Crowdfox GmbH has been awarded the EY Supply Chain Now AI Procurement Award 2025. In the category “Processes & Collaboration”, the jury recognized the company’s ability to both automate and structurally improve procurement processes in the field of indirect purchasing.
The jury’s assessment was based on two core criteria: the contribution to more efficient and effective procurement systems, and the ability to improve collaboration and communication across the P2P process. Crowdfox fulfilled both through a technology-driven approach that reduces complexity and creates new scope for action for purchasing teams and internal stakeholders.
Reinhard Frigger, Partner at EY and initiator of the AI Procurement Award, emphasized: “The winners deliver outstanding AI solutions. Crowdfox sets new standards and shows how technology can revolutionize procurement processes.”
The Crowdfox SaaS solution is built on a large language model and a proprietary data architecture centered around the UTIN® (Unique Trade Item Number). Artificial intelligence is applied throughout the system: it harmonizes product data from various sources, creates a reliable foundation for decision-making, and significantly reduces manual effort. In addition, AI identifies suitable substitute products – unlocking savings potential and improving availability. The system is complemented by the GenAI-based assistant ChatCFX, which understands free-text requirements, suggests matching products in real time, processes offer data automatically, and generates purchase requisitions directly within the ERP or SRM system.
For CEO Dirk Schäfer, the award stands for more than just technological excellence: “This recognition is about more than technology – it’s about the willingness to rethink established structures. Indirect procurement holds huge potential for efficiency, transparency, and a new quality of collaboration. That requires bold companies – and partners like EY who help drive this transformation strategically.”
Crowdfox is one of two winners of the first EY Supply Chain Now AI Procurement Awards, presented during the 2025 Supply Chain Days in Mannheim. Both winners will join the EY Startup Academy and gain access to a global startup ecosystem as well as an exclusive network of industry experts and jury members from business and academia.
With over 100,000 active users in 34 countries – including seven of Germany’s 15 largest companies – Crowdfox is today one of the leading solutions for optimizing indirect procurement.
Find out more about the award here (german only):
https://www.ey.com/de_de/ey-supply-chain-award
Image source: EY