New GAUGE Report Arms Huntsville GovCons with AI Best Practices for Efficiencies

The new 8th annual GAUGE Report from Unanet and CohnReznick sheds light on “Balancing Efficiencies & Compliance with AI Insight.” Based on a survey conducted February through April 2024, the industry report gives Huntsville GovCons competitive insights, best practices, and benchmarking tools.

Focus on AI
One highlight is the report’s AI Maturity Model, a tool GovCons can use to determine where their company stacks up in terms of AI implementation and usage. It also includes a special section in which AI experts from the GovCon world highlight opportunities, risks, and potentially high impact use cases that companies should consider as they integrate AI into their workflows and overall business strategy.

“This year’s GAUGE findings are especially compelling for what they reveal about GovCons’ attitude toward, investment in, and use of AI,” said Unanet Vice President of Product Marketing Kim Koster, who co-authored the report along with CohnReznick Partner Christine Williamson. “Not only does the report provide companies with insight about how and where AI can positively impact their business, it also gives them a proven roadmap for implementing and succeeding with AI. The message is clear: GovCons can no longer ignore AI, because it promises to enhance their planning, automate processes, and uncover important insights that give them a competitive edge.”

Key Takeaways
The 2024 GAUGE includes some striking statistics on how GovCons are viewing AI, including:

• One-third of GovCons are currently using AI, applying it most often in the business development and marketing areas.
• More than half of GovCons either currently use or plan to use AI in these business areas in the next year. Finance and accounting remain a no-AI zone for most companies.
• The most prolific users of AI tend to be companies with revenues between $25 million and $50 million.

Beyond the findings about AI, the 2024 GAUGE Report is full of valuable insights to guide leaders through the remainder of 2024 and beyond:

• 71% of GovCons are optimistic about the current GovCon business environment.
• 69% say they are having issues winning new contracts.
• 57% list finding new revenue resources among their top two most significant financial challenges.
• 45% cite lack of business development resources as a challenge.
• 74% rely on personal relationships as one of their top two go-to sources of new opportunities.