How to Maximize AI and GenAI Implementation Now

In August 2024, Lohfeld Consulting sponsored a LinkedIn poll asking respondents, “Are you maximizing the benefits of your AI/GenAI implementation?” Throughout the past year, we have seen the use of AI in the bid and proposal industry grow and become ubiquitous. So, we decided to ask the question again in September 2025 to determine if there was a difference. Table 1 lists the survey results from 117 respondents.

Table 1: Are you Maximizing the Benefit of Your AI/GenAI Implementation?

Survey says….	2024	2025
Exceeding expectations	10%	21%
Meeting most needs	10%	22%
Room for improvement	42%	46%
Not meeting expectations	38%	11%

Key Findings

Sharp Decline in Failures: In 2024, 38% of respondents reported that AI was not meeting expectations. By 2025, that number had plummeted to just 11%. This suggests that organizations have become more sophisticated in their use of AI, moving beyond experimental pilots to more structured and integrated use cases.

Rising Success Stories: The number of respondents reporting that AI exceeded expectations grew from 10% to 21%. While still a minority, this increase demonstrates that teams investing strategically in AI are earning good returns.

Persistent Middle Ground: The largest group consists of those who see room for improvement, rising from 42% to 46%. This reflects the reality that while AI tools are improving, challenges persist in areas such as text generation capabilities, workflow integration, and user training.

Gains in “Meeting Needs”: The percentage of respondents who said AI is meeting most needs doubled from 10% to 21%. This suggests more teams are stabilizing their AI implementations.

How Can We Improve the Implementation of AI Use?

With nearly 50% of respondents indicating there is room for improvement, here are six suggestions for maximizing the implementation of AI/GenAI.

1. Identify the Right Use Cases: AI should be applied where it adds the most value, such as draft content generation, question development, and risk analysis. Avoid stretching it into areas where customer insight and strategic thinking are essential. Click here for a list of 50 use cases to apply to your AI/GenAI implementation.

2. Invest in Team Training: Provide structured training on prompt engineering, evaluator expectations, and tool capabilities. Lohfeld Consulting offers a class, GenAI for Proposal Professionals, that takes you beyond simply operating a tool—it teaches students how to conduct capture and proposal activities using GenAI through hands-on activities. Additionally, well-trained users are far more likely to produce evaluator-ready content and avoid the pitfalls of “AI Speak.”

3. Establish Guardrails for Accuracy and Security: AI can introduce risks if unchecked. Implement clear policies for fact-checking, safeguarding sensitive data, and enforcing compliance. This ensures output remains trustworthy and secure.

4. Integrate AI into Proposal Workflows: AI works best when aligned with proven workflows. Embedding AI into RFP analyses, question generation, risk mitigation, and quality control builds evaluator confidence.

5. Foster Human-AI Collaboration: Position AI as a partner, not a replacement. Encourage SMEs, writers, and managers to use AI to accelerate their work while retaining ownership of strategy, storytelling, and customer alignment.

Finally, track time saved, quality improvements, and win rates from AI-driven efforts. Regularly assessing your return on investment (ROI) enables leadership to make informed decisions about scaling or refining the use of AI/GenAI.

Conclusion

The results of our survey show just how far the bid and proposal industry has come in harnessing AI/GenAI and how much opportunity still lies ahead. With fewer teams struggling, more exceeding expectations, and the majority seeking improvements, one thing is clear: success depends on structured processes, practical training, and proven guidance.

At Lohfeld Consulting, we help organizations turn AI potential into measurable results—from capture and proposal services to targeted training programs that build lasting skills. If your team wants to move its AI implementation from “room for improvement” to “exceeding expectations,” let us help you get there. Explore our services and enroll in our training classes to maximize your ROI.

Relevant Information

• 50 Use Cases for GenAI Implementation Victory Now

• Spotting “AI Speak” in Proposals — and Why It Matters

• GenAI for Proposal Professionals Training Class

By Brenda Crist, Vice President at Lohfeld Consulting Group, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow

Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals. As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $170B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube^(TM).