Deltek Clarity: Government Contracting Industry Study

The 2024 Deltek Clarity Government Contracting Industry Study is the most comprehensive resource to advance competitive positioning for government contractors. It covers a wide range of topics related to project-based businesses, including financial performance, project management practices, compliance and security regulations, labor market trends, contract management efficiencies, technology adoption and responding to rapidly evolving government market conditions. Download the study to see how your peers and high performers are managing and overcoming the challenges facing government contractors today and into the future.

Despite increasing labor costs and persistent inflation, survey respondents have reported positive growth and even more optimistic projections for the future. They are showing confidence in diversification strategies as well as investments in AI to help overcome the challenges of the industry. Other priorities include:

Compliance with Government Regulations: Most respondents expect the cost of compliance to increase this year. This includes meeting regulations such as Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).

Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity is the top concern among IT professionals in this year's Clarity survey, likely due to changing requirements in the government contracting space, such as the CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) regulation that is anticipated to be finalized this year.

Business Development and Capture Management: BD teams remain upbeat about their prospects in 2024 even as competition intensifies and inflation impacts bottom lines. Improving win rates, with a focus on opportunity identification leveraging AI technology, is a focus this year.

Talent Acquisition and Retention: Similar to previous years, talent retention and acquisition remain a struggle as the talent market continues to be competitive, especially in IT and project management-related fields.

Innovation and Technology: Government contractors are increasingly seeking innovative solutions to address complex business challenges and this year, AI and machine learning have become the top technologies prioritized for investment.

Performance and Delivery: Government contractors are expecting to deliver on their contracts and meet performance milestones while maintaining quality of products and services.

Join Deltek for an executive roundtable discussion on the government contracting benchmarks, analysis, exclusive industry insights and a review of market conditions and challenges facing the industry.

The latest iteration of the Clarity government contracting industry survey was fielded in the first quarter of 2024 and consisted of over 60 questions, divided into seven functional roles that respondents self-identified with based on their experience and qualifications. All respondents were government contractors, from small businesses to large global enterprises, who work across a variety of industries providing goods and services to the public sector with the most representation from:

• Information technology (18%)
• Professional services (18%)
• Defense, weapons, aerospace or manufacturing (11%)

Of all respondents, 62% work with the federal government, 56% with state, local, K-12 or higher education (SLED), and 30% are active in both markets. This year also included companies located and working in Canada (22%).

Deltek takes pride in supporting government contractors through project-based solutions and services and through the thought leadership and education we provide to the industry. Learn more about how our solutions can help your firm streamline its processes for finding, winning and managing government contracts:

• Deltek Solutions for Government Contractors – Discover why government contractors trust Deltek's purpose-built suite of solutions for the government contracting industry to help them find, win and manage their public sector projects.
• Government Contracting Blog – Discover the latest government contracting news, trends and insights.
• Government Contracting 101 Guide – Get the information you need to find, win and manage government contracts successfully.
• Top Federal Opportunities for FY 2024 – Build your public sector pipeline with the Top Federal Opportunities for FY 2024.
• 2023 GovCon Clarity Study - Reflect on the 2023 GovCon Clarity study to shed light on just how much the government contracting industry has evolved over the last year.