Ardent Tackles Rapid Growth with Deltek Vantagepoint

Business Insights Customer Experience

July 10, 2025

An interview with Will Guest, Finance Director at Ardent Management

Everyone understands that renewable energy and regeneration projects are essential to building a more sustainable future. However, when these projects meet the complexities of land ownership and consent, progress can grind to a halt.

That's where Ardent steps in. With a team of experts in the provision of land and consents advice - guidance on securing land and obtaining necessary permissions for development - Ardent operates across regeneration, renewable energy, transport and utility sectors in the UK and Ireland, helping to lay the groundwork for a Net Zero future.

Working in a crucial, fast-growing space, Ardent has seen its own explosive growth in recent years. To meet this expansion head on, Will Guest, Finance Director at Ardent, was tasked with migrating to a new ERP that could match the firm's ambition.

We spoke with Will about the migration process and why Ardent chose Deltek Vantagepoint in the cloud to boost efficiency and spur the next stage of its growth.

Complex Projects Call for Smarter Control

Working on complex, multidisciplinary projects means that much of Ardent's work is on large, multifaceted contracts. This demanded a different breed of ERP that could offer granular control and new ways to break down projects.

"We came from a very simple timesheet package that integrated with Sage," Will says. "While the solution offered some benefits, it couldn't offer the control we needed over projects, and it certainly couldn't match our current growth profile."

Will and his team quickly settled on Deltek Vantagepoint in the cloud as the ERP that could take its growth to the next level.

A Flexible ERP Empowers Ardent Management

For companies that focus on simple, single projects, many ERPs will get the job done. But for Ardent, an ERP like Deltek Vantagepoint was crucial, as it could offer the levels of control and granularity needed to manage large, complex projects.

"When you have large contracts that might be worth millions, you need to break that down to make it manageable," Will explains. "Using the work breakdown structure in Vantagepoint, we can turn these huge projects into smaller sub-projects. This makes Deltek a powerful solution for us."

With Deltek Vantagepoint, Ardent also gets the flexibility to manage its diverse portfolio in a way that makes sense for each project. For example, project directors will manage some projects on a time and expense basis, while addressing others on a percent-completed basis.

Turning Business Development into Measurable Value

Beyond improved project flexibility and controls, Deltek Vantagepoint is also helping Ardent drive new growth by recognizing the value of investing in business development.

"One thing we've been able to quantify is the investments that we're making into proposals and business development work," Will explains. "Previously, all that effort was seen as non-billable time, whereas now it's seen as its own dedicated effort, and we can truly measure the results and return."

An ERP That's Designed for Growth

Another key benefit is that Deltek Vantagepoint encouraged and kept pace with Ardent's rapid growth.

"In just four years, we've almost tripled our revenue forecasts," Will recalls. "And it's not just the number of projects that's growing. They're becoming larger and more complex, too. We've had to place an emphasis on growth to continue meeting these challenges, and Deltek has been a big part of that journey."

A Futureproof Digital Solution

Beyond scaling with the size and complexity of Ardent's projects, Deltek Vantagepoint also expands its features to meet new consultancy challenges.

For example, Vantagepoint is available as a cloud solution, which has helped Will and his team maintain operational efficiency even in an era when hybrid, flexible and work-from-home work practices have become commonplace.

Ardent's finance team has been exploring the new AI features in Vantagepoint, including Smart Summaries and automated invoice processing."I'm pretty excited about this," Will says. "My team has been using these tools, and it's getting us really upbeat about the AI side of the system."

"The way Vantagepoint is evolving is really important to us," Will explains. "We want everything in the same place, ideally. And Deltek helps us meet this vision."

Three Lessons to Hit the Ground Running with a New ERP

Will offers three tips for others migrating to a new ERP system to ensure a smooth rollout:

1. Don't treat ERP as just a financial tool
   
   "It's important to get every single corner of your business working on the implementation. Make sure you've got representatives of the entire business, rather than seeing it as solely a financial project management tool."
2. Balance fresh thinking with institutional knowledge
   
   "It's a great idea to bring in new hands to drive ERP implementation. But it's also vital to have some people on the team with a deep understanding of the business that can reflect on what different departments need from the new platform."
3. Time your implementation wisely
   
   "We timed our implementation to go live with the start of the new financial year. This created some challenges, but it ultimately led to a smooth migration without much downtime."

Ready to Modernize your ERP with Deltek?

Discover how Deltek Vantagepoint can help your business manage growth and complexity - get in touch with our expert team today.

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