Reston, Va. – September 15, 2026 -- Federal acquisition organizations report contract cycle times nearly twice the global benchmark for lower-complexity acquisitions, according to the 2026 US Government Benchmark Report released by the Commerce & Contract Management Institute (CCM Institute).
Federal workers report higher resilience despite structural delays
The study, based on responses from more than 500 federal acquisition professionals and industry suppliers, found federal respondents scoring 5.0 on workforce resilience and 4.6 on adaptability, outperforming global benchmarks of 4.8 and 4.2 respectively. Yet 66 percent of respondents cited ongoing uncertainty and 64 percent cited operational workload as major barriers to organizational agility.
Approval bottlenecks and workload drive acquisition delays
Internal review and approval processes were cited by 62 percent of respondents as a leading cause of delay, matched by excessive workload at 62 percent. These structural constraints, rather than individual performance, were identified as the primary drivers behind extended contract cycle times.
Tim Cummins, Executive Director of the CCM Institute, said the report shows barriers to improved performance are largely systemic. Respondents pointed to late stakeholder involvement, approval bottlenecks, limited diversity in commercial models, and underdeveloped analytics capabilities as major obstacles to reform.
AI adoption concentrates on early contract stages, leaving gaps downstream
Respondents reported the greatest use of artificial intelligence for market research, contract review, summarization, and creation. Adoption remains limited for negotiation, reporting, and performance monitoring activities.
Patrick Hughes, Senior Director and Public Sector Industry Advisor at Icertis, which supported the report, said the next phase of AI adoption will focus on post-award activities, turning contract data into actionable intelligence for performance management and decision-making.
Industry association calls for evolution in governance and technology
Kraig Conrad, Chief Executive Officer of the National Contract Management Association, said the findings confirm the federal acquisition workforce has the experience and commitment to meet current challenges. He added that further evolution of governance, technology, and operating models is needed to deliver stronger mission outcomes.
The CCM Institute was founded and is supported by the National Contract Management Association and World Commerce & Contracting.