How IBM is Transforming Tail Spend with Zycus’ Merlin AI, Governance, and Global Scale

In this PLaN fireside chat, IBM procurement leaders reveal how they combine services, governance, and agentic AI to reinvent tail spend management across enterprise operations.

Tail spend transformation requires more than technology. It demands governance, consistency, and the ability to operationalize AI at scale. In this PLaN session, IBM’s procurement operations leader discusses how IBM approaches tail-spend management across its global footprint and why the combination of managed services and intelligent automation is now essential for modern enterprises.

This 20-minute conversation breaks down IBM’s methodology for diagnosing tail-spend issues, designing sustainable governance frameworks, and building organizational alignment across business units and stakeholders. The session highlights why tail spend is often the first area where procurement transformation efforts break down — and what IBM does to prevent this failure.

A key focus of the discussion is IBM’s collaboration with Zycus through the Tailwind initiative. The speaker explains how agentic AI, when paired with IBM’s process discipline, enables consistent negotiations, improved compliance, better supplier coverage, and measurable cycle-time reductions. It is a practical, real-world blueprint for how large enterprises can scale automation without sacrificing quality or control.

Whether you are leading a procurement transformation, evaluating AI adoption, or looking for proven models that work across complex organizations, this session provides actionable insights that you can implement immediately.