Unanet Alternative
Unanet Alternative for AEC Proposal Teams
Unanet is a full ERP with CRM, financials, and project management. RFPM is purpose-built for the part that matters most to proposal teams: resumes, project sheets, and content reuse.
Why AEC firms look for Unanet alternatives
- Heavy implementation timeline. Unanet is a full platform — CRM, financials, project management, HR, proposals. Implementations typically take 6-12 months. Firms that just need proposal automation don't want to wait a year to start generating resumes.
- Proposal module is one piece of a large platform. Unanet's proposal features exist within a broader ERP. That means the proposal workflow is designed to work with Unanet's other modules, not as a standalone tool. If your firm doesn't need the full ERP, you're paying for and managing a lot of software you won't use.
- Government contractor focus. Unanet was built for government contractors and has deep GovCon-specific features. AEC firms doing a mix of public and private work may find the platform more complex than they need.
- Enterprise pricing for the full suite. You buy Unanet as a platform, not as individual modules. For mid-market AEC firms (15-200 staff) that primarily need proposal automation, the total cost of ownership is hard to justify.
Unanet vs. RFPM at a glance
| Feature | Unanet | RFPM |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Full ERP (CRM, financials, PM, proposals) | Proposal content management |
| Resume generation | Part of proposal module | Core feature — SF330, SOQ, branded formats |
| Project experience sheets | Available within ERP | Full generation and DOCX export |
| Ask RFPM Agent | Partnering with OpenAsset | Built-in — query staff, projects, and RFPs |
| CRM / Financials | Yes — full suite | No — focused on proposal content |
| Implementation time | 6-12 months | Days |
| Target firm size | Mid-market to enterprise | 15-200 staff (mid-market) |
| Free trial | No | 14-day free trial |
Key differences
Focused tool vs. full platform
Unanet is an ERP — it manages CRM contacts, project financials, time tracking, HR, and proposals within one system. That's valuable for firms that want everything in one place. But if your firm already has accounting software, a CRM, and project management tools, adding a full ERP just to get proposal automation is a lot of overhead. RFPM does one thing: it manages staff qualifications and generates proposal components. That's it.
Days to production, not months
A Unanet implementation involves data migration, module configuration, user training across departments, and integration with existing systems. That's a 6-12 month project. RFPM's setup involves uploading your staff data (multi-resume parsing handles the bulk import) and configuring your templates. Most firms are generating tailored resumes within their first week.
Proposal-first AI
Ask RFPM Agent is built around proposal content — you can query across staff qualifications, project histories, and RFP documents to find the right people and past work for each pursuit. Unanet is partnering with OpenAsset on AI features, but the current focus is on the broader ERP data set. RFPM's AI is purpose-built for the "who worked on this type of project?" and "what scope language did we use last time?" questions that proposal teams ask every day.
Right-sized for mid-market AEC
Unanet's strength is serving government contractors who need DCAA-compliant time tracking, project accounting, and CRM in one platform. For an AEC firm with 15-200 staff that primarily needs to stop spending 30-60 minutes reformatting each resume, that's more platform than necessary. RFPM is priced and built for that mid-market firm where one or two people handle all the proposals.
Who should choose RFPM
- ✓AEC firms that need proposal automation without buying a full ERP
- ✓Firms with 15-200 staff that want to be up and running in days, not months
- ✓Proposal teams spending 120-750 hours per year on resume formatting and want that time back
- ✓Firms already using other tools for CRM and financials that just need the proposal piece
Who should stay with Unanet
- —Government contractors that need DCAA-compliant time tracking, project accounting, and CRM all in one platform
- —Firms that want proposal management tightly integrated with their financials and project management
- —Organizations replacing multiple legacy systems and willing to invest 6-12 months in a full platform implementation
Proposal automation without the ERP
RFPM gets your team from scattered Word resumes to structured, one-click generation. Set up in days, not months. Start with a 14-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Can RFPM replace Unanet's proposal module?
RFPM replaces the resume generation and project sheet components of the proposal workflow. It doesn't replace Unanet's CRM, project management, financials, or time tracking. If your firm uses Unanet as a full ERP but finds the proposal module lacking, RFPM can handle the component assembly side — resumes, project sheets, and content querying.
How long does it take to set up RFPM compared to Unanet?
Most firms are producing resumes and project sheets within a few days of starting with RFPM. Unanet implementations typically take 6-12 months because they involve CRM, financials, project management, and HR modules. RFPM is a focused tool that does one thing well, so setup is measured in days, not quarters.
Is RFPM a good fit for government contractors who use Unanet?
Yes, if your bottleneck is proposal component assembly. Many government contractors use Unanet for project management and financials but still assemble SF330 resumes and project sheets in Word. RFPM handles that specific workflow — structured staff data in, tailored proposal components out.
Can I use RFPM alongside Unanet?
Yes. RFPM is a standalone tool focused on proposal content. Firms often keep Unanet for ERP, CRM, and project management while using RFPM specifically for resume generation, project experience sheets, and proposal content querying. The two don't conflict.