Best Deltek Alternative for Architecture and Engineering Firms

DELTEK alternative

Deltek is built for enterprise.
Total Synergy is built for you.

Deltek is built for large, enterprise firms. That means complex implementations, consultant-heavy setup and a global support desk shared across government contractors, consultancies and agencies. Total Synergy is built for A&E practices in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, with local teams who work only with architects and engineers.

→Built for A&E practices in Australia, New Zealand and the UK

→18,000+ A&E users run $3B+ a year through Total Synergy

→Local implementation and 24/7 support from A&E specialists

RATED BY A&E FIRMS

Trusted by 18,000+ A&E professionals across Australia, New Zealand and the UK

The short answer

Three reasons A&E firms leave Deltek.

Made for your market from day one

Local billing, invoicing and compliance work the way they should from the moment you go live. Your team spends its time running projects, not adapting software designed for another market.

Support from people who know your firm and your market

Our support and implementation teams are based in Australia and the UK, and they work only with architecture and engineering practices. You get help 24/7 from people who understand your billing, your compliance and how A&E firms actually run, from your first day of setup through every year after.

Right-sized for how A&E firms work

Total Synergy maps to how practices win work, staff it, deliver it and get paid. That covers fee management, WIP, variations and capacity planning across phases, disciplines and offices. You get everything an A&E practice needs, without paying for or administering what it doesn’t.

Head to head

Go ahead, compare for yourself.

Built only for A&E firms

Financial Integrations

Onboarding

Support

Total Synergy

Purpose-built for architecture and engineering firms with tools that connect projects, time, and billing in one place. Task management, resource management and project profitability tracking follow A&E project structures and fee types from day one.

Integrations with Xero, MYOB AccountRight Live, QuickBooks Online, Sage and Wiise keep your data accurate while giving your firm the freedom to use the accounting system that work best for you.

Tailored onboarding, weekly webinars and a dedicated account manager.

Fast, responsive customer support with consultative onboarding from A&E specialists who understand your firm.

Deltek

Designed to serve many industries rather than focusing on how A&E firms really work. Broad ERP solutions also tend to include modules, such as inventory management, that a consulting practice never uses.

Made to use Deltek’s GL, meaning there is no flexibility on the accounting system you’d prefer to use.

Rollouts are long, resource-heavy, and process-led. Smaller A&E teams feel the strain immediately.

Customer support is often slow or hard to reach, leaving firms waiting for answers or turning to consultants for help.

Built only for A&E firms

Total Synergy

Deltek

Financial Integrations

Total Synergy

Integrations with Xero, MYOB AccountRight Live, QuickBooks Online, Sage and Wiise keep your data accurate while giving your firm the freedom to use the accounting system that work best for you.

Deltek

Made to use Deltek’s GL, meaning there is no flexibility on the accounting system you’d prefer to use.

Onboarding

Total Synergy

Tailored onboarding, weekly webinars and a dedicated account manager.

Deltek

Rollouts are long, resource-heavy, and process-led. Smaller A&E teams feel the strain immediately.

Support

Total Synergy

Fast, responsive support with consultative onboarding from A&E specialists who understand your firm.

Deltek

Customer support is often slow or hard to reach, leaving firms waiting for answers or turning to consultants for help.

Customer Story

How Lab-works Architecture Transformed Project Visibility

ARCHITECTURE Practice

AUSTRALIA

87%

Faster Invoicing

8 Hours

Back a Month

“In hindsight, I should have just started with Total Synergy on day one. I would definitely recommend it. If you’re taking your business seriously, and you want to make sure your projects are performing, then it’s a no brainer.”

TIM HANSEN

Director

“I would definitely recommend Total Synergy. The development that’s going into it is incredibly good. The user interface is so great. I can find everything I need in a couple of clicks.”

STEPHANIE MOORE

Operations Manager

“There’s big opportunity for us to be more profitable, and Total Synergy is part of how we get there.”

MATTHEW KING

Managing Director

Switching

Moving off Deltek takes weeks, not quarters.

Every onboarding is guided by a dedicated Synergy consultant through a structured programme of live sessions. We configure Synergy around how your firm works, and help your team bring your data across.

Week 1 – Scoping session

Tell us how your firm runs, including rates, project structure and invoicing. We then set up your Synergy site to match.

Weeks 2-4 – Data migration

Your team loads clients, staff and historic data using our upload templates, with a consultant on hand to help. We also get your invoice templates ready.

Week 5 – Go live & team training

Role-based training for all users, project managers and finance. After go-live, you get follow-up sessions with your consultant over your first six months.

get a demo

Talk to our A&E Project Experts Today

Our experienced team is here to guide you through how Total Synergy can transform your project management approach.

Take the first step toward transforming your practice. In just one demo, our team will show you how Total Synergy simplifies project management, project finances, and project analytics for over 18,000 A&E professionals.

“Total Synergy was the tool that actually spoke our language.”

OLIVIA HAMILTON, OFFICE MANAGER

LAB-WORKS ARCHITECTURE

Compare systems today

Frequently Asked Questions for Deltek Users

Why do A&E firms look for a Deltek alternative?

Deltek is built to serve a wide range of professional services firms, not specifically architecture and engineering, so many A&E firms find the platform doesn’t reflect how they actually work. Firms searching for Deltek alternatives are typically after project management software purpose-built for A&E project structures, fee types, and workflows. They also want a shorter rollout, flexibility over their accounting system, and responsive customer support, rather than a full ERP solution like Deltek Vantagepoint or Deltek Vision.

How is Total Synergy different from Deltek for A&E firms?

Total Synergy is a project management platform purpose-built for architecture and engineering practices. It connects projects, time tracking, and invoicing in tools designed specifically around A&E workflows, rather than adapted from a broader professional services automation (PSA) platform. Task management, resource management, and project profitability tracking follow A&E project structures from day one. This tends to mean a shorter learning curve and a better fit from day one.

Does Total Synergy require a specific accounting system, like Deltek does with its own GL?

No. Total Synergy integrates with Xero, MYOB AccountRight Live, QuickBooks Online, Sage, and Wiise, so firms can keep using the accounting system that works for them. Deltek, by comparison, is built around its own general ledger, which removes that flexibility. If you run a different accounting system, such as Sage Intacct or NetSuite, ask the Total Synergy team about integration options during your demo.

Is switching from Deltek to Total Synergy a long, disruptive process?

Deltek rollouts are typically long, resource-heavy, and process-led, which smaller A&E teams often feel the strain of immediately. Total Synergy’s onboarding is tailored specifically for A&E firms, with weekly webinars and a dedicated account manager, designed to get a practice up and running without a lengthy implementation cycle. Onboarding with Total Synergy takes weeks, not months, with some practices up and running in as little as 45 days.

What kind of customer support can I expect after switching from Deltek to Total Synergy?

Total Synergy provides fast, responsive customer support with consultative onboarding from specialists who understand how A&E firms operate, backed by a 24/7 support model and teams in Sydney and London. Firms often cite slow or hard-to-reach support as a common frustration with Deltek, which can leave them leaning on external consultants for help. With Total Synergy, you speak to people who know A&E projects, not a general helpdesk.

Is Total Synergy an ERP solution like Deltek Vantagepoint, and can it handle project accounting and job costing?

No, Total Synergy is not an ERP. Deltek Vantagepoint is an ERP solution that combines accounting, project management, and other business functions in one system. Total Synergy focuses on project management, project financials, and project analytics for A&E firms, and connects to your existing accounting system for the general ledger. It tracks budgets, costs, WIP, invoicing, and project profitability at project and stage level, so firms moving from Deltek Vision or Deltek Vantagepoint keep project accounting and job costing detail without paying for ERP modules, such as inventory management, that a consulting practice never uses.

Does Total Synergy include time tracking, timesheets, invoicing, resource management, and capacity planning?

Yes. Your team records time through timesheets, timers, and task-level tracking. Invoicing then builds on that data, with bulk invoicing, automated reminders, and WIP tracking, so billing stays accurate without chasing people for hours. Resource management shows availability, workloads, and conflicts, so resourcing and capacity planning decisions rest on real data. Revenue forecasting by project stage connects your pipeline to the people you will need. Business intelligence dashboards cover projects, finance, people, and sales, and integrations with human resources tools such as BambooHR and BrightHR keep your people data connected.