Summit 2026

Consulting has always been synonymous with change.

Over the years, organisations have been encouraged to respond to successive waves of transformation, from big data to blockchain, even the Millennium Bug 🐛. Each brought its own sense of urgency and promise of impact.

But nothing has been as seismic as the rise of AI, generating a tsunami of change across both the buying and delivery of consultancy services this year.

What sets AI apart is not just the technology itself, but the speed and scale at which it is reshaping both the buying and delivery of consultancy services. In a matter of months, expectations have shifted, from how demand is defined, to how value is measured, to how services are delivered. A complete structural shift.

For those responsible for consultancy and professional services spend, the implication is clear: it is no longer enough to be a “digital” procurement professional.

The risk now is becoming what can only be described as “digital in an AI world” operating with approaches that are already outdated in a rapidly evolving market. The opportunity, however, is significant.

Those who embrace AI effectively can move beyond process-heavy procurement models towards more intelligent, outcome-focused approaches, improving efficiency, enhancing control and unlocking greater value from consultancy spend.

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Why This Matters Now

The pace of change means that waiting is no longer neutral. We’re seeing organisations already:

• Redefining how consultancy demand is identified and shaped
• Embedding AI into sourcing and contract management processes
• Rethinking traditional delivery and pricing models

Those not actively adapting risk falling behind… & quickly.

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Join the Conversation

This is exactly why the CPC Annual Summit 2026 will focus on how procurement leaders can adopt AI end-to-end across consultancy spend management.

Bringing together expert speakers and over 150 senior peers, the Summit will explore:

• Practical applications of AI in consultancy procurement
• How organisations are already changing their approach
• What it takes to remain effective in an AI-driven market

For Consultancy Category Managers and Heads of Professional Services, this is a critical moment to step back, benchmark your approach and understand what comes next.

Because in this environment, the question is no longer if AI will change consultancy procurement but how quickly you adapt to it.

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Register Your Place

Places for the CPC Annual Summit are limited. To secure your place and join the conversation, register here.

You may have just got your organisation IR35 compliant. But with IR36 looming, have you updated your processes, or are you risking a rather unexpected sanction?

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In the latest evolution of off-payroll working rules, driven by the rapid rise of AI over the past 12 months (and the not-so-small matter of declining tax revenues), a third worker classification is now being proposed.

Not just employed or non-employed but now “Avatar”.

This new category is designed to capture the growing use of semi-autonomous, AI-powered delivery, as consultants increasingly deploy digital resource alongside (or instead of) humans.

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As tax expert H. Cokey explains:

“It’s no longer about whether you are in, or out, everything is being all shaken-about.”

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So… are your processes ready?

Or are you still operating as a human-only buyer in an AI-enabled world?

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If you want to know what’s actually going on in consultancy procurement (IR36 or otherwise), join us at the CPC Annual Summit.

Join the conversation?

Thursday 16 April 2026 | Fenchurch Place, London

The CPC Annual Summit brings together 150+ senior procurement and commercial leaders responsible for consultancy spend to share insight, challenge thinking and explore the future of the category.

FREE for professionals responsible for consultancy spend, including Heads of Professional Services and Consultancy Category Managers.

To register or find out more, please contact: jodie.heath@thecpcouncil.com or register using this link. 

We recently spoke to Alan Gotto about how AI is reshaping consultancy procurement and his message was clear: this isn’t just another wave of innovation. It’s a fundamental shift.

With years of experience in consultancy procurement, you think you’ve seen it all,” he explained. “We’ve had blockchain, big data, all promising to change the way we buy consultancy. But nothing has moved as fast, or as meaningfully, as AI is right now.

What makes this moment different is not just the technology itself, but the speed at which it’s changing expectations, both from buyers and providers.

As highlighted in the Financial Times, firms such as PwC are already adapting rapidly. The implication is clear: there will be less space for consultants, and procurement professionals, who fail to embrace AI.

We all have the work of many to do,Alan added. If AI can take on part of that load, why wouldn’t we use it? The opportunity is to move from managing process to managing outcomes.

For procurement leaders responsible for consultancy spend, the risk is becoming what Alan describes as “a digital buyer in an AI age” operating with outdated approaches in a rapidly evolving market.

At the CPC Annual Summit, Alan and other senior leaders will explore how organisations are responding in practice, and what it takes to stay ahead. Because in this market, waiting isn’t neutral. Leave it until next year, and you may already be behind.

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Join the conversation?

Thursday 16 April 2026 | Fenchurch Place, London

The CPC Annual Summit brings together 150+ senior procurement and commercial leaders responsible for consultancy spend to share insight, challenge thinking and explore the future of the category.

FREE for professionals responsible for consultancy spend, including Heads of Professional Services and Consultancy Category Managers.

To register or find out more, please contact:
📧  jodie.heath@thecpcouncil.com or register using this link.