Maria Panichelli contributed insight to the 17th Annual Deltek Clarity Government Contracting Industry Study, a widely relied-upon benchmarking study based on survey data from 917 government contractors across the US and Canada.
The report highlights a defining challenge in today’s government contracting environment: the need to move faster while maintaining strong compliance, audit readiness, and operational control. In speaking with Deltek, Maria emphasized that success increasingly depends on balancing speed with accountability in a more scrutinized market.
She highlighted specific risks for small business contractors, explaining that “In small business contracting, what seems like common sense can create affiliation risk. Control, especially ‘unconditional control,’ is often the deciding factor in eligibility, and companies must ensure they don’t cede too much authority internally or to partners.”
Overall, Maria urged contractors to stay ahead of rapid change, noting, “Government contracting has always been an area where things move fast. But right now, things are going at light speed, and changes are being made across the board. You must remain proactive about staying on top of developments across a wide variety of topics, or build a team of experts around you who can help you do so.”