Growing smarter in FY25: How GovCons can adapt and thrive

Government contractors are operating in a more constrained and competitive market than they’ve seen in years. Delayed appropriations and continuing resolutions have disrupted agency planning. Federal budgets are shifting dramatically and acquisition workforces are having to do more with fewer staff. And dramatic overhauls of FAR and agency policies are causing confusion and delays in contracting as remaining staff have to change the way they work.  

For many small and mid-sized government contractors, this reality is starting to take a toll. The pressure to grow hasn’t gone away, but the path to growth has narrowed. Contracts that once seemed attainable are now harder to reach. Agencies are consolidating awards, often favoring larger primes with the infrastructure to handle complex projects and the tech stack to prove their value on paper. 

This is not a passing phase. It’s a structural shift in how government work is being awarded. And it’s reshaping the rules of engagement for GovCon companies that don’t have time or resources to waste. 

BD teams are being asked to do more with less 

Business development (BD) and capture teams are bearing the brunt of the current environment. Many have leaner headcounts than they need, resulting in teams chasing urgent deadlines with a limited capacity to build a long-term pipeline or evaluate new opportunities effectively. 

Even high-performing teams are stretched to their limits. Some companies simply can’t afford a dedicated proposal manager or a full-time capture lead. Instead, a handful of employees are expected to juggle strategy, execution, and compliance while still maintaining customer relationships and tracking opportunities across multiple platforms. 

That workload leads to burnout. It also leads to missed opportunities. When your team is overextended, it becomes difficult to focus on the right pursuits – leading to missed opportunities, lower Pwin, and a higher cost of sales. Without tools that help you identify, score, prioritize, and track opportunities with precision, it becomes harder to grow profitably and ensure your efforts are focused where they’ll deliver the greatest return. 

Set-aside transitions are putting new pressure on pipeline strategies 

For companies graduating from 8(a) or other socioeconomic set-aside programs, these market conditions are particularly challenging. Many relied heavily on protected competitions to build past performance and gain a foothold in the market. As they transition into full and open competition, the stakes rise dramatically. 

To remain competitive, these companies must quickly diversify their portfolios, find new partners, and expand their reach into unfamiliar agencies or contract vehicles. That requires access to accurate intel, visibility into their pipeline, and the ability to evaluate opportunities in real time. Many don’t have the infrastructure in place to support that kind of transition, which increases their exposure to re-compete risk and revenue disruption. 

Old habits and outdated tools are starting to break down 

Most GovCon SMBs know that the tools they’ve relied on in the past are becoming liabilities. Spreadsheets can’t support complex pipelines. Siloed systems lead to gaps in communication. And legacy customer tracking tools lack the flexibility, automation, and integration that today’s market demands. 

Companies that still rely on static or disconnected CRM systems often spend more time maintaining data than using it. They lose visibility into opportunity status, proposal deadlines, and partner relationships. And they miss chances to strengthen their positioning early in the pursuit cycle. 

The problem isn’t effort. It’s misalignment. BD teams are working hard. But without tools that surface the right information at the right time, that effort doesn’t translate into results. 

A modern CRM isn’t a nice-to-have…it’s a growth enabler 

In this environment, CRM software needs to be more than a place to store contact information. It needs to help teams collaborate, make decisions, and prioritize their time. It needs to integrate directly with the company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to provide context around past performance, available resources, and whether they are on pace to achieve their financial targets. 

Unanet CRM delivers that kind of intelligence in a single platform, purpose-built for the GovCon space. With Unanet, companies gain full visibility into their pipeline, clear tracking of pursuit milestones, and tools that support more accurate forecasting and reporting. It helps BD teams focus on high-value opportunities and execute with confidence, even in a tight market. 

Unanet CRM delivers the intelligence GovCon firms need in a single, purpose-built platform: giving teams full visibility into the pipeline, clear tracking of pursuit milestones, and the tools to forecast and report with accuracy. It empowers BD teams to focus on high-value opportunities and execute with confidence, even in a tight market. 

To learn more about how Unanet CRM can help your organization, connect with a Unanet expert today.