Prada Deploys Agentic AI Iva to Manage Over 1,000 Suppliers
Prada has begun using Ivalua’s agentic AI tool Iva to oversee procurement for its network of more than 1,000 suppliers. Iva can complete supplier onboarding, sourcing event drafting and contract execution in a fraction of the weeks-long manual process previously needed. Prada is among roughly 90 early adopters of Iva, which Ivalua has provided as a source-to-pay offering for over two decades.
Iva functions as an intelligent virtual agent that learns Prada’s procurement rules and performs source-to-pay tasks autonomously, though final decisions remain with human managers. The tool can create supplier records, populate required fields, launch sourcing events and draft contracts by navigating Ivalua’s application as a user would. Because its outputs are probabilistic, Prada’s team retains authority over where and how the AI operates without explicit approval. Ivalua reports that around 90 companies across luxury, defense and government sectors are currently testing the agent.
“Try to imagine,” Fabio Francalancia, head of global procuring and cost management director said.
“It’s 1,000 suppliers to be scrutinized, and it could take weeks of accurate review of documents, clouds, performance. That kind of activity is not only time-consuming, and you should need a lot of people to do it right and fast,” Fabio Francalancia, head of global procuring and cost management director said.
Over the past five years, Prada conducted more than 850 on-site factory inspections and ended relationships with 222 suppliers over labor abuses. The moves came as Milanese prosecutors examined the luxury sector’s supply chain for similar violations.
What we know
Prada conducted more than 850 on-site factory inspections over the past five years.
As a result, Prada terminated its relationship with 222 suppliers for allegations of worker abuse.
Prada’s portfolio currently has over 1,000 suppliers for leather, fabric and packaging.
Ivalua has been doing source-to-pay work for more than two decades.
Prada is one of around 90 early customers using Iva.