The Hackett Group Whitepaper 2026 Procurement Agenda & Key Issues Study

Procurement leaders are heading into 2026 with workloads rising 8% while FTEs and operating budgets decline, widening productivity and efficiency gaps. To compensate, organizations plan to increase technology spend by 6.1%.

At the same time, AI-enabled technology has emerged as the most transformational force shaping procurement’s next five years, with 80% of leaders citing it as the top driver of change.

Inside the whitepaper:

• 2026’s top priorities: supply continuity, cost reduction, and AI‑enabled technology.
• AI adoption is accelerating: 56% have deployed agentic AI (pilot or large‑scale).
• AI is delivering impact now: 9–10% gains in productivity and cycle‑time reduction.