Alaska companies opt for Deltek: project-focused enterprise management.

• Author: Stricker, Julie
• Position: TECHNOLOGY - DELTEK Systems Inc.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

A kitchen knife can be used to drive screws into a wall, but it's not very efficient. A card catalog will keep information organized, but it's a labor-intensive and inflexible database long replaced by computers. Even the beloved networking tool of the 1980s, the Rolodex, has been bypassed by social media.

Changing times require new tools. Many Alaska businesses have turned to government contracting in the past decade. They needed a way to find, manage and operate complex, multilayered projects that require rigid adherence to ever-changing government regulations and oversight. There's a tool for that, too, created by a Virginia-based company called Deltek (Nasdaq: PROJ).

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING NICHE

Deltek, founded in 1983, has created a broad suite of software designed for project-focused businesses. It is the leading provider of enterprise management software and has more than 12,000 clients around the world, including 88 of the top 100 government contractors, according to an independent survey by Washington Technology. Those top 100 contractors, led by Lockheed Martin, secured nearly $130 billion in contracts last year. Deltek reported $265.8 million in revenue in 2009.

A half dozen of the top 100 are Alaska Native corporations: Arctic Slope Regional Corp., NANA Regional Corp., Eyak Technology LLC, Chenega Corp., Chugach Alaska Corp. and Alutiiq LLC. Dozens of other companies in Alaska involved in contracting, construction, architecture and other project-oriented businesses also use Deltek software, says Patrick Smith, senior director for public relations and analyst relations for Deltek. Its suite of products is specifically geared to such projects.

"That really separates us in the marketplace," Smith says. "We're really tied to the services and knowledge economy."

Its strongest Alaska niche is in government contracting, which has grown exponentially in the past decade. Corporate officials visit the state frequently and hold an annual Deltek convention with a specific focus on Alaska Native businesses.

"We've made an investment into the community to be more than just a technology provider, and the community has responded," says Jim Rogers, vice president of GovCon Market Management for Deltek.

THINKING GLOBALLY

The software is designed to encompass the life cycle of a project, from helping clients finding bid opportunities all the way through to project completion and auditing. It includes forms for reports and...