Most identity initiatives don’t fall short because the technology fails. They fall short because the buying process rewards features, demos, and promises instead of real outcomes. Contracts get signed, projects get delivered, and teams are still left struggling to define what “success” actually means. This session looks at identity procurement from both sides of the table: as a practitioner and consultant responsible for making identity programs work, and as a leader inside a vendor sales organization trying to influence buying decisions. We’ll examine why feature-driven evaluations create accountability gaps, how well-intentioned procurement processes routinely set identity projects up to disappoint, and what it takes to buy an identity solution in a way that holds up after go-live. The goal? Help buyers make good decisions and hold everyone involved accountable for outcomes, not promises.