At Unimarket, everything we build starts with a simple question: what do our customers need to do their best work? 

Over the years, we have listened carefully to how procurement and finance teams work, where the friction lies, what slows decisions down, and what better outcomes would look like in practice. Those conversations shaped our product, and they have directly informed our next major step forward. 

That step is NOVA, the next-generation foundation for our Source-to-Pay platform. 

This article explains what it is, what it means for you, and why we are excited about where we are headed together. 

What Is NOVA? 

NOVA is the modern technology foundation that powers Unimarket’s Sourcing, Contracts, and Procurement capabilities. It is an AI-first platform built on years of customer insight, designed to deliver smarter, more connected procurement experiences across the entire source-to-pay cycle. 

NOVA brings together embedded intelligence, deeper functionality, and a more cohesive user experience, built to grow with your organisation over time. 

Why Now? 

Procurement and finance teams are operating in a more demanding environment than ever. Through our work with customers, several consistent themes have emerged:  

• A need for clearer, real-time insight to support decision making 

• Increasing pressure around compliance, governance, and risk 

• A strong desire to reduce manual work and focus on higher-value activity 

 NOVA is our response to those needs. 

What NOVA Delivers 

Embedded Intelligence: AI That Works with You 

NOVA weaves AI directly into everyday procurement workflows, not as an add-on, but as an integral part of how the platform works. Intelligent automation reduces repetitive manual tasks, smarter insights surface at the right moment, and decision support helps your team move with confidence. Less time doing, more time deciding. 

Deeper Functionality Across Every Module 

NOVA delivers enhanced depth and performance across Sourcing, Contract Management, and Procurement, built to support complex procurement scenarios, reduce workarounds, and handle the full breadth of what modern organisations require. The modules are more capable, more configurable, more tightly integrated and better equipped to grow with your organisation. 

A Connected, Cohesive Experience 

Because NOVA brings Sourcing, Contracts, and Procurement together on a single unified platform, data flows naturally between modules, workflows connect without friction, and your team benefits from greater consistency across their day-to-day work. The platform is modular, so you adopt what is right for you. 

Richer Insights and Analytics 

NOVA gives procurement and finance leaders better visibility across the entire source-to-pay cycle. Deeper analytics, smarter reporting, and real-time insights help you understand where spend is going, where risk sits, and where improvement opportunities exist, so your team can drive value, not just process transactions. 

Speed and Usability by Design 

Speed and usability are not afterthoughts in NOVA, they are design principles. Workflows have been designed to avoid unnecessary steps, reduce manual effort, and help users complete tasks quickly and correctly. The result is a platform that people want to use. 

Modern Security Architecture 

As organisations face increasing scrutiny around data privacy, cyber risk, and compliance obligations, NOVA is built on a modern architecture that takes security seriously. You can have confidence that the platform is equipped to meet the demands of today's risk environment — and tomorrow's. 

If You’re on Unimarket Today 

NOVA enhancements are available to you on the platform you already use. If you have access to the Sourcing or Contracts modules, you will receive the updates as they roll out. Nova AI will be available platform-wide, so every Unimarket customer will benefit from those capabilities regardless of which modules they have purchased. All of this comes with no new system to learn and no disruption to what is working today. 

Improvements will be introduced progressively, and we will keep you informed about what is coming and what it means for your team. The future of your procurement platform is already here. 

Influence What Comes Next 

As we continue building NOVA, we will be in regular contact with customers, listening to how the platform is working in practice and what is wanting. We’ll then use that input to inform our roadmap and priorities. Your experience matters to what gets built next, and we want to hear it. 

If You’re on VendorPanel Today 

NOVA represents an exciting direction for Source-to-Pay, and VendorPanel customers are part of that journey. NOVA capabilities are being built on the Unimarket platform, which means accessing them will involve moving across to Unimarket when the time is right for your organisation. Your current solution remains fully supported in the meantime, with no changes to your environment, workflows, or integrations. 

Your Expertise Shapes What We Build 

VendorPanel customers bring deep, real-world procurement expertise, and that matters to how NOVA gets built. As we prioritise features and design new capabilities, we will be actively consulting VendorPanel customers to make sure the platform reflects the variety and complexity of how procurement works in practice. 

Your feedback on what works, what does not, and what you need most will directly influence the roadmap. 

A Supported Path Forward 

When you are ready to move, we’ll be ready to help. Any transition will be phased and fully supported, with your Customer Success Manager guiding you through it at a pace that suits your organisation. There is no rush, and there will be no surprises. 

Our Commitments to You 

Regardless of which platform you are on today, here is what you can expect from us: 

• Transparency. We will communicate clearly about what is coming, when, and what it means for you. 
• Partnership. Changes to your platform will be guided in close collaboration with you, not imposed on you. 
• Continuity. Your existing workflows, data, and integrations are protected throughout any evolution. 
• Ongoing value. NOVA is designed to compound value over time. The more capability that is introduced, the better your outcomes across the entire source-to-pay cycle. 

What Comes Next 

Over the coming months, we will be sharing more: specific product releases, enhanced features for individual modules, and early customer engagement opportunities. 

NOVA is not a single release. It is a sustained commitment to building the best source-to-pay platform for our customers across public sector, education, healthcare, and beyond. We are genuinely excited about what is ahead, and we look forward to going on this journey with you.