Summary
Zutari faced significant operational challenges due to fragmented legacy systems that lacked real-time visibility and project planning capabilities. To support their ambitious growth agenda, they implemented Deltek Vantagepoint, creating a single integrated platform covering CRM, project planning, resource scheduling, and financial management. The results were transformative: automated workflows cut project losses nearly in half, enabled over 20% revenue growth with only an 8% headcount increase, and gave employees and project managers live access to data across all regions positioning Zutari to scale confidently into high-growth markets.
Project Success
- Seamless Scalability: Manages 2,000+ active projects across 35 companies and 32 offices from one AI-powered ERP application—cutting project losses nearly in half.
- Growth Without Headcount: Automated workflows freed team capacity to manage more projects and drive over 20% revenue growth with only an 8% increase in headcount.
- Real-Time Collaboration: Employees and project managers can access live resource planning and project data across 36 countries, enabling faster decision-making.
Zutari is an infrastructure advisory and engineering firm with over 2,500 employees across 35 companies, 32 offices spread across Africa and the Middle East, and 36 countries. The firm delivers projects from connecting farmers to markets, to providing communities with access to clean water and healthcare.
Products
Industry
- Architecture & Engineering
The Challenge: Fragmented Systems, Limited Visibility
As Zutari set an ambitious five-year growth agenda, the firm recognized a critical barrier – its existing systems weren't built for scale. "Our previous systems were very fragmented. We were using a mix of standalone systems and in-house tools," explains Celia Behr, Finance Lead, and Willem Botha, Head of Projects. "It created a lot of challenges with efficiency and data visibility."
The legacy setup was finance-focused, lacking the project planning, resource scheduling, and real-time visibility needed to manage complex, multi-country operations. "We realized that if we do not have the right digital, unified system to actually sustain our growth, we will not succeed," says Willem.
This realization, along with the successful implementation of a unified ERP platform, ultimately earned Zutari a Deltek ProjectCon MVP Award for its exemplary transformation.
The Solution: One Platform for Every Project Stage
Zutari selected Deltek Vantagepoint and Talent Management as their ERP application, working with Deltek Platinum Partner, Silversoft, to deploy a unified system designed for how their project-based business works.
"We were very excited about Vantagepoint because the need was for a single integrated system that's project-focused," says Celia. "Vantagepoint was the first system we implemented that includes CRM, project planning, project management, and resource scheduling in a single tool—so that was quite new to Zutari."
Celia and Willem knew that technology alone wouldn't drive success. Change management became a cornerstone of their approach. They identified early adopters who could champion the application and encourage colleagues to embrace the new way of working. "We measured and tracked the progress we made on adopting the system," Celia notes. "We identified early adopters and got them to bring their colleagues on board."
Working closely with Silversoft and the Deltek team, Zutari achieved a seamless implementation across the entire organization. "Right from the beginning, there was a great synergy and a co-creative process," says Willem. "It comes down to a great partnership between our implementation partner, Deltek, and ourselves."
Immediate Results, Zero Disruption
In October 2022, Zutari went live with Vantagepoint—and never looked back. "We can proudly say we went into the system from day one and started running our projects fully live," says Willem.
The platform delivered the single source of truth the organization needed. "When we moved to Vantagepoint, we had a single, unified system that delivered reliable data for decision-making. It fundamentally changed how we run the business," explains Celia.
As users experienced the benefits firsthand, adoption accelerated. "When people started to see the benefits—how much easier it is to manage projects, how much faster they can make decisions, and how much better we can manage the business—it really gained traction," Celia adds.
Vantagepoint's automation capabilities freed up capacity across teams. "Vantagepoint enables automated workflows, and that freed up the capacity of our teams so they can focus on managing projects better, making quicker decisions, and growing revenue," says Celia.
When we moved to Vantagepoint, we had a single, unified system that delivered reliable data for decision-making. It fundamentally changed how we run the business.
Scaling Across Borders with Confidence
With Vantagepoint as its foundation, Zutari has the platform it needs to operate seamlessly across 36 countries.
Vantagepoint delivers built-in control—not bolted on—giving Zutari confidence to move fast when managing high-stakes, complex projects across multiple jurisdictions. With automated workflows and intelligence at every step, the firm can focus on delivering impactful projects that connect communities and change lives. "The scalability of Vantagepoint allows us to work seamlessly across teams, no matter where they're located," says Willem. "People can see in real time what's planned for them, and project managers can draw on resources from across the business and choose the right legal entities."
This flexibility is particularly valuable in high-growth markets like Saudi Arabia, where the country's Vision 2030 agenda is driving significant infrastructure investment. "We can align very closely to our clients' needs and set ourselves up in a very scalable and flexible way," Willem explains.
Customer Story
QODA Reduces Month-end Reporting Time by Almost 50%
Customer Story
RSP Architects Boosts Project Visibility with Deltek ERP
Customer Story
Stanley Consultants Improves Operations with Vantagepoint
Customer Story
CBBEL Saves Time and Money with Deltek Integration
Customer Story
architects—Alliance Unlocks Total Project Visibility With Deltek Vantagepoint
Webinar
State of the States
Webinar
A Mid-Year Check-In: Is Your Consulting Firm Optimized and Operating at Its Full Potential?
Webinar
Top A&E Financial Trends: Turn Insight into Advantage
Webinar
Where Innovation Meets Mission: The New SBIR/STTR Program & Pathways to Funding
