📉 Contract season is heating up | and BCOs are walking into 2026 with leverage and landmines.

Vessel oversupply is expected to persist through the year. Service reliability is stuck around ~60%. Drayage volatility, detention, demurrage, and unpredictable surcharges aren’t going away.

On paper, this looks like a buyer’s market — and for base rates, it probably is.

But here’s the catch 👇
Lower rates don’t matter if execution, visibility, and follow-through break down.

That’s where agentic AI starts to become a competitive advantage.

Meet Jonah — the Agentic AI assistant from Inventry.ai

As BCOs negotiate 2026–27 service contracts, internal pressure to cut costs is colliding with operational complexity:

• More index-linked contracts

• Split allocations across alliances

• Spot exposure mixed with fixed rates

• Continued uncertainty around capacity, reliability, and surcharges

Jonah helps purchasing and logistics teams manage this reality without adding headcount.

How Jonah supports BCOs during contract season 👇

✅ Maintains inventory minimums automatically
Jonah monitors stock levels and creates POs the moment thresholds are hit — reducing last-minute expedites and spot exposure.

✅ Creates, tracks, and chases POs
When carriers or suppliers miss commitments, Jonah follows up and flags delays early — before detention, demurrage, or stockouts hit.

✅ Keeps real lead times up to date
Not what’s in the contract — what’s actually happening. Jonah updates lead times based on execution, not assumptions.

✅ Matches invoices against POs and receipts
As BCOs push to eliminate unjustified surcharges, Jonah helps surface discrepancies so your team isn’t auditing invoices manually.

✅ Drafts escalation notes automatically
Delayed sailing? Missed delivery window? Jonah drafts vendor or carrier escalation notes with the right context, fast.

Why this matters right now

The Journal of Commerce article makes one thing clear:
BCOs may win on price in 2026, but only disciplined operators will win on total cost.

Agentic AI like Jonah helps teams:

• Enforce contracts operationally

• Catch “non-explainable” surcharges early

• Balance index-linked, fixed, and spot volumes intelligently

• Stay proactive in a market that rewards speed and follow-through

🔑 In short:
Inventry.ai’s Jonah acts as an always-on purchasing assistant — handling the execution layer so your team can focus on strategy, negotiations, and margin protection.