If you’re a CFO today, you know the drill: budgets are tighter, expectations are higher, and the list of vendors you’re managing? It’s probably longer than your headcount.

I’ve seen it firsthand - at Affirm, Etsy, and now, every week talking to finance leaders building high-growth companies.

The old way of managing vendors (think: spreadsheets, email threads, and hope) just can’t keep up. And the stakes are rising.

Why CFOs Can’t Ignore Vendor Management Anymore

The finance team used to be gatekeepers: set the budget, approve spend, move on. But the world changed. Today, your vendor list is sprawling. SaaS, contractors, agencies—sometimes hundreds or even thousands of third parties, all woven into the fabric of your business.

Here’s the kicker: most companies still don’t have a real system of record for vendors.

You’ve got Workday for people, Salesforce for customers, NetSuite for spend… but vendors? Still stuck in manual mode, scattered across tools, teams, and inboxes.

The result?

• Missed renewals.
• Untracked risks.
• Hours lost chasing down contracts or wrangling spreadsheets.
• Limited visibility into what’s actually driving (or draining) value.

The CFO Role: From Cost Controller to Strategic Orchestrator

Today’s CFO isn’t just minding the dollars - they’re expected to see around corners, identify risk before it happens, and act as a true partner to the business.

Vendor management is now central to this mission. It’s not just about cost efficiency - it’s risk mitigation, compliance, strategic alignment, and speed.

But here’s the reality: the traditional approach breaks down when your vendor count explodes. It’s not scalable, and it pulls your team away from high-impact work.

Where AI Changes the Game

This is where modern solutions - and yes, AI -

make all the difference. The lightbulb moment for me came after talking to company after company, from startups to public giants, all wrestling with the same issues:

• Vendor data everywhere, but insights nowhere
• Critical contract terms buried or missed
• Too much time on admin, not enough on analysis

So we built StackPack: an AI-powered platform that automates and manages vendors, software, and contracts. Here’s what this shift unlocks for CFOs:

1. Automated Term Extraction & Risk Alerts

AI can review contracts, MSAs, order forms, and invoices, pulling out key terms - renewal dates, pricing structures, legal clauses, you name it - in minutes, with precision.

No more missed renewals. No more manual headcount just to stay compliant. And AI-powered risk alerts surface issues before they become costly mistakes.

2. A True System of Record

Connect your accounting software (QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage) and instantly get a centralized list of every vendor.

Layer in contracts, approvals, spend data, and you finally have a full picture - all up to date, all searchable, all in one place.

3. Real-Time Forecasting

Instead of static spreadsheets, AI continuously updates your forecasts based on live contract data and usage trends.

You get clarity on committed spend, variable costs, and ROI for every vendor - helping you plan proactively, not reactively.

4. Actionable Metrics

The best CFOs I know track three things:

• Cost per employee (true unit economics of vendor tools)
• ROI of each tool/service
• Criticality to the business (not all vendors are created equal)

AI helps automate, measure, and surface these insights - so you can focus on strategy, not spreadsheets.

Customer Proof: The $7K Save

One of our health-tech clients was losing money simply because they missed vendor renewals.

After onboarding, StackPack flagged a critical renewal 90 days out.

They had time to renegotiate - and saved $7,000.

All for $199/month. Multiply that across dozens of vendors, and the impact is obvious.

Advice for CFOs Ready to Level Up

1. Audit your process: Where is your team spending time on manual vendor tasks? That’s your biggest opportunity.
2. Demand more from your tools: Look for solutions that combine vendor and contract management, and leverage AI to surface insights (not just store documents).
3. Set smarter alerts: Focus on signals that drive action (big spend jumps, critical renewals, policy changes).
4. Bring transparency to the process: Make data accessible—don’t hide it in one platform or make teams dig.

Looking Forward

AI isn’t here to replace finance teams - it’s here to make them faster, smarter, and more strategic… and the pace of change will only accelerate as AI evolves.

The companies who thrive will be those who move from reactive vendor management to proactive command.

If you’re tired of chasing down contracts or getting blindsided by vendor issues, now’s the time to take back control.

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Listen to the full CFO Weekly episode here - I’d love to hear what resonated or what challenges you’re facing - drop me a note anytime.