At a glance
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Our jobs are not to slow things down. It's to make the right steps feel effortless.
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- Manual duplicate vendor checks took 15-20 minutes per check, consuming significant team time on repetitive tasks
- Security teams repeatedly reviewing the same vendors multiple times, wasting effort on duplicative work
- Operations team lacked context when following up with approvers and stakeholders, slowing down the procurement process
- Approximately 1,400 hours saved annually with Zip’s intake validation agent alone by preventing unnecessary reviews
- Operations team can now provide rich context to approvers using agent insights, enabling faster decision-making and accelerating the procurement cycle
- Elimination of manual work frees up the team for more strategic value-add activities
Ann Fleishell, Vice President of Procurement at OpenAI, shared how her team is transforming procurement from a "bureaucracy bus" into a "procurement rocket" using Zip’s AI Agents and platform, proving that the future of procurement isn't just about automation, it's about giving time back to do meaningful work.
Transforming the procurement experience
At OpenAI, Ann's team has moved beyond traditional procurement obstacles to create a function that is "fast, transparent, and more human." Two-thirds of the company now engages with procurement as the front door, a testament not just to adoption, but to the trust they've built.
Meet the AI Agents
As part of Procurement’s transformation at OpenAI, the team has leveraged several AI agents.
Penny serves as OpenAI's AI teammate, always on and learning. Designed to be friendly and approachable, Penny connects data across systems in real-time—handling POs, vendor setups, invoices, and FAQs by pulling from live policies across procurement, security, and IT. Penny is programmed to speak with empathy and represents procurement's voice, making complex processes feel effortless.
Risk Buddy, a custom Zip AI agent, was built by OpenAI's third-party risk management lead, Peter Joubert, during his first week on the job. Using vibe coding and a GPT, he created an agent that pulls data directly from supplier sites, automatically flags risks, and reduces hours of work to minutes. What once required extensive technical questioning now happens automatically with no project plan or IT tickets required.
The impact: speed, trust, and brand transformation
These AI agents aren't replacing people—they're amplifying human expertise at scale. The team used AI throughout their transformation, from designing Penny's approachable look with image generation to reimagining procurement's entire brand. The symbol of a penny itself serves as a company-wide reminder: don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish.
The shift has been profound. Procurement is no longer seen as the back office but as a strategic partner unlocking possibility. By automating the noise and bureaucracy, Fleishell's team has gained space to focus on what truly matters: faster decisions, better data, and stronger partnerships.
Starting the AI journey
Fleishell's advice is refreshingly practical: pick one workflow to prove what's possible, ensure your data is clean and connected, and give people permission to experiment. At OpenAI, every procurement meeting begins with "What's your life hack of the week?” to foster a culture where innovation comes from the front lines, not top-down mandates.
The procurement rocket is ready. As Fleishell powerfully concluded: "We don't need to be the people diving and catching to unblock bureaucracy. We can be the superheroes that unlock possibility."
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