Transforming Procurement: Interview With Thobile Zuma, Co-founder of Intelio

Transforming Procurement: Interview With Thobile Zuma, Co-founder of Intelio. Shaped by more than a decade of experience in procurement and governance, Thobile Zuma has built a career at the intersection of opportunity, systems, and impact. As co-founder of Intelio, Zuma brings a perspective grounded in real-world challenges, where businesses often struggle to connect with the right opportunities despite operating in an increasingly digital world. Her journey reflects a deep understanding of procurement not just as a function, but as a powerful driver of access, growth, and economic participation. In this interview, she unpacks the thinking behind Intelio’s AI-powered platform, the persistent gaps within procurement ecosystems, and how technology can be used to create a more transparent, inclusive, and efficient environment for both buyers and suppliers. Read all about it below!

You have over a decade of experience in procurement and governance. What initially drew you to this field, and what has kept you passionate about it over the years?

What drew me to procurement and governance in the first place is quite simple – I’ve always loved connecting people and businesses to opportunities. There’s something really fulfilling about being part of that link, where the right opportunity finds the right person or business. For me, it’s never just been about processes or contracts. It’s about the difference those connections can make. That’s what naturally shaped my career. Over time, I started to see how powerful procurement really is. It’s not just a back-office function. Procurement sits right at the centre of how businesses grow and how opportunities are distributed. It influences who gets a chance, who scales and who gets left behind. Being in this space has given me the opportunity to play a role in that, whether it’s helping a small business access an opportunity that could change everything for them, or connecting companies with the right partners to deliver value, generate revenue and manage risk.

What has kept me passionate all these years is the impact behind the work. Every contract, every deal, every supplier relationship has a real story behind it. There are real people building businesses, creating jobs and trying to grow and if you get it right, you get to be part of that journey. It’s about opening doors, creating access and using procurement to make a meaningful difference.

As co-founder of Intelio, what was the defining moment that made you realize there was a need for an AI-powered procurement platform?

The defining moment behind the development of TendrAI (the AI procurement platform) wasn’t a single event but a growing realisation shaped by years of working in the procurement function. I kept seeing the same disconnect, such as businesses struggling to find opportunities, while organisations faced challenges identifying credible service providers who could truly deliver. What stood out to me was that this gap still exists despite how advanced technology, especially AI, has become. It raised a simple but important question: why is it still so difficult to connect the right businesses to the right opportunities in a world that is more digitally connected than ever? That curiosity led to a deeper insight that the issue isn’t a lack of opportunity or capability, but a lack of intelligent connection, transparency, and accessibility within procurement. Too many processes remain fragmented and manual, and too many capable businesses are overlooked.

That realisation became the foundation for Intelio to develop our AI-powered platform, which is designed to bridge that gap, simplify procurement and create a more efficient, transparent and inclusive ecosystem where businesses can truly connect, compete, and grow.

You’ve worked extensively in sourcing and onboarding strategic partners within IT environments. How has that experience shaped the way you designed Intelio’s solutions?

My experience in sourcing and onboarding strategic partners within IT environments has played a huge role in shaping how we designed Tendrai. Being so close to the process over the years, I’ve seen where things work but more importantly, where they break down.

Procurement and supplier onboarding are often far more complex than they need to be, with gaps around transparency, inconsistent processes, and limited visibility into how decisions are made. In many cases, there’s no clear audit trail to trace why a particular supplier was selected, how approvals were obtained, or whether the right governance steps were followed. I’ve also seen how fragmented approval structures and committee processes can slow things down or create inefficiencies that impact both the business and the supplier experience.

On the back end, contract management is another area where challenges come up repeatedly, from expired or mismanaged agreements to revenue leakages that happen simply because there isn’t enough oversight. Then there’s performance management which is meant to ensure that partners deliver in line with agreed service levels, and that there’s accountability when they don’t. Even something as fundamental as the payment process can become an issue when there isn’t proper alignment between delivery, validation, and invoicing. All these experiences informed the way we approached TendrAI.

Ultimately, my experience showed me that procurement is not just about sourcing -it’s about governance, accountability, and value realisation. TendrAI was designed with that full picture in mind, to help organisations operate more efficiently while giving suppliers a fair, transparent and structured environment to participate and grow.

Procurement is often described as complex and fragmented. From your perspective, what are the biggest pain points businesses currently face in this space?

Procurement is often described as complex and fragmented, and from my experience, it genuinely is, especially when you look at it from both sides of the ecosystem: the buyers and the service providers.

For buyers, one of the biggest challenges is sourcing credible service providers who can deliver on what they promise. There’s often a gap between what is presented and what is ultimately delivered, and without the right tools, it becomes difficult to assess capability upfront. On top of that, onboarding processes are frequently inconsistent and slow, with multiple layers of approvals and unclear workflows that create delays and inefficiencies. There’s also a noticeable lack of transparency which speaks to clear visibility into how decisions were made or why certain suppliers were selected and this often results into fraud. In many cases, audit trails are either incomplete or difficult to track, which creates governance and compliance risks.

Contract and SLA management is another major pain point. Without proper oversight, organisations end up with expired agreements, unmanaged obligations, and ultimately revenue leakages. Performance management is often disconnected from contracts, making it difficult to hold service providers accountable to agreed service levels. There is also the issue of inconsistent and delayed payment processes which not only strain supplier relationships but can also impact service delivery.

On the other side, service providers particularly small and growing businesses, face a completely different but equally challenging set of problems. One of the biggest hurdles is simply finding opportunities. The process requires businesses to search across multiple platforms, networks, and channels just to identify potential work. Even when they do find opportunities, many lack the skills or resources to put together strong, competitive proposals that meet all the requirements. Pricing is another challenge. Without access to market insights, businesses often struggle to position their pricing correctly, either under-pricing and losing value or overpricing and losing the opportunity altogether.

There’s also a significant amount of wasted effort, with businesses spending time and resources bidding for tenders they are not qualified for or have little chance of winning. Most critically, delayed or inconsistent payment for work already delivered creates cash flow pressures that can severely impact their ability to sustain and grow.

Addressing these pain points requires more than just process improvements; it requires a fundamental shift in how procurement is approached. It requires a tool that is more connected, data-driven, transparent, and fair for everyone involved.

Intelio focuses on transparency and accessibility. How does your platform practically address these challenges for both buyers and suppliers?

For buyers, we’ve designed TendrAI to bring structure, visibility and control into procurement process. The platform provides end-to-end visibility across the entire procurement lifecycle-starting from business case development, which is where the process typically begins, all the way through to award and post-award management. This is critical because many of the risks in procurement don’t just sit at the sourcing stage but in what happens before and after. From how needs are defined, to how suppliers are managed once appointed. By connecting these stages into one continuous, transparent workflow, we significantly reduce the risk of fraud, oversight gaps and inefficiencies.

Transparency is a pillar we’ve built into the platform, and it extends to both sides. For buyers, there is a clear audit trail of every decision such as who was evaluated, how they were scored, and why a particular supplier was selected. A key focus for us has also been credibility. We will ensure that every supplier within the ecosystem goes through a structured vetting process at the point of registration. This includes due diligence checks such as sanctions screening, CIPC verification, and confirmation of legal status. The intention is simple -to give buyers visibility of the status of the service providers upfront and the confidence that the service providers they are engaging are legitimate, compliant and capable. This not only reduces risk but also improves the quality of outcomes across the board.

For suppliers, the process is no longer a “black box.” They have visibility into where they are in the process, the status of their bids and most importantly, they receive feedback when they are not successful. We don’t see this as just feedback; we see it as critical insight. It gives businesses a real opportunity to understand where they fell short and how they can improve, so that they are better positioned for future opportunities.

In terms of accessibility, our goal is to simplify how opportunities are found and accessed. We are building a platform that becomes a single source of truth and marketplace for available opportunities across industries.

Beyond just connecting buyers and suppliers, TendrAI is designed to do the heavy lifting in building a strong, credible ecosystem. That means not only curating a network of vetted service providers but also equipping them to participate effectively-from improving how they respond to opportunities, to ensuring their proposals are structured in a way that resonates with buyer requirements. Ultimately, it’s about creating a procurement environment that is more efficient, more transparent, and more empowering for everyone involved.

You’ve led contractual negotiations and governance frameworks in your career. How do these experiences influence your approach to building ethical and accountable systems today?

My experience has really shaped how I think about systems today especially when it comes to ethics and accountability. Over the years, I’ve seen how much risk can come from unclear terms, weak governance, or processes that aren’t consistently followed. You can have the best intentions but if the structure isn’t right, things fall through the cracks-whether it’s compliance issues, disputes, or even revenue leakages.

What that taught me is that ethics and accountability shouldn’t rely on people remembering what to do they should be built into the system itself. When I think about building solutions today, I approach it from a “design for accountability” mindset. That means creating clear, structured processes that guide behaviour from how decisions are made, to how they are approved, documented and tracked. It’s about ensuring there is always visibility: who did what, when and why. That’s where audit trails, approval workflows and contract governance become so important, not just as controls but as enablers of trust.

Ultimately, my approach is quite simple: if a process cannot be explained, tracked, or justified, then it creates risk. The goal is to build a system where every action is intentional, visible and aligned to good governance. That’s how you move from just having policies on paper to living them in practice.

Many small and medium-sized businesses struggle to access procurement opportunities. How does Intelio help level the playing field for these businesses?

Many small and medium-sized businesses don’t lack capability. They lack access, visibility and the right support to compete. That’s the gap TendrAI is designed to close.

The platform makes opportunities easier to find by creating a single, structured space where businesses can access opportunities without having to search across multiple platforms. With that said, access alone isn’t enough. We also focus on readiness. We help businesses understand what is required, guides them in putting together stronger, more compliant proposals and give them insight into how to position themselves more competitively.

Another important shift is transparency. One of the biggest frustrations for small businesses is submitting bids and hearing nothing back. On TendrAI, suppliers can track the status of their submissions and receive feedback if they are unsuccessful. That feedback becomes valuable insight and can helping them improve and approach future opportunities with more confidence and clarity.

We also address the issue of wasted effort. Through AI, the platform can guide businesses towards opportunities they are more likely to qualify for, rather than having them spend time chasing tenders that are not aligned to their capabilities. This allows them to focus their energy where it matters most. At the same time, we are building a trusted ecosystem. Every business on the platform goes through a vetting process, which means that when buyers engage, they are doing so with credible suppliers. This builds trust on both sides and creates a more balanced environment where smaller businesses are not overlooked simply because they are unknown.

Ultimately, we are levelling the playing field by giving small businesses the tools, visibility and confidence to compete fairly.

You speak about creating a more inclusive procurement ecosystem. What does inclusivity look like in practice within your platform?

When I speak about inclusivity in procurement, I’m not referring to a concept. I’m referring to what it looks like in practice, in the day-to-day experience of both buyers and suppliers on the platform.

For me, inclusivity starts with access. It means that businesses, regardless of size or network are able to see and access opportunities in a simple and structured way. They shouldn’t have to rely on who they know or spend time searching across multiple platforms just to find work. The platform brings those opportunities into one place and makes them visible to everyone who is qualified.

Inclusivity also means enabling participation. Many small businesses are excluded not because they lack capability but because they don’t fully understand the requirements or how to respond effectively. So, we’ve built in guidance and support to help them put together compliant and competitive proposals which will help them better position themselves in the market.

Another key part of inclusivity is fairness and transparency. The process should not feel like a black box. Suppliers have visibility into where they stand, how decisions are made and receive feedback if they are unsuccessful. That transparency builds trust and gives businesses a real opportunity to improve and grow, rather than being left in the dark.

With the rise of AI in business operations, what role do you believe AI will play in shaping the future of procurement?

AI is going to reshape procurement in a meaningful way, making it more efficient, transparent, and intelligent, but without removing the human role that is so important for oversight and accountability. It takes care of the heavy lifting such as the manual and time-consuming tasks like sourcing suppliers, reviewing documents, checking compliance, and analysing bids and allows people to focus on more strategic decision-making. The real value lies in the insight AI brings, helping organisations assess suppliers more holistically based on capability, performance and risk, not just cost, while also identifying potential issues early.

At the same time, human judgment remains essential to provide context, ensure fairness, and make balanced decisions that align with business needs. AI also improves access by guiding businesses towards the right opportunities and helping them prepare stronger, more compliant proposals, making the process more inclusive. With clearer audit trails and more structured workflows, procurement becomes more visible and accountable but always with people at the centre, validating and owning the decisions and outputs.

Beyond technology, what is your long-term vision for Intelio and the impact you hope it will have on businesses and the broader economy?

Beyond the technology itself, my long-term vision for Intelio is to be a true problem solver not just within procurement but across different industries where businesses face real, everyday challenges. We want to use technology in a way that is practical and impactful, developing solutions that are easy to integrate into existing operations, simple to use, and genuinely affordable. Too often, innovation feels out of reach for many businesses, especially smaller ones, and we want to change that. Our goal is to remove complexity, not add to it.

We’ll be hosting a Preview Day where suppliers and buyers will be able to test the TendrAI app in person. This will be an opportunity for people to give us feedback on the app and secure a limited discounted trial. You can sign up for this event here: https://tendrai.co.za