Executive Introduction: A Strategic Inflection Point
Eprocurement in Belgium stands at a strategic inflection point. Years of EU-led digital mandates have ushered in baseline compliance—through e-tendering platforms, e-invoices, and digital submissions—but compliance alone doesn’t ensure future-readiness. A striking example: only 25% of Belgian businesses are equipped to send or receive structured e-invoices, despite a looming 2026 mandate requiring all VAT-registered entities to comply (Source: unifiedpostgroup.com).
This isn’t merely a regulatory hurdle; it’s a moment of opportunity. For CPOs and public-sector leaders, eprocurement in Belgium can evolve from a checkbox activity into a catalyst for transformation. The goal isn’t just to digitize, but to modernize—building intelligent procurement ecosystems that blend compliance, innovation, and measurable performance.
Forward-thinking leaders can seize this moment to consolidate platforms, implement AI tools that streamline intake and analyze spend, and drive agility in decision-making. Instead of reacting to mandates, they can proactively shape orchestration-ready procurement functions. The rest of this guide explores how procurement leaders in Belgium can turn compliance into competitive capability—and capability into strategic advantage.
Redefining Readiness: 5 Traits of a Future-Ready eProcurement Organization
What does it mean to be “future-ready” in procurement? It goes beyond having digital tools. A mature eProcurement organization is built on five key traits:
| Trait | What It Means for CPOs |
| Compliance-Mature | Compliance is a given, not a goal. CPOs can rely on fully digital processes—e-notification, Peppol e-invoicing, and e-tendering—to meet Belgium’s Public Procurement Act and EU directives without fallback to paper (Source: resourcehub.bakermckenzie.com). |
| Automation-Driven | AI and bots handle repetitive tasks like invoice data entry or contract review, freeing teams to focus on strategic priorities. For example, routine procurement intake and compliance checks are done 24/7 by intelligent agents. |
| Data-Centric | Decisions are rooted in real-time analytics, not intuition. Dashboards track spend, risk, and supplier performance, while data skills become a procurement essential—42% of CPOs globally cite this as a major talent gap (Source: www.deloitte.com. ) |
| Interoperable by Design | Systems connect easily across borders and networks. Belgian teams use Peppol to ensure cross-border e-invoicing and tenders run smoothly—standardized, accessible, and efficient. |
| Strategically Orchestrated | Procurement is designed as an end-to-end, adaptive system. One integrated workflow connects sourcing, contracts, purchasing, and payments—allowing teams to respond in real time to risks or ESG goals using the same unified platform. |
These traits are not isolated—they build on each other. Strong compliance and automation enable rich data, which powers orchestration and strategic agility.
The Evolution of eProcurement in Belgium: From Mandates to Maturity
Belgium has become a frontrunner in eProcurement, driven by progressive EU and national mandates.
- Europe Public Procurement Directives – Belgium transposed the 2014 EU directives requiring electronic communication in public tenders. Since the 2016 Public Procurement Act, electronic availability of documents and e-submissions have been mandatory, and most Belgian contracting authorities use federal platforms like e-Notification and e-Tendering to manage processes fully online (Source: resourcehub.bakermckenzie.com).
- E-Invoicing Mandates (B2G and B2B) – Belgium embraced electronic invoicing early for public procurement. By 2019, public bodies accepted e-invoices in line with EU Directive 2014/55/EU. A Royal Decree in 2022 phased in mandatory e-invoicing by contract size, culminating in full digitization of public contracts by late 2023. In the private sector, a new law passed in February 2024 mandates B2B e-invoicing for all VAT-registered companies starting January 1, 2026 (Source: ec.europa.eu). This aligns with the EU’s “VAT in the Digital Age” initiative and signals a nationwide shift toward digital compliance.
- Peppol and Interoperability – A cornerstone of Belgium’s digital strategy is the adoption of Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement Online), which standardizes the exchange of procurement documents across borders. Belgium’s Mercurius e-invoicing hub is built on Peppol, ensuring suppliers from across Europe can participate seamlessly. As of 2023, Belgium had over 73,000 Peppol participants—ranking third globally—and received 1.8 million e-invoices via Mercurius, up from 1.3 million the previous year (Source: tickstar.com). These numbers reflect genuine ecosystem-wide adoption, not just compliance.
- Data Protection (GDPR) and Security – Procurement also intersects with data privacy regulations. Belgian CPOs must ensure eProcurement systems comply with the EU’s GDPR—protecting contract and supplier data through robust access controls, encryption, and auditability. Leading organizations design platforms with privacy and security by default, treating compliance as embedded—not optional.
- Mandates as Launchpads – The infrastructure is mature: Peppol, Mercurius, and federal platforms are already in place. The challenge now is ensuring organizations leverage them fully. Installing an e-invoicing tool to meet a deadline is one thing—using it to improve payment cycles, reduce errors, and unlock savings is another. For example, Belgium estimates savings of €3.37 billion annually from broad e-invoicing adoption (Source: ec.europa.eu)—but only if organizations act strategically.
A future-ready CPO builds on this foundation by integrating systems, introducing analytics and AI, and orchestrating processes to go beyond compliance—toward sustained performance and advantage.
The CPO’s Evolving Role: From Compliance Officer to Transformation Leader
Procurement leadership in Belgium is undergoing a strategic shift. Once seen primarily as compliance enforcers, today’s Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) are expected to lead innovation, resilience, and sustainable growth.
Several shifts define this evolving role:
- Driving Cross-Functional Collaboration: Modern CPOs operate beyond traditional silos. Procurement intersects with finance (payments, budgets), IT (systems, cybersecurity), and legal (contracts, compliance). To drive digital transformation, CPOs foster collaboration across these functions—often by aligning on shared KPIs and integrating digital initiatives into enterprise workflows. For example, implementing an AI-based sourcing tool might require IT for technical deployment and Finance for cost-value alignment.
- Aligning Procurement with ESG and Resilience Goals: Procurement is now a lever for sustainability and supply chain resilience. European regulations and consumer pressure are driving greener, more equitable supply chains—and CPOs are on the frontlines. Tools that track carbon emissions, diversity spend, and supplier risk scores are now standard. According to Deloitte, 72% of procurement leaders are prioritizing ESG/CSR and 68% are focused on resilience—nearly matching traditional goals like cost savings (Source: www2.deloitte.com).
- Embracing AI and Automation as Orchestrator: Leading CPOs don’t just approve tech—they champion it. 80% of global CPOs plan to deploy generative AI within the next three years, with initial use cases focused on spend analytics and contract management (Source: EY Global CPO Survey – 2025 Outlook). From deploying AI-powered chatbots for intake to using machine learning to assess supplier risk, they orchestrate intelligent procurement ecosystems. In Belgium, where structured digital data is abundant, AI use cases—like NLP for contract analysis or RPA for auto-approving low-value POs—are increasingly viable. CPOs may not write algorithms, but they build the teams and vision to embed these capabilities.
Today’s CPO blends operational precision with strategic foresight. They unlock value not just by enforcing policy, but by aligning procurement to business outcomes—sustainability, speed, resilience. This leadership evolution sets the stage for transformation. Next, we explore how to operationalize that shift through people, process, and platform.
Building Blocks for a Future-Ready Organization
To operationalize future-readiness, CPOs must orchestrate transformation across three pillars: People, Process, and Platform.
- People: No technology can succeed without skilled talent behind it. Future-ready procurement teams must be digitally fluent—comfortable with tools like analytics dashboards, e-tendering systems, and AI agents. This may involve training current staff, hiring data specialists, or launching internal academies to raise overall digital IQ. Soft skills like collaboration are equally critical, given procurement’s interaction with IT, legal, and finance. Notably, 70% of CPOs globally report difficulty attracting the right talent (Source: www.deloitte.com), making it essential to offer meaningful work. When automation handles the mundane, teams can shift focus to innovation and strategic impact.
- Process: Redesigning workflows—not just digitizing old ones—is essential. Leading organizations move from fragmented steps to intelligent Source-to-Pay (S2P) flows. A requisition above threshold might trigger automated sourcing, supplier selection, contracting, and invoicing—all with minimal intervention. Processes must also shift from reactive to proactive. AI can flag at-risk suppliers and launch mitigation steps before disruptions occur. CPOs should review onboarding, sourcing, approvals, and reconciliation processes—simplifying, embedding compliance, and eliminating bottlenecks. The goal is agility and traceability in every transaction.
- Platform: The foundation of transformation is a unified, modular, AI-powered eProcurement platform. Many Belgian organizations still manage a patchwork of tools, which creates silos and inefficiencies. Future-ready platforms must be:
- End-to-end integrated: Modules for sourcing, contracts, P2P, supplier management, and invoicing must share data seamlessly, ensuring a single source of truth.
- AI-enabled: From predictive analytics and smart OCR to autonomous agents that validate supplier data or suggest purchase actions—AI must be embedded across the stack. According to EY Global CPO Survey – 2025 Outlook, 59% of respondents estimate 6–15% of their procurement budget will be allocated to advanced digital and AI solutions in the next three years.
- Interoperable: Platforms must support Peppol standards, integrate with Mercurius, and offer open APIs for ERP and external systems. Cross-border procurement requires fluid data exchange.
- Secure and Compaliant: GDPR, eIDAS, and local hosting mandates must be met by design—with built-in encryption, audit trails, and role-based access.
By aligning people, streamlining processes, and upgrading platforms, Belgian CPOs can build momentum toward sustained procurement maturity. Each investment accelerates transformation—and prepares the organization for what’s next.
Procurement Operating Model of the Future
Zycus POV: The CPO’s Digital Operating System
At Zycus, we view eProcurement as a strategic control system—empowering CPOs to orchestrate people, processes, and data with intelligence and speed. Our Source-to-Pay suite, powered by Merlin AI™, transforms compliance into competitive advantage.
Here’s how Zycus’s Source-to-Pay suite helps enable the future-ready traits we discussed:
- AI-Powered Sourcing and Supplier Management: Merlin AI analyzes spend patterns, auto-identifies sourcing opportunities, and autonomously executes RFQs for tail spend. Supplier data—financials, news, ESG risks—is continuously monitored, allowing Belgian CPOs to engage compliant, high-performing suppliers across borders.
- Peppol-Ready eInvoicing and Compliance Integration: Zycus’s eInvoicing module is Peppol-certified and integrated with Mercurius, enabling out-of-the-box compliance with the 2026 B2B mandate. European standards like eIDAS and GDPR are embedded platform-wide—CPOs don’t need to configure compliance; it’s already there.
- Autonomous Procurement Agents: Merlin agents handle procurement tasks end-to-end: triaging intake, flagging contract mismatches, validating supplier data, and processing invoices. These bots operate 24/7, scaling efficiency without increasing headcount—so teams can focus on strategy, not transactions.
- Orchestration and One-View Control: Zycus connects sourcing, contracting, procurement, and invoicing into one intelligent workflow. Data flows seamlessly across modules, enabling AI-powered insights like savings benchmarks or contract-to-payment compliance—all in real time.
In summary, Zycus positions itself as the enabler of the CPO’s ambitions. We provide the technology that embodies all these future-ready characteristics, so that a CPO in Belgium can rapidly modernize their organization. Whether it’s ensuring Peppol compliance on Day 1 or deploying an AI agent to trim cycle times by 50%, our Source-to-Pay suite is the CPO’s digital operating system for procurement. The payoff is substantial: organizations that embrace this approach see not only compliance and efficiency gains, but also more strategic outcomes – stronger supplier relationships, data-driven savings, and readiness for whatever the future brings (be it new regulations, economic shifts, or technological disruptions).
Conclusion: Ready for What’s Next?
Belgium’s procurement transformation highlights a broader truth: true leadership lies in moving beyond digital compliance to digital intelligence. The organizations that succeed won’t be those who simply meet the 2026 e-invoicing deadline—but those who turn it into a catalyst for smarter, more strategic procurement.
The blueprint is clear: invest in people, modernize processes, and choose platforms built for AI, compliance, and orchestration. With the right vision, CPOs can shape a procurement function that drives resilience, innovation, and long-term value.
Ready to see what future-ready procurement looks like?
Schedule a demo of Zycus’ AI-powered suite today.
