Reading time: 6 minutes
Written by Matthieu Bruneau de la Salle
📌 Key takeaways
- Buyers are increasingly driven by total cost, incorporating quality, risks, deadlines, and CSR, rather than just the purchase price.
- CSR is now well recognized in purchasing practices, but its integration into objectives and incentive mechanisms is still incomplete..
- The management of supplier risks and the securing of supplies are becoming central dimensions of the profession.
- Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming established in various applications, with a significant need for training, governance, and support.
- Purchasing is gaining strategic importance, but it still needs to strengthen its internal recognition to fully impact the transformation of value chains.
The OpinionWay survey for the CNA, commissioned by the National Purchasing Council to help prepare for "the buyer of tomorrow," outlines a Purchasing function that is increasingly exposed to issues of risk, CSR, resilience, and technological developments. Price remains a central topic, but it is no longer sufficient to define performance.
For a long time, the role of the buyer was summarized by a simple equation: negotiate better, buy cheaper. This view still exists, but it no longer reflects the reality on the ground; the buyer is becoming a "manager of complex flows."
The OpinionWay survey for the CNA aims to understand how procurement professionals navigate between economic pressure, competitiveness requirements, decarbonization, risk management, innovation, and digital transformation. The CNA's ambition is to help define the model of the "augmented buyer" and to prepare for the evolution of the profession by 2030.
The survey was conducted among 353 members of the CNA who are currently or have previously worked as buyers, between February and April 2026. It is not intended to represent the entire profession in France, but provides a useful snapshot of the changes taking place within companies.
Overall cost and responsible purchasing: how are buyers evaluated in 2026?
The most striking result of the OpinionWay survey for the CNA is undoubtedly the evolution of the objectives set for buyers. Nearly three-quarters of respondents, 74%, indicate that they are evaluated based on a total cost logic, which combines price, quality, deadlines, risks, and CSR. Only 16% report having objectives primarily focused on the purchase price.
This figure reflects a significant evolution. In a context marked by tensions in supply chains, critical dependencies, and the increasing number of due diligence obligations, the purchasing decision can no longer be reduced to a price comparison.
A cheaper supplier may also be more fragile, more exposed to social or environmental risks, or less capable of supporting the company in its transition objectives. This evolution is structural: it brings responsible purchasing closer to the logic of risk management and value creation for the company, rather than being just a simple compliance approach.
Integration of CSR in Purchasing: Between Practice and Management
The CSR issues now seem to be relatively well established within the scope of buyers. According to the OpinionWay survey for the CNA, 76% of respondents claim to be trained and active on the subject of integrating CSR into purchasing.
However, the data deserves to be nuanced. CSR is less frequently integrated into objectives or incentive mechanisms than financial performance: 63% of buyers report being targeted or incentivized on CSR, compared to 83% for the financial performance of Purchasing.
In other words, the subject is recognized and understood, but it is not yet systematically translated into management tools. However, this is often where the transition from stated ambition to sustainable practice takes place: supplier selection criteria, weighting of bids, monitoring of evaluations, improvement plans, objectives shared with the business units, and reporting to management.
Supplier risks and responsible purchasing: topics that are now inseparable
Risk management is one of the areas best understood by the surveyed buyers: 82% say they are trained and active on this topic. Securing supplies also ranks high, with 75% of respondents stating they have a good grasp of the subject.
This rise in prominence is consistent with the current concerns of businesses. Supplier risks are no longer just financial or operational. They also involve human rights, working conditions, the environment, corruption, regulatory compliance, and dependence on certain territories and raw materials.
In this context, responsible purchasing takes on a more concrete dimension. They do not only consist of asking suppliers for CSR commitments, but to better understand their level of maturity thanks to a structured CSR assessment, identify areas of vulnerability and organize, when necessary, a process for improvement.
Are you managing responsible purchasing and looking to structure the CSR evaluation of your suppliers?
Scoring by Positive supports clients in the deployment of customized assessments, without charging your suppliers for the process.
Discover how Scoring by Positive works®AI and purchasing: rapid adoption, governance lagging
The OpinionWay survey for the CNA also highlights a gap regarding artificial intelligence. Only 51% of the buyers surveyed consider themselves trained in the use of AI. Only 26% indicate that the topic is integrated into their objectives or incentive system.
However, 90% already report using artificial intelligence tools in their activities, and 63% use them at least once a week.
AI seems to have established itself in practices even before organizations have defined a clear framework. For CSR professionals, this observation calls for vigilance: automation can facilitate document analysis, the qualification of supplier data, or the identification of risks, but it does not eliminate the need for human oversight or reflection on the quality, confidentiality, and traceability of the information used.
The Purchasing function in the Executive Committee: a key issue for CSR
The buyers themselves do not doubt the value of their profession: 99% consider it essential and 97% consider it strategic. In companies, the situation is more nuanced.
The Purchasing function is represented at the Executive Committee or the Management Committee in 50% of the organizations surveyed. In 39% of cases, it is considered to be gaining strength, but not yet fully strategic. Its internal image receives an average score of 6.6 out of 10. In companies where Purchasing does not hold a strategic position, this score drops to 4.9 out of 10.
This point is important for CSR initiatives. As long as Purchasing is perceived primarily as a function responsible for negotiating or placing orders, its ability to influence strategy remains limited. In contrast, when they are involved in governance decisions, they can become a concrete channel for the company's social, environmental, and ethical commitments.
Buyer Satisfaction and Mobility: The 2026 Figures
The profession retains a strong attraction. The average satisfaction reaches 7.8 out of 10, 96% of respondents say they are proud of their profession, and 93% would recommend it to a student.
This satisfaction does not, however, guarantee loyalty to the company: 41% of respondents are considering leaving their organization within the next two years, while 20% are thinking about changing careers.
The message is clear: buyers are not only looking for better working conditions or compensation, they are also seeking meaningful missions, genuine recognition, room for maneuver, and the opportunity to contribute to issues that go beyond mere negotiation.
Discover the Scoring by Positive® solution? Learn more plus
Conclusion: What the CNA 2026 survey says about responsible purchasing
The OpinionWay survey for the CNA confirms a fundamental shift: responsible purchasing is no longer a peripheral issue, reserved for the most advanced companies or CSR departments.
They are gradually becoming a component of the buyer's profession. The question is no longer whether companies should integrate CSR criteria into their purchasing, but how they concretely translate them into their objectives, decisions, and relationships with suppliers.
This evolution will, however, have to contend with another strong priority: artificial intelligence, whose rapid adoption and support needs are already heavily mobilizing organizations.
In a context where companies are balancing their budgets, investments, and the time of their teams, AI can capture an increasing share of the available resources. The challenge will be to ensure that this rise in power does not slow down the progress made on CSR, even as it remains a lever for risk management, resilience, and sustainable performance.
The challenge in the coming years will be to align financial indicators, resilience issues, and sustainability goals. It is under this condition that Procurement can fully play its role in transforming value chains.
❓ FAQ
76% of surveyed buyers report being trained and active in integrating CSR into purchasing. However, only 63% are measured or incentivized on this topic, compared to 83% for financial performance. CSR is recognized in practices, but not yet systematically translated into management tools. (Source: OpinionWay survey for the CNA, 353 members, February-April 2026)
74% of respondents are evaluated based on a total cost logic, incorporating price, quality, deadlines, risks, and CSR. Only 16% have objectives primarily focused on the purchase price. Total cost is establishing itself as the new standard for Purchasing performance. (Source: OpinionWay survey for the CNA, 2026)
It is one of the best-managed areas: 82% of surveyed buyers say they are trained and active in supplier risk management, and 75% have a good grasp of securing supplies. The risks covered now go beyond financial and operational — they include human rights, the environment, and regulatory compliance. (Source: OpinionWay Survey for the CNA, 2026)
90% of surveyed buyers already use AI tools, but only 51% consider themselves trained on the subject and 26% are targeted in this area. AI can facilitate document analysis and the qualification of supplier data, but it does not replace the need for human oversight or consideration of the traceability of the information used. (Source: OpinionWay Survey for the CNA, 2026)
As long as Purchasing is perceived as a negotiation function, its ability to influence CSR strategy remains limited. According to the survey, the function is represented in the Executive Committee or the Management Committee in only 50% of organizations. Its internal image receives an average score of 6.6/10 — which drops to 4.9/10 in companies where it is not strategic. (Source: OpinionWay survey for the CNA, 2026)
🔗 Sources
- OpinionWay survey for the CNA, "Mapping of Buyers," April 2026. Online survey conducted among 353 CNA members between February 19 and April 7, 2026.