Orchestration Unplugged: Should Procurement Invest or Wait? (Part 2)

Procurement orchestration tools promise to simplify intake, speed up processes, and unify tech stacks. But is it really the solution teams need right now?

In Part 2 of our orchestration deep dive, Natasha and Conrad go beyond the hype to ask the hard questions:
Is orchestration worth the investment? Where does it fit in the tech stack? And most importantly—what problem are you really trying to solve?

💡 In this episode:
• Orchestration vs. intake—what’s the difference, and why it matters
• A practical framework for evaluating orchestration tools
• Why simplifying your process might be more important than buying new tech

Whether you’re considering orchestration or just trying to make procurement work better for your stakeholders, this episode breaks it down in plain language with real-world advice.

📌 Stick around for a sneak peek at our next guest: Dr. Eloise Epstein joins us to talk future-of-procurement and the end of the spider diagram.

Watch now or read the transcript below.

Transcript: Proc-N-Roll 13 | Orchestration Unplugged: Should Procurement Invest or Wait? (Part 2)

Natasha |  Welcome to Proc and Roll, your guide to practical procurement. I’m here with Conrad and Zach to continue our conversation on orchestration in procurement. We had quite the debate prepping for this. These two bring tons of ideas, and I keep pushing for practical application—what procurement managers should actually do after listening.

As we were prepping, we debated whether intake is evolving into orchestration. We agreed intake must exist, but its role and overlap with orchestration needs exploration. Conrad, start us off.

Conrad | Intake and orchestration are related. Intake is the entry point into a process—historically a phone call or form, now often digital. Orchestration connects these processes. The problem today is people finish one step and don’t know where to go next. Orchestration should tie it all together.

Zach | Exactly. Intake is the front door, ensuring the requester has what they need to move forward. With AI, it could evolve into more of a concierge. Once intake is complete, orchestration is about automating the workflow and creating transparency—who does what, when, and how long it takes. Both are valuable but complex.

Conrad | A major misconception is that orchestration is just a “skin” over existing systems. Some think it will shield users from the underlying complexity. That’s the dream. But the reality is different—these are workflows that require serious integration.

Natasha | Let’s use an example. Say I have separate tools for supplier onboarding, intake, contracts, payments, diversity tracking, and dashboards. We’ve invested in all of them. Do we replace them? Or does orchestration layer on top?

Zach | Hearing that list, I immediately think—every tool is another integration. Each must be studied for data alignment and compatibility. Procurement needs to simplify before jumping into orchestration. Too many rely on tech to fix problems that are really about broken processes.

Conrad | Exactly. Stakeholders are frustrated. Procurement is slow and confusing. That’s why leaders are asking for change. But orchestration won’t solve delays if the underlying processes are broken. Just putting a “skin” on top won’t improve speed or satisfaction.

Natasha | So the first problem orchestration addresses is the confusing user experience?

Conrad | Yes, but more broadly, it’s that procurement isn’t meeting business needs. It’s slow, it’s fragmented. And we’re talking about layering orchestration on tools like Ariba or Coupa—platforms we originally chose for user-friendliness. Why are we now saying we need to hide them?

Natasha | Interesting. So could orchestration eventually replace the procurement suite?

Conrad | Not necessarily. Think of orchestration more as a framework. You can start by simply redirecting users. Then maybe pass along data. Eventually, you might fully integrate systems so users don’t even know what tool they’re interacting with. But each step requires careful thought and planning.

Zach | That’s key. Not everything needs full integration. Sometimes it’s just about smart redirection or partial data handoff. Full orchestration is expensive and complex—it should be reserved for high-impact areas..

This transcript has been edited for clarity while maintaining all substantive content