to AI and machine learning. In aggressive sectors like institutional banking and retail, that figure often exceeds 20%. While overall IT spending remains stable, buyers are increasingly rerouting funds toward providers that can demonstrate measurable results rather than those offering traditional, highly customized time-and-materials engagements.

The survey highlights a significant rise in productivity expectations, with executives now anticipating gains of 15% to 17% in areas like developer productivity and contact center automation. This shift is forcing a fundamental change in how consulting and services firms compete, moving them toward platform-based delivery and outcome-based pricing models. Megha Chawla, head of Bain’s Global Technology Services sector, warns that the window to adapt is closing rapidly; providers that fail to deliver repeatable, scalable AI platforms risk seeing up to 30% of their revenue base erode as clients seek firms that can accelerate time-to-value.

As the demand for multiservice solutions grows, the scarcity of talent remains a critical bottleneck. AI/ML engineering, data science, and cybersecurity are cited as the most difficult skills to source, requiring firms to treat talent transformation as a strategic imperative rather than a human resources function. Bain suggests that success will depend on aggressively reskilling workforces for AI-led delivery while redesigning roles as automation absorbs routine tasks. Providers that decisively integrate domain expertise with creative problem-solving will be best positioned to capture the shifting market spend in a year defined by the transition from experimentation to enterprise-scale AI.

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