SOVRA Strengthens Leadership Team to Accelerate Next Generation of AI-Powered Public Procurement

Former VMware CTO Kit Colbert Joins Board of Directors; Technology and Product Leader Suhas Kelkar Appointed Chief Technology Officer

LATHAM, NY — July 31, 2026 — SOVRA, the technology company behind one of North America’s largest public procurement software systems, connecting more than 7,000 government agencies and 1 million suppliers, today announced the appointment of Kit Colbert to its Board of Directors and Suhas Kelkar as Chief Technology Officer.

The appointments come as SOVRA accelerates development of its next-generation platform and expands its investment in AI-powered procurement. Rather than treating AI as an add-on feature, SOVRA is embedding intelligence directly into the architecture of the platform. The company’s approach is guided by its Community of Practice, ensuring new capabilities are shaped by government procurement professionals and developed with transparency, accountability, and trust at their core.

As SOVRA advances this vision, the company is strengthening its technology leadership with two executives who have led large-scale platform transformations, built high-performing product and engineering organizations, and helped bring AI-driven innovation to market. 

“As governments move beyond AI experimentation and focus on practical implementation, they’re looking for technology that understands the realities of public sector work,” said Tom Spengler, Chief Executive Officer of SOVRA. “Kit and Suhas bring the experience and vision to help us accelerate our platform strategy and deliver meaningful innovation for our customers.”

Kit Colbert Joins SOVRA Board of Directors

Colbert is a highly respected technology executive with deep experience leading product and engineering organizations through periods of significant transformation. He currently serves as Platform CTO at Invisible Technologies and previously held senior leadership roles at VMware, where he helped shape the company’s technology strategy and evolution into a modern SaaS business. He brings expertise spanning product innovation, organizational transformation, artificial intelligence, and platform strategy.

As a member of SOVRA’s Board of Directors, Colbert will provide strategic guidance as SOVRA advances its product and technology vision, helping the company accelerate platform innovation, unlock new opportunities through data and AI, and support customer adoption of emerging capabilities.

Suhas Kelkar Named Chief Technology Officer

Kelkar joins SOVRA with more than two decades of experience leading engineering and product at SaaS organizations. Most recently, he served as Chief Product Officer at Mavvrik and previously held senior leadership roles at OpenGov and other high-growth govtech companies, where he helped modernize platforms, scale engineering organizations, and deliver innovative solutions to customers.

As Chief Technology Officer, Kelkar will lead SOVRA’s technology strategy and engineering organization, driving platform modernization, AI innovation, cybersecurity, and long-term scalability. 

“The opportunity isn’t simply to add AI to existing software; it’s to rethink how technology can help public sector teams work more effectively,” said Kelkar. “I’m excited to help build solutions that harness the power of AI while reflecting the principles that public procurement depends on.”

Building AI for the Public Sector

As governments increasingly explore the role of artificial intelligence in procurement and operations, SOVRA is taking a deliberate approach to innovation. Rather than treating AI as an add-on capability, the company is embedding intelligence directly into procurement and contract management workflows while maintaining the transparency, compliance, and governance standards public agencies require.

“We’re building AI with the public sector, not simply for the public sector,” said Spengler. “We have made it a priority to include customers in shaping how these technologies are applied to ensure they solve real-world challenges while preserving fairness, transparency, and trust.”

About SOVRA

SOVRA helps governments and suppliers work smarter together. Through its portfolio of procurement, supplier intelligence, contract management, and planning solutions, SOVRA enables public sector organizations to improve efficiency, strengthen transparency, and achieve better outcomes. Serving more than 7,000 public agencies and connecting over 1 million suppliers, SOVRA operates one of the largest procurement ecosystems in North America.