As I near the end of my journey as a GovLoop featured contributor, I wanted to present seven big trends I think are coming, based on my own experience and watching the govcon world around me, particularly as it shapes RFPs and industry news.
In no particular order, here are my predictions:
- Omnichannel experiences with an emphasis on digital integrations: I’ve written about this already, but gone are the days of citizens having access to fax machines and printers, willing to download PDFs, fill them out and mail them in. Agency systems must connect, correct and communicate, via real-time feedback and processing. Digital experiences must also be accessible across all devices, including mobile, wearables and other form factors.
- Security and privacy for personal data: Government infrastructure faces a growing risk from adversaries. This means agencies must spend more of their budget each year on cybersecurity measures. Complicating this is a growing awareness of data privacy concerns, so agencies will have to continue to balance their own security needs with protection of citizen data. For many agencies with older systems, this is no easy task.
- Government workforce upskilling: Agencies will need to prioritize employee workforce development in new tech (and account for the upcoming mass exit of the boomer generation of federal workers). In order to do this quickly, there will be more employee education programs, public-private partnerships and cross-government hiring efforts.
- Climate change/sustainability: This global trend is massive as it affects not only digital technology approaches, such as controlling AI’s rising carbon cost, but it’s also concerned with physical-world impacts, including renewable energy adoption and infrastructure investments that are designed to help address climate change.
- Impact of social media on worldwide elections: 2024 has 60+ national elections affecting more than four billion voters, more than any prior year in history. At the same time, there has been a rise in mis- and disinformation, which is having an impact on open debate and online discourse. As we approach the U.S. election cycle this fall, watch for policymakers to work quickly to leverage tools and policies in an effort to maintain election integrity.
- Collaborative humanity-first approaches: I wrote about this recently, but the need to foster open, collaborative approaches between government, non-profits and the private sector is at an all-time high. Focus areas include public health, childhood education, climate issues and economic growth, all of which benefit from partnerships.
- Data-driven decisions: Government at all levels is collecting increasing amounts of data. At some point — hopefully, very soon — agencies will begin to shift from simple data collection to actual analysis and action. I expect agencies to continue to invest in data analytics in order to draw insights that help inform organizational policy and resources.
One final area that is already here of course, is AI. There’s a lot of buzz about using AI to do more than just take on automation and repetitive task processing, but government is still behind the private sector. We have seen a lot of hiring and investment in digital tools, solutions and policy, which proves government agencies are still trying to figure everything out. The next 12-18 months will likely lay the foundation for decades to come, and any changes in political administration this fall will have a substantial impact on the direction this area goes. I am both hopeful and cautiously optimistic for the future, and it’s truly a unique time to be in this space, working hand-in-hand with government agencies. I couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead!
Emily Ryan has worked cross-functionally as a designer, full-stack developer and UX researcher to solve a variety of digital issues for public and private sector spaces, focusing on civic tech. She’s worked across start-ups, federal government and consulting agencies. She holds a BFA in Design, an M.A. in Criminal Law and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Government, focusing on technology’s influences and impacts on global democratic movements and free and open elections. In her free time she runs ultramarathons and travels, preferring locations with traditional European holiday markets, walking food tours and modern art exhibits.
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