Holloway, Updike & Bellen, Inc. (HUB), a civil engineering firm based in Oklahoma, has built a strong reputation delivering complex infrastructure projects—including water and wastewater systems, roads, and bridges— across the state. With approximately 44 employees and over 300 active projects, HUB needed a modern ERP foundation to support continued growth and operational visibility.
After many years working successfully in Deltek Vision—and even earlier systems—HUB partnered with Aktion Associates to transition to Deltek Vantagepoint, ensuring the firm could scale, improve usability, and empower more team members with real-time project insight.
Industry: Construction Architecture, Engineering & Design
Headquarters: Muskogee, OK
Solutions: Deltek Vantagepoint
Website: www.hubengrs.com
HUB had been a long-time Deltek user, progressing from earlier systems to Vision, which had served the firm well for years. However, as the organization grew, limitations began to emerge—not due to performance issues, but due to future readiness.
At the same time, the firm recognized a broader challenge: much of the system knowledge and project visibility lived with a small number of individuals, limiting scalability and collaboration.
“Vision was handling us real well… but it was time. We needed something we could grow into.”
Additionally, project managers had limited direct interaction with project financial data, often relying on administrative support instead of accessing insights themselves.
HUB selected Deltek Vantagepoint as the natural next step—building on their existing Deltek foundation while introducing a more modern, user-friendly platform designed for A&E firms.
Aktion Associates led the transition, providing structured guidance, training, and a carefully managed conversion process.
The implementation focused on three key areas:
Aktion guided HUB through a Vision-to-Vantagepoint migration, ensuring continuity while introducing new capabilities. The transition preserved historical data and processes while enabling a more flexible, scalable environment.
Aktion delivered hands-on training that went beyond basic functionality, helping HUB understand how to fully leverage the system—including features they had not utilized in Vision.
With Vantagepoint, HUB implemented role-based security and dashboards, enabling project managers and engineers to directly access relevant data—without overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
HUB’s decision to move forward with Deltek Vantagepoint was grounded in a combination of long-standing experience, practical evaluation, and future-focused planning.
As a firm that had successfully used Deltek solutions for decades, HUB wasn’t looking to reinvent its systems—they were looking to evolve them.
While alternative solutions were briefly considered, many lacked the integrated capabilities required for a project-based engineering firm, particularly across financials, project management, and operational workflows.
Internally, the evaluation process was streamlined. With deep institutional knowledge of the firm’s systems and workflows, Tammie Parker played a central role in guiding the decision, working closely with ownership to align on the next step.
Ultimately, the decision came down to choosing a solution that could build on what already worked, while providing the scalability, usability, and long-term support needed for the firm’s next phase of growth.
HUB’s relationship with Aktion spans over two decades, dating back to earlier Deltek systems. This long-standing partnership played a critical role in both the decision to upgrade and the success of the implementation.
HUB also noted the value of working with a partner who could bridge the gap between Deltek software and real-world application. She said, “Aktion comes in and says, ‘Here’s the solution’—and helps you understand it.”
Since implementing Vantagepoint, HUB has begun to shift toward a more distributed, insight-driven operating model.
Project managers and engineers are now positioned to take a more active role in understanding project performance, with improved access to dashboards and reporting.
While still early in the rollout, the firm expects continued gains in:
HUB continues to work closely with Aktion as they expand their use of Vantagepoint and prepare for future growth.
With leadership transitions on the horizon, the firm is focused on building internal knowledge and ensuring long-term continuity—supported by Aktion’s ongoing guidance and expertise.
By transitioning from Deltek Vision to Vantagepoint with Aktion, Holloway, Updike & Bellen has modernized its ERP foundation while preserving the stability and familiarity of its long-time systems.
The result is a more scalable, user-friendly platform that empowers teams with better visibility, supports growth, and positions the firm for long-term success.
If you’re wondering what kind of impact a modern, cloud‑based ERP could have on your organization, Aktion brings the industry expertise, honest guidance, and technical depth to help you get there.
We don’t just implement software — we help you build the operational backbone that supports your next stage of growth.
Deltek Vision and Vantagepoint are designed to provide real-time insight across projects, people, and financials. But when systems feel slow, inconsistent, or difficult to manage, the issue often lies outside the ERP.
AEC firms today operate across offices, jobsites, and remote teams—placing greater demands on infrastructure, security, and system availability than ever before.
In this session, we’ll explore how firms are shifting their focus from reactive IT support to a more strategic, proactive approach.
Topics include:
We’ll also highlight UltimatePLUS Managed IT Services, which combines 24×7 monitoring, real-time optimization, security, and expert support to create a more stable and scalable environment.
If you’re looking to get more out of your Deltek investment without adding complexity, this session is for you.
For many Deltek users, manual exports to Excel and disconnected reports make it difficult to see the full picture of project performance. With rising costs, tighter margins, and shifting workloads, firms need faster, more reliable visibility to stay profitable.
Join Aktion Associates and Phocas Software for a live session on how Deltek users can simplify data access, improve project and contract management, and upgrade budgeting and forecasting processes – no technical expertise required. You’ll see how Phocas connects directly to Deltek to unify your data, streamline reporting, and enable dynamic, scenario-based planning.
Key webinar takeaways:
• Discover how to consolidate project and financial data from Deltek into one unified view
• Learn how to move beyond manual Excel exports to real-time, self-serve BI and forecasting
• See a live demo of Phocas dashboards and budgeting tools purpose-built for Deltek users
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to unify your Business Intelligence and improve your project visibility.
Architectural and engineering firms face a unique mix of challenges, such as complex projects, tight margins, shifting scopes, and the pressure to deliver high-quality work on time and on budget. Yet many firms still rely on generic or disconnected tools to manage it all. The right ERP system should do more than track hours or generate invoices. For firms in professional services and the A&E space, your systems need to support project-based workflows, improve forecasting, connect teams, and provide the kind of visibility that actually drives smarter decisions.
This blog explores five key capabilities that matter most when evaluating ERP solutions for architectural and engineering firms, plus a few common traps to avoid.
Things slip through the cracks when projects live across multiple tools, like email chains, spreadsheets, folders, and a patchwork of legacy systems. Deadlines get missed. Scope expands without warning. Margins shrink before anyone sees it coming.
A modern ERP for professional services and A&E eliminates those disconnects by centralizing everything from initial estimates to project closeout in one system. That means:
👉 A strong ERP makes it easy to see what’s happening without chasing updates or relying on gut checks.
Schedules are one thing. Forecasts are another. Many firms build solid timelines but lack confidence in how those timelines will hold up under changing project demands.
Static spreadsheets and disconnected systems can’t keep up with real-world conditions. Delays, staff changes, and shifting priorities are part of the job, but without a forecasting tool that reflects those variables, it’s nearly impossible to plan ahead.
A project-centric ERP helps firms:
Labour market challenges are expected to persist through much of the next decade, making accurate planning and resourcing more critical than ever.
👉Reliable forecasting isn’t a luxury; it’s a competitive edge.
Talent allocation can make or break a project. Without a clear view of who’s available and when, it’s easy to overbook key staff, underutilize others, or miss out on new work due to resource uncertainty.
An ERP designed for A&E firms can surface:
According to Deltek’s 46th Annual Clarity A&E Study, firms are reporting record-high profitability and margins, directly tied to increased operational discipline and smart tech investments like ERP systems.
👉 This means fewer fire drills, better team balance, and a clearer understanding of what’s possible before making client commitments.
When billing and financials live in a silo, the entire project lifecycle slows down. Project managers track hours and milestones in one place, while accounting generates invoices in another. Reconciling the two can lead to delays, errors, and miscommunication.
With an integrated ERP:
According to BDC, integrating financial and operational workflows reduces redundant data entry and miscommunication, making billing faster, more accurate, and visible to both PM and finance teams.
👉 An ERP that unites project and financial data ensures faster billing, fewer errors, and more transparency between teams.
When data is scattered across systems, reporting becomes a time-consuming task, and often one that no one wants to own. Different teams pull different numbers, and leadership ends up with an incomplete or inconsistent picture.
An effective ERP automatically tracks KPIs like margin, utilization, and earned value by pulling live data from time entries, budgets, and project progress. This ensures that everyone sees the same up-to-date numbers without juggling spreadsheets.
With the right setup, teams can:
Decision-makers gain “real-time access to critical business data, allowing them to adjust strategies and address potential issues quickly, which directly supports smarter, data-driven decision-making across teams.
👉 ERP reporting isn’t just about speed; it’s about enabling better decisions through greater visibility.
Not every ERP that claims to support “professional services” is right for A&E firms. Some systems create more complexity than they solve.
Watch for:
👉A true A&E ERP fits how architectural, and engineering firms work and grows with them over time.
The best ERP system for architectural and engineering firms isn’t defined by flashy features or endless customization options. It’s defined by how well it supports project-based operations and addresses common pain points: disconnected systems, limited visibility, and inefficient workflows.
To summarize, an ERP that’s built for the A&E industry should include:
Deltek’s ERP platform was designed with project-centric firms in mind. For firms evaluating their current tools or exploring ERP options, the Canadian ERP Buyer’s Playbook is a great place to start.
As a distributor, the challenges you face today, force you to rethink how you do business. Challenges that can include new customer expectations, the need for big data insight as well as adjusting to a more technologically familiar workforce and their expanding expectations. Old processes and approaches just don’t cut it anymore.
You need a solution that drives the rest of your business to be even more agile than the people and processes it supports. We are here to help prepare and to assist you in transitioning to Infor CloudSuite Distribution.
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Join us for an insightful webinar showcasing how Phocas Software seamlessly integrates with Deltek Vantagepoint to revolutionize your firm’s data analytics and planning capabilities.
This live demo will highlight two transformative aspects of this integration:
1. Enhanced Dashboards for a Comprehensive Business View: Discover how Phocas Dashboards elevate the functionality of Vantagepoint Dashboards, providing an enriched 360° view of your firm’s business and project performance. With dynamic, interactive visualizations, you’ll gain deeper insights into KPIs and metrics, empowering teams to make data-driven decisions easily.
2. Advanced Planning Analytics for Smarter Decisions: Explore how Phocas Software enhances Vantagepoint Planning Analytics by delivering real-time, actionable insights into project financial performance and planning forecasting. Learn how to streamline forecasting, monitor profitability, and optimize resource allocation across projects, phases, tasks, and departments.
This webinar is perfect for project managers, finance leaders, and decision-makers looking to unlock the full potential of their Deltek Vantagepoint system with Phocas Software.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see the power of integrated analytics in action!
TimberScan Titanium is the most sophisticated solution for easily and automatically routing invoices to the appropriate approver based on your business rules. Developed for seamless integration with Deltek Vantagepoint, TimberScan Titanium automates every aspect of the accounts payable process, including data entry, approvals, and reporting – all on a user-friendly and visually appealing interface.
Join us for this webcast to learn how to get more from Deltek Vantagepoint today and suit-up for the future. Haven’t migrated to Vantagepoint yet – join us to learn more about how these 2 technology solutions can improve your business processes. A software expert will be presenting and ready to answer any questions you have.
Interested in learning more about TimberScan Titanium before the event? Download the brochure today.
Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, SSOE Group is an internationally ranked architecture and engineering (A&E) firm managing more than 2,000 projects annually. With a global workforce of approximately 1,600 employees, SSOE delivers complex, innovative projects across a wide range of industries.
To maintain its leadership position and support continued growth, SSOE needed an ERP platform that could align with its unique business processes while enabling greater efficiency, visibility, and scalability across the organization.
Industry: Architecture & Engineering
Headquarters: Toledo, OH
Solutions: Deltek Vantagepoint
Website: ssoe.com ↗
In 2019, SSOE set out to modernize its ERP environment by moving beyond Deltek Vision to a next‑generation solution. After an initial ERP selection failed to meet the firm’s needs—despite partial implementation—SSOE reevaluated its approach and returned to a trusted technology partner: Aktion Associates.
By implementing Deltek Vantagepoint with Aktion Associates, SSOE achieved:
SSOE needed to transition from legacy systems and heavily customized processes that limited scalability and modernization. In addition to moving off Deltek Vision, the firm was also replacing homegrown tools—particularly in resource management and project workflows.
The complexity of SSOE’s global operations required an ERP solution capable of supporting advanced project accounting, resource planning, and financial processes without excessive customization.
SSOE selected Deltek Vantagepoint for its advanced capabilities and alignment with the firm’s business model. Aktion Associates, the largest Deltek partner in North America, brought deep AEC expertise and a long‑standing relationship with SSOE—making them well positioned to guide the transition.
Aktion worked closely with SSOE to transition custom Vision workflows into Vantagepoint’s native functionality—modernizing processes while preserving operational efficiency.
A major milestone was SSOE’s move from a homegrown resource management system to Vantagepoint’s built‑in planning capabilities. The firm also replaced legacy billing workflows, such as message boards, with interactive billing and draft invoice approvals.
Aktion provided strategic readiness assessments, on‑site effectiveness reviews, and tailored training sessions to ensure rapid adoption across SSOE’s global workforce.
Hover over cards to drill down into the benefits.
SSOE’s partnership with Aktion continues beyond go‑live. Aktion provides ongoing support, strategic guidance, and innovation—helping SSOE apply successful solutions to additional use cases and future initiatives.
SSOE Group’s successful transition to Deltek Vantagepoint demonstrates the power of pairing the right ERP platform with the right partner. Through collaboration, strategic guidance, and a disciplined implementation approach, SSOE achieved significant gains in efficiency, visibility, and financial performance—positioning the firm for continued growth.
If your organization is facing ERP limitations, Aktion brings the industry expertise, honest guidance, and full‑stack capabilities to help you modernize with confidence.
