Supply chain disruption looms as Australian transport workers vote on action ● New Zealand procurement reforms show early implementation progress ● Australian parliamentary inquiry to examine essential supply chain resilience ● MP challenges Federal Government to turn Australian-made message into procurement mandate ● Victoria’s Big Build procurement practices set for royal commission scrutiny ● Forensic tomato testing raises supply chain traceability and forced labour concerns ● Procurement hiring reaches three-year high as contract demand surges ● Operation Kingfisher findings prompt calls for ACT procurement overhaul ● Australian Modern Slavery Act set for biggest overhaul since 2018 ● New Zealand finalises Singapore supply pact as Kiwi businesses face ongoing disruption

Webinar: The Agentic AI Procurement Masterclass, ANZ Edition

A Zycus webinar hosted by PASA
Research Partner: The Hackett Group

DATE

4 August 2026

TIME

11:30 AM AEST (90 min total)

FORMAT

Virtual

COST

Free to attend

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Beyond the Hype: From Point Agents to Governed Outcomes.

Every procurement team in Australia and New Zealand is feeling the pressure to “do something” with AI. Vendors are racing to announce agent libraries (fifty agents here, twenty there). But deploying agents is not the same as Agentic AI, and the difference will determine whether your function captures real value or quietly accrues hidden liabilities.

This masterclass cuts through the noise. Across two focused sessions, you’ll build a clear, research-backed picture of what agentic AI actually is, why the architecture you choose now matters more than the number of agents you deploy, and what a governed, outcome-oriented approach looks like in practice, across source-to-pay workflows your team runs today.

Independent research from The Hackett Group. Accredited by PASA for CPD.

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SESSION 1

What Agentic AI Really Is, and Why Point Agents Are Only Half the Story

The market has discovered the word “agent.” Every procurement platform now ships a library of them, each doing one discrete task in isolation. But deploying agents is not the same as Agentic AI. Session 1 draws on The Hackett Group’s latest procurement research to separate these two ideas clearly.

You’ll walk away with a grounded definition of what agentic AI actually is: what separates a true reasoning system from a chatbot or an RPA script, why “orchestration” is the architectural dividing line, and where governed, multi-agent workflows are creating measurable value across source-to-pay today. Less than 10% of enterprises have scaled AI agents to tangible value. This session explains why, and what the gap really is.

Key Takeaways:

  • A working definition of agentic AI, precise enough to survive vendor conversations
  • Why point agents and agentic AI are architecturally different, not just branding variants
  • Where orchestrated, governed workflows produce outcomes isolated agents cannot
  • The Hackett Group's data on enterprise AI adoption and the maturity gap in governance
  • How to tell "agent washing" from genuine reasoning capability in the tools being sold to you

Speakers: Jonathan Dutton FCIPS

SESSION 2

Agent Debt: What DIY and Studio-Built AI Is Quietly Costing Your Organisation

Every enterprise is quietly accruing agent debt: the compounding cost of AI agents that get built, bought, embedded, and wired together faster than anyone can govern them. Like technical debt, it accrues silently. Unlike technical debt, it touches data access, compliance exposure, spend control, and supplier risk simultaneously.

Session 2 explains why DIY and no-code studio approaches to agentic AI are creating sprawl, not scale, and what that means for procurement teams in particular. You’ll learn what the “shadow agent estate” is, how it forms, and why the architecture decisions being made today (often without procurement in the room) will determine your AI trajectory for years. The session closes on what “good” looks like: a governed estate where every agent is owned, scoped, metered, logged, and stoppable by default. Isolated agents do tasks. Governed, multi-agent flows take procurement from Intake to Outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

  • What agent debt is and how it compounds across risk, rework, and spend
  • Why shadow agent estates form, and why procurement is particularly exposed
  • The difference between the agent estate (what you have) and agent debt (what holding it costs you)
  • Five diagnostic questions to ask before deploying any agent in your organisation
  • What a governed, enterprise-grade agentic architecture looks like in practice

Speakers: Rachel Feenstra, NSW Director & Head of Global Procurement Excellence and Technology Practice, Infosys Portland.

What's Included.

  • Both sessions: foundations, the point-agent distinction, and Agent Debt
  • Research-anchored content from The Hackett Group
  • Practical diagnostic questions to take back to your team
  • Replay access after the live event
  • 1 CPD credit
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Speakers.

Jonathan Dutton FCIPS

Jonathan Dutton is a procurement and supply chain thought leader in the ANZ region and former founding CEO of CIPS Australasia (2004–2013) and CEO of PASA (2020–2023). With over 35 years’ experience, he is the principal of JD Consultancy, where he works as an independent consultant, speaker, trainer, facilitator and coach to nearly 100 organisations across the public and private sectors. He continues to oversee the PASA training programme and is a tutor on the MCIPS programme, specialising in procurement capability development, leadership, negotiation, ESG, AI in procurement, and commercial strategy. Jonathan has designed and delivered large-scale L&D strategies globally, including programmes for DFAT across 105 locations worldwide, and has trained more than 1,000 professionals since 2013 through in-company and public programmes for organisations such as Rio Tinto, BHP, Telstra, Foxtel, Aldi, and government agencies across Australia and New Zealand. He is best known for his “Strategic Procurement Leadership Masterclass,” delivered over 50 times internationally, and is recognised for combining deep practical experience with engaging, case-based delivery across procurement and commercial training.

Rachel Feenstra

NSW Director & Head of Global Procurement Excellence and Technology Practice, Infosys Portland.