AI in Action: Empowering Small Government Contractors with Deltek Dela

For small government contractors, efficiency and compliance are key to success. However, with growing complexities in project management, financial oversight, and operations, it’s becoming harder to stay on top without the right tools. Enter Deltek Dela^TM, the AI-powered intelligent business companion, seamlessly embedded within Deltek Costpoint to boost your efficiency and productivity.

Designed to streamline workflows and tackle mundane tasks, Dela helps small government contractors save time and focus on higher-value activities. Adopting AI isn’t just about keeping up with technology—it’s about staying competitive in an evolving marketplace.

Demystifying AI for Small Government Contractors

Artificial intelligence (AI) often feels like a futuristic, nebulous concept. Many business leaders worry that AI could be over-complicated or even replace human roles. But when used thoughtfully, AI is neither intimidating nor threatening. Instead, it acts as a reliable assistant that streamlines workflows and eliminates repetitive tasks.

Rather than replacing workers, tools like Dela empower employees by allowing them to focus on more strategic responsibilities. Think of AI as a helping hand, not a replacement—it takes care of the time-draining aspects so your team can get back to what they do best.

More Than a Gimmick: Why AI is a Game-Changer

Small government contractors face unique challenges, including limited resources, budget constraints and strict compliance requirements. Achieving operational efficiency without sacrificing quality can be daunting. This is especially true if your team is stuck in time-consuming processes like reconciling accounts, chasing documents, or manually compiling reports.

This is where AI-powered capabilities like those from Deltek shine. Here are some key advantages for small contractors using Dela within Deltek Costpoint:

• Automated repetitive tasks, like timesheet reminders or accounts payable updates
• Real-time access to data and insights, allowing faster decision-making
• Proactive identification of critical issues, including overdue invoices and supply chain gaps
• Integration with existing workflows so teams can adapt seamlessly

What Can Dela Do? A Day in the Life of a Contractor

To illustrate what Dela brings to the table, here’s an inside look at how a small government contracting team might use Dela in their day-to-day operations:

Morning: Timesheet Collection Made Faster

Imagine it’s Monday morning and employees need to submit their prior weeks' time. Instead of chasing down missing timesheets or manually cross-checking submissions, managers can use innovative Costpoint capabilities to:

• Automatically identify missing timesheets
• Remind employees to submit time via Ask Dela, MS Teams or Outlook 
• Updates the operations manager with a summary progress report

By using AI and innovation to automate simple tasks, you can ensure compliance without anyone on your team lifting a finger

Midday: Optimized Accounts Payable

Your accounts payable (AP) team convenes for their weekly meeting to review outstanding payments. Usually, this would involve pulling reports manually and wasting precious minutes locating relevant data. Instead, Dela steps in:

• Compiles an up-to-date AP summary, listing all due invoices
• Adds clickable links that take the team directly to relevant Costpoint records
• Suggests potential early-payment discounts where applicable

Within moments, your team can make informed decisions and drive payment workflows without hassle

Afternoon: Smarter Accounts Receivable

One of the biggest pain points for contractors is chasing overdue invoices. Thanks to Dela, your accounts receivable (AR) team can:

• Identify past-due customers
• Retrieve associated contact details for follow-up
• Produce templated emails or call scripts for outreach

This proactive approach doesn’t just save time—it helps improve cash flow by securing faster payments from customers.

End of Day: Data Insights in Real Time

Your project managers need updates on project costs and task allocations. Using the AI digital assistant, they can quickly:

• Ask Dela for the latest project health metrics
• Compare budgets versus actual costs in seconds
• Summarize the most pertinent contract information using Smart Summaries™ to extract actionable insights

The result? Project managers spend less time crunching numbers and more time ensuring deliverables meet client expectations.

How to Get Started with Dela

Implementing Dela into your workflow is simpler than you might think. Here are some suggestions for how to get started:

1. Understand Your Pain Points: Identify time-intensive tasks or areas lacking efficiency within your operations.
2. Start Small: Use Dela for select processes, such as timesheet management and AP/AR updates, and expand gradually.
3. Provide Training: Ensure employees understand how to use Dela as a tool to complement their work, not replace it.
4. Monitor Performance: Track how Dela enhances productivity and identify new opportunities for integration.

Most importantly, treat Dela as a collaborative teammate. Its role is to reduce friction in your operations, letting you focus on bigger priorities.

The ROI of AI

Small government contractors are navigating an increasingly competitive industry. Adopting AI tools like Dela is no longer just a nice-to-have—it’s an essential step toward driving efficiencies, ensuring compliance and staying ahead of your peers.

While learning any new technology takes time, the return on investment is clear. By automating repetitive administrative tasks, generating smarter insights, and enabling more proactive decision-making, Dela empowers contractors to save time, cut costs, and focus on their core value propositions.

This blog post was contributed by Deltek Partner, PCI Consulting.