Purpose This paper aims to explore the influence of strategic procurement on innovation performance in manufacturing firms, with a particular focus on the mediating roles of organizational learning and supply chain integration. It reconceptualizes procurement as a knowledge orchestration mechanism – a boundary-spanning architecture that governs the flow, integration and conversion of supplier knowledge – rather than viewing it purely as a supply chain function. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing a theoretical framework grounded in the knowledge-based view (KBV) and structural contingency theory, we conducted a survey of 450 manufacturing enterprises in China’s Yangtze River Delta. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling and the bootstrap method to test the proposed relationships. Findings The study finds that strategic procurement significantly enhances innovation performance, with organizational learning, supply chain integration and their interplay acting as key mediators. In addition, the study uncovers the moderating effect of firm size on the relationships between strategic procurement, organizational learning, supply chain integration and innovation performance. Originality/value This study advances theory by repositioning strategic procurement as a boundary-spanning knowledge architecture that orchestrates external expertise. It integrates the KBV with structural contingency theory, revealing how procurement drives innovation through distinct mediating pathways and how firm size reshapes knowledge conversion efficiency and integration cost structures.
Hong et al. (2026) studied this question.