Unanet Releases 2026 AEC Inspire Report Revealing AI Adoption Surge While Data Confidence Lags
Most resilientfirms are embracing technology to improve win rates and make-up for lack oftalent amid lagging optimism
Dulles, VA, June 2, 2026 – Unanet, the leader in AI-first ERP andgrowth software for the architecture, engineering, andconstruction (AEC) industries, today released its 2026 AEC Inspire Report(LINK), “Winning at the Speed of Change: Mastering Strategy, Resilience, andTransformation.” The comprehensive annual survey, drawn from responses fromapproximately 300 AEC leaders across the U.S., provides in-depth analysis ofhow companies in this sector are navigating rapid change driven by AIadvancement, policy shifts and persistent staffing challenges.
Key findings from the 2026 AEC Inspire Report:
· AI adoption has accelerated,but data confidence lags. 75% of AEC firmsnow use AI, up roughly 20 percentage points year-over-year; yet only 29% reporthigh confidence in the underlying data that fuels those AI tools, creating arisk that AI insights could be flawed. The most successful users of AI havestrong data governance protocols in place.
· Talent remains AEC firms’ top concern. Despite widespread reports of AI displacing workers, AEC firms identifytalent acquisition and retention as their foremost business concern, ahead ofeconomic factors and competition.
· Firms are mostlyusing AI in Business Development and Marketing functions. The majority of the industry is open to using AI in back-officeapplications such as proposal writing, forecasting and reporting, and projectmonitoring.
· Proposal volume is surging but win rates remain flat. Faced with economic uncertainty,many AEC firms have adopted a high-volume pursuit strategy, submitting moreproposals in the hope of winning more work. Yet win rates have held steady atapproximately 50%, suggesting that volume alone is not a substitute forstrategic go/no-go discipline. Most firms have go/no-go processes in place, butonly half are formalized with an industry leading tool like ProposalAI AEC.
· Industry optimism hits a two-year low. The share of AEC firms expressing optimism about the industry hasdeclined 20 percentage points over the past two years, falling from 86% in 2023to 66% in 2025. The drop reflects mounting pressures from economic uncertainty,intensifying competition and an increasingly complex business environment, evenas firms continue to grow revenues and hold net profit steady at approximately16%.
· Client expectations continue to rise. Client demands around timeline, budget and service quality have grownmeaningfully over the past twelve months. Encouragingly, the industry reportsthat it has largely met those elevated expectations, a testament to operationalresilience even in challenging conditions.
“It’s become undeniably clear that the pace of change isaccelerating, so the question is no longer how quickly or how much firmscan grow, but how well they can,” said Akshay Mahajan, Unanet’sExecutive Vice President of AEC. “Obtaining sustainable, predictable growthmeans embracing a broader view of your business and clarifying long-termobjectives. For firms that have already taken this step, enhancing data disciplinewill unlock hidden efficiencies and guide any necessary adjustments.”
While AI is reshaping how firmsoperate, the findings reveal a widening gap between technology adoption and theunderlying data readiness required to make that technology truly effective. Thereport demonstrates why the most successful AEC firms are implementing the“Four C’s” of strategic alignment including (1) Corporate Growth, (2) Capabilitiesand Capacity, (3) Capital Outlay, and (4) Clients and Projects. The 2026Inspire Report provides a comprehensive list of questions to initiatediscussions and reveal where more clarity might be needed by AEC firms.
“Strategic decisions should be driven by data. But collecting and using theright data can be hard without knowing what blind spots exist at yourorganization,” continue Mahajan. “That’s where Unanet offers its greatestvalue. We enable AEC firms to connect their system of record with both agenticcapabilities and human intelligence, so their business has the most insight andanalysis possible.”
To download the 2026 AEC Inspire Report, visit https://info.unanet.com/2026-aec-inspire-report.
About Unanet
Unanet is the leaderin AI-first ERP and growth software for project-based businesses. Trusted bymore than 4,200 government contractor, architecture, engineering, andconstruction firms, Unanet unifies financials, projects, and pursuits withbuilt-in automation and compliance—all supported by a dedicated customersuccess team. This empowers leaders to make confident, real-time decisions thatdrive growth from pipeline to profit. Learn more at unanet.com.
Media Contact:
Claire Mylott
Feed Media for Unanet
Source: Unanet.
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