Deltek and BigTime are both project-focused ERP platforms for professional services, but they operate at different scales and complexity levels. Deltek is an enterprise suite with multiple products: Costpoint for government contractors (100+ employees), Vantagepoint for A&E and professional services firms (50–500+ employees), and WorkBook for creative agencies. Deltek Vantagepoint pricing typically starts at $50–$100/user/month with implementation costs of $30,000–$150,000 and timelines of 6–12 months. BigTime is a mid-market PSA for 10–150 person services firms — consulting, IT, accounting, and engineering. It starts at $20–$35/user/month, integrates with QuickBooks Online and Xero, and can be implemented in 4–10 weeks. The key decision point: if your firm has complex project accounting needs, multiple cost centers, GovCon compliance, or 100+ employees, Deltek is purpose-built for that scale. If you need strong time-tracking and billing with faster deployment, BigTime fits better.
At a Glance
Quick Comparison
| Deltek Vantagepoint | BigTime | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Market | A&E, GovCon, professional services | Consulting, IT, accounting, light engineering |
| Ideal Firm Size | 50–500+ employees | 10–150 employees |
| Starting Price | ~$50–$100/user/mo | ~$20–$35/user/mo |
| Implementation Time | 6–12 months | 4–10 weeks |
| Implementation Cost | $30,000–$150,000+ | $5,000–$20,000 |
| DCAA Compliance | Vantagepoint: Basic | Costpoint: Full | ❌ Not available |
| QuickBooks Integration | Not designed to integrate (owns GL) | Core feature |
| Resource Management | ✅ Advanced — capacity planning | ✅ Team scheduling |
| CRM Module | ✅ Built-in | Limited |
| Training Required | Significant (40–80+ hrs) | Moderate (10–30 hrs) |
Feature Breakdown
Six Dimensions Compared
Capability
Deltek Vantagepoint
BigTime
Project Accounting
✓ Sophisticated — multi-phase projects, indirect cost allocation, WBS structures, ETC/EAC calculations.
✓ Good for most firms — budget vs actual, over/under billing. Less depth on indirect costs.
Time & Expense
✓ Configurable timesheets with labor category, WBS code, and project phase tracking.
✓ Clean timesheets with project/task breakdown. Approvals. Expense reports with receipts.
Billing
✓ Invoice Designer for custom formats. Multi-contract billing. Government invoice formats.
✓ T&M, fixed-fee, retainer. Syncs invoices directly to QBO/Xero. Clean invoicing workflow.
Resource Management
✓ Advanced resource planning — backlog forecasting, capacity analysis, role-based staffing.
◐ Team scheduling and basic utilization. Good for firms under 100 people.
Reporting
✓ Extensive out-of-box reports. Powerful but steep learning curve for custom reports.
◐ Good operational reports. Simpler to configure. Less depth on financial analytics.
Implementation
◐ 6–12 months. Requires a dedicated internal project team. Certified partner ecosystem.
✓ 4–10 weeks. Guided setup. Most firms don't need a partner to implement.
Recommendations
Which Firms Should Use Which
Choose Deltek if…
- You have 50+ employees and growing complexity in project accounting
- You need multi-phase WBS project structures or multi-entity financials
- You're an A&E or government consulting firm with compliance requirements
- You need a built-in CRM tightly linked to your project pipeline
- You can allocate 6–12 months and $50k–$150k to implementation
Choose BigTime if…
- You have 10–100 employees and need time tracking and billing cleaned up
- You want to keep QuickBooks Online as your accounting system
- You need to be operational in under 3 months
- Your project structure is relatively straightforward — T&M or fixed-fee
- You don't have a full-time ERP administrator on staff
The Visibility Gap
What Neither Platform Solves
Neither tool solves the "I don't know which projects are profitable" problem quickly.
- Deltek Vantagepoint will give you the answer — in 6–12 months. The implementation timeline is real. Firms that start a Deltek implementation expecting 90-day ROI are routinely disappointed. The system is powerful, but the configuration, data migration, and adoption process take time.
- BigTime is faster but still requires timesheet adoption. The platform only shows you margin by project if your team is logging time consistently. Getting 100% timesheet compliance across a 40-person services firm is often the hardest part of a BigTime implementation — and the tool can't force behavior.
- Neither platform provides real-time margin visibility without replacing your existing financial infrastructure. Both are full systems that require a transition period. If you're trying to answer "which projects are profitable?" before committing to a 6-month ERP migration, there's a lighter path worth exploring first.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Deltek and BigTime?
Deltek is an enterprise-grade project ERP suite targeting A&E, government contractors, and larger consulting firms (50–500+ employees). BigTime is a mid-market PSA for 10–150 person services firms. Deltek is more powerful but requires 6–12 months and $30,000–$150,000 to implement. BigTime is faster (4–10 weeks) and integrates with QuickBooks instead of replacing it.
Is Deltek Vantagepoint better than BigTime?
Deltek Vantagepoint is more powerful for complex A&E and consulting firms — deeper project accounting, more sophisticated resource management, stronger financial reporting. But it's significantly more expensive and complex to implement. For firms under 75 employees without GovCon complexity, BigTime often delivers better ROI per dollar.
How much does Deltek cost vs BigTime?
BigTime starts around $20–$35/user/month. Deltek Vantagepoint typically starts at $50–$100/user/month, and implementation costs usually run $30,000–$150,000. Total first-year cost for Vantagepoint at a 50-person firm often exceeds $100,000 when you factor in implementation and training.
What size firm should use Deltek Vantagepoint?
Deltek Vantagepoint is best suited for A&E, consulting, and government professional services firms with 50–500+ employees. Smaller firms often find it over-engineered and struggle with implementation overhead. Firms under 50 people typically get better ROI from mid-market PSA tools like BigTime or Unanet CRM.