The Better Supply Chains FAP Market Radar: Why Logistics Leaders Are Paying Attention

Over the last few years, the freight audit and payment (FAP) market has transformed from a back-office function into one of the most strategic control points in the modern supply chain.

That transformation is the focus of Better Supply Chains’ latest Market Radar: Freight Audit and Payment — A Critical Anchor in a Hurricane of Supply Chain Disruption, authored by globally recognized supply chain advisor Bart A. De Muynck.

De Muynck brings more than 30 years of supply chain, logistics, and technology leadership experience to the report, including time on the "inside" with heavyweights PepsiCo and GE, and as a Gartner VP advising some of the world’s largest manufacturers, retailers, and logistics organizations. His perspective carries weight because it’s grounded in operational reality from every perspective.

And in today’s environment of geopolitical instability, tariff upheaval, volatile transportation costs, and AI saturation, that reality matters more than ever.

The report doesn’t just evaluate vendors. It reframes what organizations should expect from freight audit and payment in 2026 and beyond.

Want to snag a complimentary copy of the report? Download it here. Otherwise, keep reading for insights.

Why FAP Matters More Than Ever

According to the report, organizations are making decisions “in motion, often without a clear steady state to plan against.”

The operational environment has fundamentally changed, and traditional freight management approaches are struggling to keep pace.

That’s why De Muynck argues that FAP has evolved far beyond invoice processing.

“FAP is no longer a cost center. It is an agility engine.”

The report explains that leading organizations now rely on FAP platforms for:

• Real-time visibility into transportation spend
• Dynamic cost management
• Carrier and lane optimization
• Financial agility amid constant disruption
• Operational intelligence that supports faster decisions

This shift is significant. Freight audit and payment is no longer just about invoice validation, it’s about proactively managing supply chain performance.

As De Muynck writes, modern FAP platforms are becoming “decision support layers” that combine technology, data, and operational execution to improve supply chain resilience. That evolution is forcing shippers to rethink how they evaluate both technology and partners.

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The AI Conversation: What’s Real vs. What’s Hype?

One of the most compelling sections of the report is its candid assessment of AI.

At a time when nearly every logistics technology provider claims AI capabilities, De Muynck delivers a much-needed reality check.

“For shippers, AI should be evaluated based on outcomes. Not claims.”

The report highlights a sobering statistic from MIT research: up to 95% of enterprise AI initiatives failed to generate meaningful ROI.

Why? According to the report, most failures stemmed from three issues:

• Pilot purgatory with no path to scale
• Poor data readiness
• AI systems disconnected from operational workflows

In freight audit and payment specifically, De Muynck argues that AI delivers the most value when applied to targeted, data-intensive processes like:

• Anomaly detection
• Data normalization
• Operational insight generation

But the report is equally clear about what AI cannot do effectively on its own.

“The promise of fully automated, touchless FAP remains largely theoretical and, in many cases, misleading.”

Instead, the report advocates for a human-AI partnership model, one where automation handles repetitive, high-volume work while experienced teams provide validation, judgment, dispute resolution, and strategic insight.

That distinction is important because freight audit isn’t simply about finding discrepancies. The real value comes from diagnosing root causes, collaborating with carriers, and continuously improving transportation operations.

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How Modern FAP Vendors Are Being Evaluated

Another major takeaway from the report is that traditional vendor evaluation frameworks no longer reflect the realities of modern supply chains.

De Muynck introduces two strategic frameworks — N.O.W. and N.E.W. — to evaluate providers based on multiple dimensions rather than functional capabilities and scale.

Beyond a traditional quadrant, the report introduces the “Vendor Nexus” model to evaluate vendors across:

• Architecture
• Intelligence
• Agility
• Visibility
• Financial Impact

This reflects a larger industry shift: companies are no longer looking for vendors that simply process invoices efficiently. They want partners that can help them operate smarter during continuous disruption.

The report also cautions buyers about increasing market consolidation and M&A activity, noting that mergers and rebranding efforts can create service instability, integration risk, and strategic uncertainty for customers.

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What the Report Says About Intelligent Audit

In the report’s vendor evaluation, Intelligent Audit is positioned as a “Nexus Leader”.

De Muynck highlights Intelligent Audit’s combination of operational maturity and advanced technology strategy:

“Intelligent Audit blends mature operational expertise with a forward-looking technology strategy.”

He also points specifically to the company’s use of AI and machine learning on “trusted, high-quality data” to help customers:

• uncover savings
• optimize carrier strategies
• improve supply chain performance

The report further notes Intelligent Audit’s strong customer sentiment and verified Gartner Peer Insights reviews, citing consistently high satisfaction around analytics, automation, and reliability.

Importantly, the evaluation reinforces one of the report’s central themes: the future of FAP belongs to providers that successfully combine technology, intelligence, and operational execution. Not standalone automation claims.

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The Future of FAP is About Agility

One of the strongest ideas throughout the report is that supply chains are entering what De Muynck calls “The Great Reconfiguration.”

In this environment, static, cost-focused supply chain strategies are no longer sufficient.

Organizations need:

• better visibility
• faster decision-making
• cleaner data
• stronger operational control
• partners that can adapt alongside them

Freight audit and payment has become a foundational layer for achieving that agility.

For supply chain leaders evaluating their current strategy or reassessing their technology partners, Better Supply Chains’ latest Market Radar offers a valuable perspective on where the market is headed and how leading providers are evolving to meet the moment.