For a decade, Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) was the dusty folder at the back of the procurement cabinet, or the scattered post-it-notes on the whiteboard. It was about “managing” vendors, squeezing margins, and ensuring the Wi-Fi in the warehouse didn’t go down.

That era is officially dead.

According to the 2026 Thomson Reuters Global Trade Report, a massive 68% of trade professionals have moved supply chain management to the #1 spot on their strategic priority list, nearly double the 35% who held that view just one year ago. We aren’t just buying parts anymore; we are buying resilience.

If your SRM strategy still looks like a series of awkward quarterly QBRs and a spreadsheet named Supplier_Tracker_v12_FINAL.xlsx, you’re already behind. Here’s why the game has changed in the last few weeks.

1. Resilience is the New ROI

Remember when “efficiency” was the only metric that mattered? In 2026, efficiency without resilience is just a disaster waiting to happen.

The Thomson Reuters report highlights that 72% of trade professionals now cite U.S. tariff volatility as the single most impactful regulatory change they face. The goal has shifted: we are moving from “Just-in-Time” (fragile) to “Strategic Diversification” (robust).

The Data: 65% of companies are actively changing their sourcing patterns right now to survive this volatility. If you aren’t renegotiating for flexibility, you’re negotiating for a bottleneck.

2. From “Checking Boxes” to “Building Moats”

The report shows that 57% of leaders are currently in the process of renegotiating supplier contracts. But they aren’t just fighting over price. They are building “moats” around their supply lines by:

• Regionalising: 51% are looking at near-shoring or moving manufacturing back to the U.S.
• Tier 2/3 Visibility: Companies are treating supplier reliability as “enterprise risk,” not just a procurement headache.

3. The Tech Explosion: AI Takes the Wheel

One of the most striking findings from the Thomson Reuters research is the “sevenfold increase” in technology adoption.

• 40% of departments are now exploring emerging tech like AI or blockchain, compared to a measly 6% in 2024.
• 55% of trade professionals are now using automated supply chain management tools to replace manual, error-prone processes.

The Bottom Line

• The 2026 Thomson Reuters Global Trade Report confirms that trade departments are experiencing an “unprecedented elevation.” You can no longer plead ignorance about your supply chain.
• SRM isn’t a back-office function anymore. It’s the frontline of your business’s survival. The companies winning right now aren’t the ones with the lowest costs; they’re the ones with the strongest, most data-backed relationships.