Higher education institutions are increasingly focused on financial resilience by overhauling procurement practices amid enrollment declines and funding uncertainty. Universities seek to transition from reactive cost cutting to proactive value creation, emphasizing centralized purchasing oversight, supplier partnerships, and transparency across institutional spending. Procurement leaders prioritize total-value management, considering quality, lifecycle, and support beyond price. Adoption of AI-powered spending analytics enables campuses to identify inefficiencies and enhance savings while maintaining service quality, marking a strategic shift to optimize campus operations and protect mission-critical activities.