IDC and Hackett reach the same conclusion on SoftCo

Dublin, 9 October 2026

IDC and Hackett Group are two independent analyst firms. In September 2026 they assessed AP automation vendors using different methods, and they reached the same conclusion about SoftCo. IDC positioned SoftCo in the Leaders category in its 2026 MarketScape for AI-enabled AP automation software for large enterprise, and The Hackett Group named SoftCo 2026 Top Tech across all three pillars of its Fall 2026 SolutionMap. The two firms did not assess the same things, which is why the overlap matters.

What IDC and Hackett each assessed

IDC evaluated 22 vendors for large enterprise buyers. It scored capabilities, which look at the product as it stands. It also scored strategies, which look at whether a vendor's plans for the next three to five years match what buyers need. IDC based its scoring on vendor briefings, surveys, customer interviews and public information. In its profile, IDC describes an architecture that connects supplier onboarding, procurement, e-invoice capture, AP and tax processing, reconciliation and payment execution "as a single governed control chain." IDC adds that each stage of the payables life cycle is a discrete control point, feeding verified data into the next. It also notes integrations across more than 200 ERP systems.

IDC names two strengths. The first is a multi-ERP and multi-entity architecture built for complex enterprise environments. The second is an outcome-oriented engagement model. In it, SoftCo keeps direct ownership of the customer relationship and of project success.

Hackett used a different method. The Fall 2026 SolutionMap evaluated 122 procurement and finance technology providers across 16 source-to-pay categories. Hackett assessed more than 500 functional and capability criteria, required product demonstrations and added independently verified, anonymised customer value ratings. As a result, Hackett named SoftCo Top Tech in all three pillars. These were AP Automation, Platform Technologies and Supplier Management.

Both point to control

The two reports start from different questions. However, they converge. IDC argues that the enterprise AP challenge has moved beyond removing manual invoice processing. It now lies in coordinating AP across systems and organisational boundaries, while giving finance consistent visibility and governance. IDC calls this the emergence of an "AP control plane". It adds that the competitive battle is moving beyond who owns the invoice. Increasingly, it is about who coordinates the work around it.

Kevin Permenter, Research Director, Financial Applications, IDC, writes in the report's synopsis: "Enterprise AP is becoming a control layer for financial operations. The leaders will be the platforms that can coordinate complexity across systems while giving finance confidence that every automated action remains visible, governed, and accountable."

Hackett's criteria point the same way. For example, they cover the full breadth of the AP lifecycle, including platform technologies and supplier management, not only invoice processing. In addition, Hackett's analyst summary of SoftCo says: "SoftCo's AP is structured around finance-driven control and auditability."

Hackett's customer value scores come from independent, anonymised interviews with customers, which SoftCo could not influence. In those interviews, customers scored SoftCo 10/10 for Customer Satisfaction and 10/10 for Expectations Met. The result measures what happens after go-live, not the promises made before it. The full Hackett announcement has the detail.

The shift both firms describe is one SoftCo has also been working through. SoftCo's Supplier Control Framework sets out its own view that the unit of control is moving from the invoice to the supplier. That is SoftCo's perspective, however, and not a finding by either firm. Neither IDC nor Hackett has assessed the framework, so neither endorses it.

What SoftCo is building

Because of that, the recognition aligns with the direction SoftCo is taking, which is to extend AP automation into broader financial control. That direction builds on SoftCo's existing AP automation, supplier lifecycle management and multi-ERP foundations. SoftCo is developing the broader Financial Control Platform on top of that foundation.

"Complex financial environments don't reward generic software, they reward fit," said Anton Scott, CEO of SoftCo, when SoftCo announced the Hackett result.

For buyers building a shortlist, two independent assessments that agree are stronger evidence than either one alone. For SoftCo, they confirm the direction. The work continues.

Read the IDC announcement and the Hackett announcement, or find out more about SoftCo's AP automation platform.