TL;DR

• 58% of organizations have IT leading agentic AI strategy; 53% have Procurement leading — the numbers overlap because both are involved.
• IT brings platform expertise, integration capability, and security governance.
• Procurement brings domain knowledge, process understanding, and use case prioritization.
• The debate isn’t “either/or” — it’s about designing collaboration models that leverage both.
• Successful organizations align budgets, objectives, and governance structures across both functions.

The question of who “owns” agentic AI in procurement is asked in nearly every planning meeting. It’s the wrong question.

The Hackett Group’s 2026 research shows that 58% of organizations have IT leading their agentic AI strategy, while 53% have Procurement leading. Those numbers add up to more than 100% because ownership isn’t binary — in most organizations, both functions are involved, sometimes collaboratively, sometimes contentiously.

The real question isn’t who owns the strategy. It’s how to structure collaboration so that platform expertise and domain knowledge work together rather than compete.

What IT Brings to the Table

IT’s involvement in agentic AI isn’t a power grab — it reflects legitimate capabilities:

Platform and infrastructure expertise. IT understands how AI systems integrate with existing architecture, where data flows, and what security requirements apply.

Vendor management experience. IT has typically managed relationships with technology vendors, including contract negotiation, SLA monitoring, and upgrade planning.

Governance frameworks. Data privacy, security policies, and compliance requirements often sit within IT’s jurisdiction.

Strategic Leadership for Agentic AI in Procurement

Source: The Hackett Group Agentic AI in Procurement Adoption Index – 2026

What Procurement Brings to the Table

Procurement’s claim to leadership is equally valid:

Domain expertise. Procurement understands the nuances of supplier relationships, negotiation dynamics, and category-specific requirements that AI must navigate.

Process knowledge. The people who execute source-to-pay processes daily know where the friction points are, what decisions actually matter, and where automation adds value.

Use case prioritization. Procurement can identify which AI applications will deliver the most business impact versus which are technically interesting but practically limited.

The Collaboration Models That Work

Organizations succeeding with agentic AI aren’t debating ownership — they’re building structures for collaboration:

Joint governance committees. Cross-functional teams that include IT, Procurement, Legal, and Finance to evaluate AI initiatives, approve deployments, and monitor outcomes.

Aligned budgets. Rather than fighting over whether AI investment comes from IT or Procurement budgets, successful organizations create shared funding models tied to business outcomes.

Clear role definitions. IT owns platform decisions and integration. Procurement owns use case definition and adoption. Both share accountability for results.

Zycus — named a Customers’ Choice in the 2025 Gartner Peer Insights for Source-to-Pay Suites — reflects this balance by designing platforms that procurement teams can configure and manage while meeting IT requirements for security, integration, and governance.

Moving Beyond the Debate

• Stop asking “who owns it.” Start asking “what does each function contribute?” and “how do we align incentives?”
• Create shared success metrics. When IT is measured on procurement outcomes and Procurement on technology adoption, alignment follows.
• Build muscle for collaboration. Start with smaller AI projects that require cross-functional work.
  The First 12 Months of Agentic AI: A Practical Roadmap for CPOs. Let teams develop working relationships before tackling enterprise-scale deployments.

The organizations that will win in agentic AI aren’t the ones where IT dominates or Procurement dominates. They’re the ones where both functions recognize that neither can succeed alone — and build the structures to work together.

FAQs

Q1. Should IT or Procurement own agentic AI strategy?
Neither exclusively. IT brings platform expertise and integration capability; Procurement brings domain knowledge and use case prioritization. Successful organizations create collaboration models that leverage both rather than choosing one over the other.

Q2. Why do the ownership percentages add up to more than 100%?
Because most organizations have overlapping involvement. Both IT and Procurement participate in agentic AI strategy — the question is how they divide responsibilities, not which one is absent.

Q3. How do successful organizations structure AI governance?
Through joint governance committees, aligned budgets tied to business outcomes, and clear role definitions where IT owns platform decisions while Procurement owns use case definition — with shared accountability for results.

Related Reads:

1. Why Less Than One-Third of Procurement Organizations Can Scale Agentic AI
2. IT vs Procurement: Who Should Own Your Agentic AI Strategy?
3. Guide to Procurement Agents: Roles, Skills & How AI is Changing the Game
4. Unlocking the Future of Procurement: Synergizing Agentic AI and Generative AI for Seamless Automation
5. Future of Healthcare Procurement with Agentic AI