Why This Matters to Distributors: As AI becomes more deeply embedded in purchasing and sourcing processes, distributors are looking for ways to make pricing, inventory, and customer-specific commercial data accessible to automated procurement tools while maintaining control of customer relationships and proprietary business information.
ProEnergy Supply LLC has launched an artificial intelligence-powered procurement platform designed to help independent wholesale distributors connect with emerging AI-driven purchasing systems.
The platform, called IVAN, integrates with distributors’ existing business systems and makes commercial information such as pricing agreements, inventory availability, credit terms, rebate programs, and manufacturer authorizations accessible to approved buyers and AI procurement tools, according to the company.
The launch reflects growing interest across the distribution industry in agentic AI, which enables software systems to perform tasks such as supplier selection, quote generation and purchasing with limited human intervention.
ProEnergy said IVAN allows distributors to control which customers and procurement systems can access proprietary commercial information while preserving existing customer relationships and branding.
According to the company, the platform uses a rules-based scoring engine to generate supplier recommendations and does not permit participants to pay for preferential placement.
ProEnergy also said more than $1 billion in distributor revenue is currently covered by letters of intent or binding agreements related to the platform. The company did not identify participating distributors or provide additional details regarding those agreements.
The company said it filed a provisional patent application covering the technology earlier this year and plans to commercially launch the platform in the fourth quarter of 2026.
IVAN is initially being marketed to distributors serving electrical, solar, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and related industrial markets.
The announcement comes as distributors, manufacturers and technology providers invest in AI-enabled procurement capabilities in anticipation of broader adoption of automated purchasing technologies across business-to-business commerce.
While the platform’s long-term market impact remains uncertain, the launch highlights the growing effort among distributors to ensure their pricing, inventory and customer-specific commercial data can be accessed by the next generation of AI-powered procurement systems.
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