How Lindahl Reed Replaced Spreadsheets with Unanet GovCon ERP to Strengthen Compliance and Scale Strategic Growth

Moving Beyond Spreadsheet-Driven Operations in an Increasingly Complex GovCon Environment

Government contractors face growing pressure to balance compliance, operational efficiency, and long-term strategic planning. For Lindahl Reed, those pressures were amplified by market uncertainty, evolving federal requirements, and the need to manage financial performance across a diverse portfolio of programs.

While traditional ERP systems supported core accounting functions, critical planning and forecasting activities still relied heavily on spreadsheets and disconnected processes. Forecasting often required additional tools and manual effort, making it difficult to create a consistent view of business performance.

At the same time, increasing compliance requirements—including CMMC certification—required stronger governance and tighter control over operational and subcontractor data. Leadership needed a more scalable approach that could improve visibility while reducing administrative burden.

Creating a Single Source of Truth for Financial, Project, and Compliance Data

Lindahl Reed selected Unanet GovCon ERP because it provided a more intuitive and accessible experience than legacy government contracting systems while still delivering the controls required for a growing GovCon business.

Unlike traditional ERP platforms that often require significant customization or additional tools for planning and forecasting, Unanet enabled the organization to consolidate critical processes within a single environment. This reduced reliance on spreadsheets while giving leadership access to trusted operational and financial data.

The organization also expanded its use of capabilities such as the subcontractor portal, helping ensure subcontractor and 1099 activity remained within governed workflows. This strengthened compliance efforts while improving operational consistency across the business.

For leadership, the value was not simply replacing legacy tools—it was creating a foundation for more informed decision-making and long-term growth.

Driving Adoption Through Simplicity, Standardization, and Process Optimization

Rather than treating ERP as an accounting-only platform, Lindahl Reed focused on increasing usability across the organization.

Over the past year, the team expanded use of project assignments, controls, templates, imports, and the subcontractor portal. Simplifying processes helped remove friction for users and encouraged broader adoption throughout the business.

The organization also focused on improving project setup workflows and standardizing how information entered the system. As usability improved, employee satisfaction increased and teams became more comfortable relying on the system for day-to-day operations.

This emphasis on simplification helped transform Unanet GovCon ERP from a financial application into an operational platform that supports planning, reporting, compliance, and decision-making across the organization.

Building a Foundation for Automation, AI, and Scalable Operations

With core processes now centralized, Lindahl Reed is focused on the next stage of operational maturity.

The organization is actively evaluating Data Lake capabilities and emerging AI technologies to further automate repetitive financial and administrative work. Leadership sees significant opportunities to reduce manual effort in areas such as invoicing, contract processing, and data management.

Kevin Farrell believes AI and automation will become essential to helping organizations do more with less while maintaining strong governance and compliance standards.

Because Lindahl Reed has already established a trusted system of record within Unanet GovCon ERP, the company is well positioned to take advantage of future innovations without introducing additional complexity or fragmentation.