2026 FedCiv Summit: 5 Outstanding Outcomes for GovCons

• CIOs from DOE, DOL and DOT headline the Oct. 29 event
• AI is the central focus in five of the 2026 FedCiv Summit‘s seven panel discussions
• New SBA defense programs open doors for small DIB firms

Federal civilian agencies are being asked to deliver more with leaner teams, and technology is how they plan to do it. From GSA’s OneGov push to streamline software buying to the Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission to accelerate scientific discovery with AI, civilian agencies are rethinking how they operate.

The White House is backing that shift with a record $75.7 billion IT budget request for civilian agencies in fiscal year 2027, up nearly $8 billion from FY 2026, FedScoop reported. The officials steering that investment are taking the stage at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29 at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia.

For contractors whose portfolios have centered on the Department of War, the 2026 FedCiv Summit is a chance to see exactly where civilian agency priorities line up with the capabilities they already deliver. For established FedCiv players, it’s a full day of keynotes, panel discussions and networking with the leaders behind the next wave of agency modernization.

Register now to secure your seat at the 2026 FedCiv Summit!

Here are five outcomes GovCons can count on taking home from the event.

What Outcomes Can GovCons Expect From the 2026 FedCiv Summit?

1. A Clear Read on Where FY 2027 IT Dollars Are Headed

The $75.7 billion IT request represents a massive opportunity for the industrial base. The 2026 FedCiv Summit will show contractors how individual agencies plan to put their share to work.

Several of the event’s speakers sit directly in the budget and acquisition chain:

• Gustav Chiarello, assistant secretary for financial resources at the Department of Health and Human Services (panelist)
• Andrea Brandon, deputy assistant secretary for budget, finance, grants and acquisition at the Department of the Interior (panelist)
• Greg Justice, chief acquisition officer at the General Services Administration and associate administrator of its Office of Small Business (keynote; pending confirmation)

With $9.5 billion requested for its IT programs, HHS ranks among the largest civilian technology investors in the FY 2027 budget, making Chiarello’s insight especially valuable. Chiarello and Brandon will appear together on the Digital Labor in the Workforce of Tomorrow panel, where they will likely discuss how their departments are funding automation and AI investments. Justice, a keynote speaker, will likely discuss GSA’s acquisition priorities, including its OneGov strategy, which consolidates governmentwide software and technology buying.

Walk away from the 2026 FedCiv Summit knowing which programs are poised for growth and how to position your offerings before solicitations drop. Reserve your spot today!

2. Agency Tech Priorities Straight From the C-Suite

Few events put this many federal technology chiefs in one room. The 2026 FedCiv Summit‘s keynote lineup features three current and former agency CIOs:

• Dawn Zimmer, chief information officer of the Department of Energy and a Wash100 Award winner
• Mangala Kuppa, CIO of the Department of Labor
• Pavan Pidugu (pending confirmation), former chief digital and information officer of the Department of Transportation and a fellow Wash100 recipient

These leaders will likely discuss their agencies’ modernization roadmaps, cybersecurity priorities and plans for scaling AI across their enterprises.

The panel discussions add even more technology leadership. Matheus Passos, acting chief technology officer and deputy CIO of the Department of Commerce, joins the Observability: The Foundation for Federal Shared Services panel. Amy Ritualo, the State Department‘s chief data and AI officer, takes part in From Strategy to Delivery: Modernizing Federal Civilian IT Through AI for Mission Impact.

Hear these priorities firsthand and align your capture strategy accordingly. Register for the 2026 FedCiv Summit now!

3. A Practical AI Playbook for Federal Civilian Work

AI is the common thread of the 2026 FedCiv Summit, running through five of the event’s seven panel discussions. Each one pairs agency officials with industry leaders, so attendees hear both the government’s needs and how vendors are meeting them:

• Digital Labor in the Workforce of Tomorrow: CGI Federal Vice President Karim Fadel moderates a conversation with Chiarello of HHS, Brandon of Interior Dept., Amazon Web Services FedCiv AI leader Kevin Meredith and Glean founder Tony Gentilcore.
• The OneGov Effect: Leveraging AI to Accelerate Agency Modernization and Migration: AWS Principal Account Executive Matt Barrett leads James Donnellon, deputy assistant administrator of the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service; Chris Radich, public sector chief technology officer at UiPath; and Wade Zarriello, acting director of infrastructure operations at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
• From Strategy to Delivery: Precise Software Solutions Senior Vice President Jeremy James guides State Dept.’s Ritualo and TransUnion Senior Vice President Jeffrey Huth through the move from AI pilots to mission results.
• Connecting the Mission: Kpler’s David Doss moderates a discussion on AI, interoperability and trusted information sharing with Tiffany Swygert of CMS, Emily Burdick of the Department of Energy and Richard Miller of Nokia Federal Solutions.
• A TBA lunch panel will revolve around federal AI implementation

Across these sessions, speakers will discuss AI-driven assessment of legacy IT portfolios, digital labor and robotic process automation, and the data foundations agencies need before AI can scale. Bring your questions to the interactive Q&A portions and leave with concrete insight into what agencies want to buy.

Don’t miss the AI conversation at the 2026 FedCiv Summit. Save your seat!

4. An On-Ramp From Defense Into Civilian Agency Work

The line between defense and civilian contracting is getting thinner, and the 2026 FedCiv Summit gives Department of War contractors a direct look at where their experience transfers.

The Small Business Administration is a prime example. In August, SBA launched the Smaller War Plants Commission, a partnership with the Department of War that pairs loan guaranties of up to 90 percent with targeted investment and contracting opportunities for small manufacturers in priority sectors. Those sectors include munitions, unmanned aircraft systems, microelectronics, critical minerals and shipbuilding components.

SBA Deputy Administrator Bill Briggs delivers a keynote at the 2026 FedCiv Summit, where he will likely discuss the agency’s size standards overhaul, what it means for small defense industrial base companies and how small businesses can take part in AI and technology modernization.

Defense-minded perspectives appear throughout the agenda, too. Kpler, a platinum sponsor of the event, brings its defense expertise to the Connecting the Mission panel, which Doss, Kpler’s principal advisor for joint force partnerships, moderates. Justice, who also leads GSA’s small business office, rounds out the keynotes relevant to defense-leaning firms looking to diversify.

If your firm has built its business on defense work, the 2026 FedCiv Summit is the place to find your next market. Register today!

5. A Front-Row View of Energy’s National Security Moment

Energy resilience has become a top national security priority. During his State of the Force address on Sept. 30, Secretary of War and Wash100 winner Pete Hegseth launched FORTRESS America, or Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply and Survivability. The initiative calls for every major military installation to generate its own power and rests on five pillars, including energy independence, defense industrial base resilience and installation hardening and cyber resilience.

That push creates demand well beyond the Pentagon. Grid security, energy infrastructure and cyber protection for critical systems are core missions of the Department of Energy, and two DOE leaders are on the 2026 FedCiv Summit agenda:

• Dawn Zimmer, DOE’s CIO, will likely discuss how the department is modernizing and securing IT across its enterprise as part of her keynote.
• Emily Burdick, principal deputy director of DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, or CESER, joins the Connecting the Mission panel, where she will likely discuss trusted information sharing to protect the nation’s energy sector.

For contractors with energy, cybersecurity or critical infrastructure expertise, these sessions point to opportunities on both sides of the defense-civilian divide. Secure your seat at the 2026 FedCiv Summit!

Why Should GovCons Attend the 2026 FedCiv Summit?

Beyond the keynotes and panels, the 2026 FedCiv Summit builds in ample time to connect. A morning networking reception, multiple networking breaks and a networking lunch give attendees repeated chances to engage with program executives, chief technology officers, integration leads and fellow contractors.

The event’s platinum sponsors reflect the breadth of the FedCiv market: AWS, CGI Federal, Celonis, Glean, Invisible Technologies, Kpler, LogicMonitor, Nokia Federal Solutions, Precise Software Solutions, SAP, TransUnion and UiPath.

Whether you’re expanding a defense portfolio or deepening your civilian agency footprint, the 2026 FedCiv Summit equips your team for FY 2027. Register now and hear from the officials directing federal civilian technology spending!