EOFY 2026: AI and your IT procurement plan
The end of financial year often brings IT procurement planning into focus, and in 2026, there are strong market factors to consider.
As AI infrastructure grows, hardware costs have been rising steadily across the supply chain. Our suppliers expect these increases to continue into the new financial year, so waiting it out isn’t a clear solution.
But this is not the time for panic-buying, either. By taking a clearer look at what your business needs 2026 and beyond, you can invest in products that create lasting value.
Why hardware prices are rising in 2026
While AI is transforming day-to-day productivity, its supporting infrastructure is growing fast. Data centres need large volumes of memory and storage to support AI workloads, placing pressure on global supply chains.
Those same components are also required for everyday business technology, including laptops, servers and networking devices. As demand rises, manufacturers are directing more supply toward high-performance AI infrastructure and enterprise markets. For small and medium businesses, this can mean higher prices, longer lead times or less availability.
Gartner estimates combined memory and storage prices could rise by 130% by the end of 2026, contributing to a projected 17% increase in PC prices compared to 2025.
Put simply, the same market forces driving AI growth are flowing through to everyday business hardware.
Cheapest is not always best value
When prices rise, it’s natural to look harder for savings. But it can become a false economy if it leads to underperforming hardware, inconsistent standards or shorter device life. Any upfront saving can quickly be absorbed by lost productivity, extra support time and earlier replacement.
The right device is the one that enables effective work, lasts 3 – 4 years, and fits the standards your business needs to maintain. Through our managed IT services, device lifecycle management guides these decisions for each role, at the right time, with your longer-term priorities in mind.
EOFY is a useful checkpoint
EOFY can be a smart time to act, especially if hardware purchases are already planned or ageing devices are creating risk. But the best decisions still come from a clear view of what your business needs now and what is coming next.
Before approving purchases, it’s worth asking:
- Are any devices approaching end of warranty or end of useful life?
- Are ageing devices still performing well under current operating systems and security requirements?
- Are performance issues starting to affect productivity?
- Are there plans for additional hires, office moves or software changes?
- Are servers, network infrastructure or backup systems still fit for the next phase?
This is where regular technology alignment reviews make a difference. When device lifecycle management and broader alignment checks are part of your managed services arrangement, procurement becomes less reactive. You can see what is coming, plan the refresh, and make clearer calls about priority, timing and value.
For CFOs and senior leaders, that turns hardware purchasing into a business conversation. A good procurement decision should connect to risk, productivity, cash flow and operational priorities. If suppliers are indicating further increases or tighter availability, staged purchasing may offer more control than waiting until a device fails or a project becomes urgent.
EOFY may be the prompt, but the goal is a stronger year ahead.
Making EOFY work for what’s next
In a rising-cost market, waiting can carry a cost. But so can rushing. The goal for this EOFY should be measured purchasing: understanding the market, reviewing your environment, and making technology decisions to enable what’s next for your business.
At Bigfish, we help partners make these decisions with care, commercial thinking and a clear view of that next phase. If you are reviewing your IT procurement plan before 30 June, we’re here to help.
