Deltek Clarity Study: AI Creates a Landscape of Risk and Opportunity for UK Architecture, Engineering & Consulting Firms

See the key technology trends impacting UK architecture, engineering, and consulting firms this year.

2026 is set to be a pivotal year for enterprise technology and for the organizations that depend on it. As large language models (LLMs) and generative AI continue to mature, attention is shifting from experimentation to scale. Firms are under increasing pressure to deploy AI across multiple use cases in a meaningful way while managing the new risks that emerge as technology and operating models evolve in parallel.

For project-based businesses, such as architecture, engineering, and consulting firms, these dynamics are particularly acute. Firms must balance innovation with delivery certainty, data security, and collaboration across increasingly complex project environments. The question has evolved from whether to invest in new technology to how to do so in a way that delivers measurable value.

To explore how firms are responding, we surveyed more than 300 business leaders across the UK, Germany, and Australia as part of the 7^th Annual Deltek Clarity Industry Study. What follows highlights the key technology trends shaping 2026 and how UK firms compare to their peers.

UK Firms Believe in a Holistic and Integrated Approach to Technology

UK firms demonstrate a notably broad and cohesive view of the technologies required to support long-term success. At least 90% of UK respondents rate each major technology category as important to their organization, signaling strong alignment around the role technology plays across the business.

Integration and collaboration stand out as the most critical capabilities, cited by 98% of UK leaders. This is closely followed by cybersecurity (97%), data analytics (96%), and disaster recovery/business continuity planning (96%). Across each of these areas, UK respondents consistently place greater importance on technology than their counterparts in Germany and Australia. For example, data analytics and business continuity capabilities are viewed as more influential by UK leaders than by those in Australia (both 89%) and Germany (87% and 83%, respectively).

Taken together, the findings suggest that UK firms are not viewing technology investments in isolation, but as part of a connected ecosystem—one that must support resilience, insight, and execution simultaneously.

AI is a Key Technology Focus Area

UK professional services firms are signaling a decisive shift in how they prioritize technology investment in 2026—and AI sits firmly at the center of that strategy. Nearly eight in 10 UK leaders (79%) plan to increase investment in artificial intelligence over the coming year, underlining its growing role in driving efficiency, insight, and competitive differentiation across project delivery.

Crucially, AI investment is not happening in isolation. A strong majority of respondents also expect to increase spending on the foundational capabilities that enable AI to deliver value at scale. Data analytics investment is set to rise for 72% of UK firms, while 69% plan to invest further in integration and collaboration tools—reinforcing the importance of connected systems, high-quality data, and seamless information flow.

In contrast, document management and email management are the least likely technology categories to see increased investment. Just 53% and 49% of UK firms respectively plan to invest more in these areas during 2026, representing a notable decline from last year's findings (63% and 62%). This shift suggests that many firms view these capabilities as increasingly commoditized or expect returns not from standalone tools but from tighter integration into broader, AI-enabled workflows.

AI Use Cases and Benefits are on the Rise

UK architecture, engineering, and consulting firms are not just increasing investment in AI — they are planning to deploy it across a broad and increasingly mission-critical set of use cases. Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, adoption plans span the full business and project lifecycle, signaling growing confidence in AI's ability to support both strategic and operational decision-making.

Based on responses across multiple use cases (with firms selecting where they are already using or plan to implement AI), the most widely cited areas include:

• 93% plan to use AI for business intelligence
• 91% will use it for project planning and scheduling
• 90% for project delivery
• 90% for customer, client, or stakeholder management
• 89% for identifying innovation and new trends
• 89% for future predictions and scenario planning
• 89% for project resourcing or resource management
• 88% for research and development
• 87% for accounting and finance

While these plans reflect strong ambition, current adoption patterns reveal where UK firms are already building momentum. Nearly half (47%) of UK leaders report using AI today to identify innovation and new trends — a significantly higher proportion than in Australia (32%) or Germany (33%). This suggests UK firms are further along in applying AI to forward-looking, insight-driven activities rather than limiting use solely to efficiency gains.

Early results from AI investment are also encouraging. Just over half (54%) of UK firms report seeing moderate or significant benefits from AI so far, outperforming peers in Germany (47%) and Australia (31%). A further 23% are beginning to see early signs of impact or efficiency gains, while only 14% report no measurable impact to date. For 10%, it is still too early to assess outcomes.

Taken together, the findings point to a market where ambition is high, adoption is accelerating, and investment returns are beginning to materialize, but where success increasingly depends on how effectively AI is embedded in core systems, processes, and data flows.

Cyber Attacks Present a Real and Growing Risk

Alongside AI, cybersecurity has emerged as one of the most pressing technology concerns for professional services firms, and the data shows why. Nearly seven in 10 UK leaders (69%) report that their firm has been targeted by a cyber attack in the past three years, underlining how widespread and persistent the threat has become.

The nature of these incidents highlights the breadth of exposure firms now face. Customer or client data breaches are the most reported attack type (31%), followed closely by intellectual property breaches (29%). More than a quarter of respondents also cite fraud or theft (27%) and ransomware or malware impacting internal systems (27%), while 21% report ransomware or malware affecting external customer or client services.

The consequences of these attacks extend well beyond disruption. Half of UK firms that experienced a cyber attack say it resulted in direct financial losses—a significantly higher proportion than in Australia (41%) and Germany (36%). In fact, nearly all UK firms affected by a cyber incident (97%) report suffering some level of financial or operational impact. Sixteen percent describe these losses as significant, while a further 55% experienced moderate losses.

Taken together, the findings reinforce a clear message: as firms increase their reliance on digital systems, data, and connected platforms, cybersecurity risk is no longer peripheral. It is a core operational and financial concern—one that demands the same level of leadership attention and integration as any other business-critical function.

UK Firms Demonstrate Strong, but Plateauing, Digital Maturity

UK architecture, engineering, and consulting firms continue to report relatively high levels of digital transformation maturity, particularly when compared with peers in Australia and Germany. Four in 10 UK leaders (40%) describe their company as being at the "mature" stage of digital transformation. By comparison, 43% of German respondents place their firms at the earlier "applied" stage, while 40% of Australian leaders say their companies are still in the "exploratory" phase.

However, when viewed through a year-on-year lens, the data suggests that progress in perceived digital maturity may be leveling off. In last year's Deltek Clarity study, 20% of UK leaders reported their firms were "advanced"—a sizeable increase from just 8% in 2024. In 2026, that figure fell to 15%.

This shift does not necessarily indicate regression. Rather, it reflects a recalibration of expectations as firms recognize that true digital maturity is defined not by technology adoption alone but by the alignment of business strategy and IT priorities. As this benchmark becomes clearer, organizations may be applying more rigorous standards—raising the bar for what "advanced" really means.

Turning Insight into Advantage

While the future will always carry uncertainty, firms are far better equipped when decisions are grounded in data and peer insight. Understanding how others are approaching AI adoption, managing cyber risk, and investing in the right technologies provides a critical foundation for shaping your own roadmap.

The full Deltek Clarity A&E and Consulting Industry Report offers deeper analysis, benchmarking, and practical insight—helping firms understand where they stand today and what it will take to move forward with confidence.