Novartis: Smarter Sourcing with SAP Business AI | SAP Connect 2026

See how Novartis is piloting SAP’s Joule Sourcing Assistant to help procurement teams work faster, improve consistency, and make better-informed sourcing decisions. At SAP Connect 2026, Christoph from Novartis shares how procurement teams in highly regulated industries can use AI agents to reduce manual effort while maintaining control, traceability, and auditability. With hundreds of categories and a large supplier base, procurement teams need to create RFPs, analyze bids, and prepare for negotiations quickly and confidently. Novartis is co-developing and piloting SAP’s Joule Sourcing Assistant on SAP Business AI Platform, with a focus on bid analysis and negotiation support. The vision is for autonomous sourcing agents to handle the analytical heavy lifting, from comparing offers to identifying negotiation levers, while sourcing professionals stay focused on strategy, supplier relationships, and final decisions. The discussion also highlights the outcomes Novartis is working toward, including faster cycle times, stronger analytical foundations, improved compliance, and a better experience for procurement teams. Christoph closes with practical advice for organizations starting with autonomous agents: get your data in order, begin with a recoverable process, involve the people doing the work, and plan for change management from the start. Watch the full keynote. 👉 https://sap.to/6058BG4VS8 Watch all SAP Connect replays on demand. 👉https://sap.to/6059BG4VSD Chapters: 00:00 - Procurement challenges in a regulated industry 00:18 - Manual work across RFPs, bids, and negotiations 00:51 - Why context, controls, and traceability matter 01:13 - Piloting SAP’s Joule Sourcing Assistant 01:24 - Bid analysis and negotiation support 01:36 - Agents handling the analytical heavy lifting 01:57 - Expected cycle time and productivity improvements 02:18 - Measuring sourcing success 02:41 - Advice for starting with autonomous agents 03:01 - Getting data ready first 03:15 - Starting with recoverable processes 03:24 - Involving users and managing change Explore SAP Business AI: https://sap.to/6050BG4VSE us on social: LinkedIn: https://sap.to/6050BG0v3M Instagram: https://sap.to/6052BG0v3O Facebook: https://sap.to/6053BG0v3P Threads: https://sap.to/6054BG0v3u About SAP: As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit: https://sap.to/6055BG0v3R #BusinessAI #Joule #SAPConnect2026