a custom build on the existing SAP S/4 estate. You are the lead.

Where strong candidates start

  • Quantify the actual savings opportunity — addressable spend × realistic % by category — before recommending tools
  • Decide the platform pattern (Ariba vs Coupa vs S/4 native) with explicit decision criteria, not feature counts

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