Unanet Review: Boost Project Profitability for Government Contractors

Struggling to keep project finances and compliance on track?

If you’re considering Unanet, you’re likely tired of juggling multiple disconnected systems while still missing deadlines, budgets, or key compliance requirements.

Let’s be honest—the daily fire-fighting drains your energy and means your projects feel out of control more often than you’d like.

Unanet takes a different approach, delivering an integrated ERP and CRM platform built specifically for project-based businesses in government contracting and architecture, engineering, and construction. Its single database, real-time dashboards, and recent AI-driven automation (like ProposalAI) promise better project insight, stronger compliance, and a lot less manual work.

In this review, I’ll break down how you can finally connect your projects, people, and financials to build a workflow that actually fits your business.

In this Unanet review, you’ll see how core features like DCAA compliance, real-time project control, CRM automation, pricing, and top alternatives stack up—so you can make a solid decision.

Read on for the features you need to finally streamline your project operations and financial controls, plus the specific Unanet pros and cons you should watch for.

Let’s get started.

Unanet Overview

Unanet has been focused on project-driven businesses since its 1988 founding. Based in Dulles, Virginia, I find their mission is to help companies like yours unify projects, people, and financials.

They specifically serve purpose-built for government contractors and AEC firms, organizations often frustrated by generic ERPs. This sharp focus means the platform feels intentionally designed for your unique compliance requirements and operational challenges.

Their recent GovPro AI acquisition was a very smart move. As we’ll explore through this Unanet review, this technology now powers an innovative ProposalAI tool to help automate government bids.

Unlike some competitors, Unanet emphasizes a single, unified cloud platform. I find their integrated project-to-financial workflows genuinely reduce the painful manual data reconciliation that can slow your entire team down.

You’ll see them working with hundreds of mid-sized GovCon and AEC firms—typically organizations that have outgrown simpler accounting tools and now require robust, integrated systems to support future growth.

From my analysis, their strategy centers on embedding practical AI automation into core financial and project modules. This focus directly addresses your need for greater efficiency and more accurate forecasting.

Now let’s examine their capabilities.

Unanet Features

Trying to connect disparate project data?

Unanet is an integrated platform that solves this by connecting your projects, people, and financials within a single system. These are the five core Unanet features that streamline operations for project-driven businesses.

1. Unanet ERP GovCon

Struggling with DCAA compliance?

Meeting strict government regulations can be a major headache for contractors. This often leads to audit risks and compliance issues.

Unanet ERP GovCon is purpose-built for government contractors, ensuring clarity, control, and compliance with DCAA standards. From my testing, its contract and subcontractor management features really simplify complex requirements, minimizing errors and automating reporting.

This means you can confidently navigate audits and focus on project delivery without compliance worries.

2. Unanet ERP AE

Is project management fragmented across your firm?

Architecture and engineering firms often struggle with disconnected systems for projects, resources, and finances. This creates inefficiencies and delays.

Unanet ERP AE, evolving from Clearview inFocus, centralizes all project aspects from budgeting to team allocation. What I love is how it streamlines processes like automated AP approvals, ensuring projects stay on time and within budget.

So, you get a unified view, which allows your AE firm to deliver projects more predictably and profitably.

3. Unanet CRM

Are you losing track of leads and opportunities?

Managing customer relationships and sales pipelines can be messy without a centralized system. This might result in missed opportunities and higher client acquisition costs.

Unanet CRM, formerly Cosential, acts as a central hub for all your leads and contacts. Here’s what I found: its automation for follow-up emails and meeting scheduling means no lead is overlooked. Plus, the mobile app is fantastic for scanning business cards on the go.

This means your AEC firm or government contractor can win more business by nurturing relationships effectively.

4. Project Management

Is real-time project visibility a constant challenge?

Without integrated tools, tracking project progress, budgets, and tasks in real-time is nearly impossible. This can lead to costly surprises and missed deadlines.

Unanet provides comprehensive project management features, enabling real-time tracking and control. What I find impressive is how flexible work breakdown structures integrate budgeted, planned, and actual work. This gives you deep insights into performance at every level.

The result is your team gains precise control over projects, ensuring they stay on track and within financial parameters.

5. Financial Management

Are financial processes prone to errors and delays?

Manual accounting tasks and disconnected financial data can lead to inaccuracies and slow down cash flow. This impacts your business’s financial health.

Unanet’s integrated financial modules offer robust accounting, including AI-powered AP automation. From my testing, the AI-driven invoice handling and AR automation significantly streamline workflows from billing to payment processing.

This means you can optimize cash flow, reduce errors, and gain real-time financial clarity, ultimately improving your bottom line.

You’ll appreciate how these Unanet features work together, providing a truly integrated solution that eliminates data silos and enhances business decision-making.

Unanet Pricing

Navigating software costs can be tricky, right?

Unanet pricing follows a custom quote model, which means you’ll need to contact sales but also get pricing tailored to your specific needs.

1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors

Understanding Unanet’s cost structure.

Unanet’s pricing is subscription-based, primarily scaling with your user or employee count, particularly for their PSA and GovCon solutions. They tailor pricing to your business size and chosen modules like CRM, Inventory, or Manufacturing. Annual subscriptions may also offer you discounts compared to monthly options.

This means your pricing is designed to grow with your organization, aligning costs to your specific usage and scope.

2. Value Assessment & ROI

Is this investment worthwhile?

Unanet’s integrated platform can significantly reduce your operational inefficiencies and compliance risks, especially for project-driven firms. From my cost analysis, investing in Unanet means gaining real-time financial clarity and control, which can lead to substantial long-term savings and improved decision-making.

This helps you optimize cash flow and reduces errors, ultimately boosting your team’s productivity and profitability.

3. Budget Planning & Implementation

Prepare for total cost of ownership.

Beyond the recurring subscription, you must account for implementation costs, which vary significantly based on your business size and customization needs. Initial setup can range from $5,000 to over $50,000, depending on complexity and how many users you have.

Budget-wise, you should factor in these upfront expenses to ensure a smooth deployment and maximize your return on investment.

My Take: Unanet’s custom pricing approach ensures you pay for what you truly need, making it a strong fit for mid-sized government contractors and AEC firms seeking specialized, integrated solutions.

The overall Unanet pricing reflects tailored value for project-driven organizations.

Unanet Reviews

What do customers really think?

This section dives into Unanet reviews, analyzing real user feedback to provide a balanced perspective on what customers actually experience with the software.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

Most users are quite satisfied.

From my review analysis, Unanet generally receives strong ratings across platforms, reflecting a positive overall sentiment. What I found in user feedback is how its comprehensiveness resonates with project-based firms, driving consistent satisfaction, especially regarding real-time insights for various business functions.

This means you can expect a unified system that genuinely helps manage your project lifecycle.

2. Common Praise Points

Users love the centralized data.

Customers frequently praise Unanet for its ability to centralize critical business data, from project details to contacts. From my analysis, users consistently highlight the elimination of data silos, which dramatically improves communication and operational efficiency within their organizations.

This means your teams will benefit from a single source of truth, improving collaboration significantly.

3. Frequent Complaints

Implementation challenges often arise.

While features are praised, some Unanet reviews mention complexities with role definition and access management. What stands out in user feedback is how implementation timelines can stretch, depending on project scope, with some finding initial setup to be a multi-month endeavor rather than a quick deployment.

These challenges suggest you’ll need a clear strategy and sufficient resources for successful adoption.

Overall, Unanet reviews reveal a powerful system with high user satisfaction, provided implementation is well-managed.

Best Unanet Alternatives

Which Unanet alternative best fits your needs?

The best Unanet alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations, budget considerations, and operational priorities. I’ll help you navigate the competitive landscape.

1. Deltek Costpoint

Seeking deeply entrenched government contracting expertise?

Deltek Costpoint is a powerhouse for government contractors, offering unparalleled compliance and a long history in this niche. From my competitive analysis, Deltek offers a deeply established ecosystem for GovCon, potentially with more specialized integrations if that’s your priority, though Unanet offers a more modern cloud-native approach.

Choose Deltek when your primary need is a solution with extensive history and a vast ecosystem in government contracting.

2. Acumatica

Prioritizing cloud flexibility for mid-sized firms?

Acumatica delivers a highly customizable cloud-based ERP, especially for small to mid-sized businesses that value integration ease. What I found comparing options is that Acumatica provides exceptional flexibility and integration for broader business needs, though its DCAA compliance features might not be as natively robust as Unanet’s purpose-built design.

Consider this alternative if you’re a mid-sized firm needing a highly adaptable cloud ERP with strong third-party connectivity.

3. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Already integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a broad ERP solution that can be adapted if your organization is already deeply invested in Microsoft products. From my analysis, Dynamics 365 offers extensive integration with Microsoft’s suite, though it requires more customization to match Unanet’s industry-specific project focus.

Choose this alternative when your organization is already deeply invested in Microsoft tools and prefers a generalized ERP.

4. Sage Intacct

Is advanced financial management your top priority?

Sage Intacct excels as a cloud-based financial management platform, known for robust accounting, multi-entity, and multi-currency capabilities. Alternative-wise, Sage Intacct offers superior financial depth and reporting, though Unanet provides a more integrated project management and CRM suite alongside its financial modules.

Choose Sage Intacct when advanced financial management and detailed reporting are your primary business needs.

The best Unanet alternatives depend on your specific industry focus and integration needs rather than just feature parity.

Unanet Setup

Concerned about complex software setup?

This Unanet review section will help you understand what’s involved in implementation and set realistic expectations for your Unanet setup process.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

Expect a structured, multi-phase rollout.

Unanet implementation typically spans 12-16 weeks for a mid-sized firm, though larger or more complex projects can extend beyond six months. What I found about deployment is that successful implementation hinges on clear objectives and careful planning, not just technical tasks.

You’ll need to define goals, configure settings, and clean legacy data upfront to prevent disruptions later on.

2. Technical Requirements & Integration

Prepare for focused IT involvement.

Unanet offers flexible cloud or on-premise deployment, but you’ll still need to address data migration from existing systems and potentially integrate with other tools. From my implementation analysis, data cleansing is a critical pre-migration step to ensure accuracy and prevent issues down the line.

Plan for assessing your current data quality and allocating IT resources for migration and system connectivity.

3. Training & Change Management

User adoption is paramount for success.

Staff will need hands-on training on Unanet’s project management, financial tracking, and compliance features, as the learning curve can vary. From my analysis, insufficient training at go-live can derail adoption and lead to long-term usage issues despite the system’s capabilities.

Invest in comprehensive training programs and identify internal champions to foster user buy-in and smooth transition.

4. Support & Success Factors

Vendor support can smooth the path.

Unanet provides U.S.-based customer support and a New Customer Experience Portal, which users often praise for being responsive and knowledgeable during implementation. My evaluation shows responsive vendor support reduces friction significantly, especially during complex data or configuration challenges.

You should leverage Unanet’s support resources and internal project management to ensure a structured and successful deployment.

The Unanet setup process requires a significant commitment of time and resources, but a well-planned implementation yields substantial benefits for project-driven organizations.

Bottom Line

Your search for a project-driven ERP ends here.

My Unanet review reveals a powerful, specialized solution for project-driven organizations, particularly government contractors and AEC firms, seeking integrated project, people, and financial management.

1. Who This Works Best For

Project-driven organizations, especially GovCon and AEC firms.

Unanet is ideal for mid-sized businesses requiring robust project management, financial tracking, and DCAA compliance. From my user analysis, businesses with strict regulatory needs find Unanet’s built-in features invaluable for maintaining adherence and streamlining audits effortlessly.

You’ll succeed with Unanet if your business demands real-time project visibility and unified financial operations across the entire project lifecycle.

2. Overall Strengths

Unanet’s specialized integration is a key advantage.

The software shines with its comprehensive project management, robust financial tools, and critical DCAA compliance features, all within a unified cloud-based platform. From my comprehensive analysis, its ability to connect projects, people, and financials provides a single source of truth for enhanced decision-making.

These strengths translate directly into improved efficiency, better resource allocation, and a significant competitive edge for your firm.

3. Key Limitations

Pricing transparency and implementation complexity.

While powerful, Unanet’s pricing model requires direct contact, and the implementation process can be complex, demanding careful planning and adequate training. Based on this review, initial setup and user adoption require significant commitment to fully leverage the platform’s extensive capabilities and avoid common pitfalls.

I find these limitations manageable if you prioritize specialized features, but they are important considerations for your resource allocation and timeline.

4. Final Recommendation

Unanet receives a strong, niche-specific recommendation.

You should choose Unanet if your project-driven business, especially in GovCon or AEC, needs a comprehensive, integrated ERP/CRM solution with strong compliance. From my analysis, your success hinges on a commitment to structured implementation and leveraging its specialized features for your industry.

My confidence level is high for its target audience, but alternative solutions might be better for general ERP needs.

This Unanet review shows strong value for its specific target market, emphasizing its specialized features while noting implementation considerations.