Buying AI Tools in 2026: A Procurement Checklist

Sales decks promise transformation; contracts decide who owns outputs and what happens when the API changes.

Before signing, get written answers on data retention, subprocessors, and a thirty-day exit export. If the vendor stalls, the operational risk is yours.

Clarify ownership of fine-tunes and organizational prompts separately from “right to use the service”; ambiguity here gets expensive later.

Read price-change and termination clauses with a replacement scenario in mind; lock-in without an exit path removes your leverage.

Manager action: Before signing, require written answers on data retention, subprocessors, and a 30-day exit export.