ERP for government contractors.
Lightbridge ERP is an independent, vendor-neutral ERP advisory firm for government contractors. We run the needs assessment, lead DCAA-aware ERP selection across the platform landscape, and own program management and technical leadership through delivery. We accept no vendor kickbacks, so the recommendation fits your contract mix and compliance obligations, not a reseller quota.
Lightbridge ERP treats a government contractor's ERP as a compliance decision, not just a finance decision.
A government contractor's accounting system carries obligations a commercial firm never sees: DCAA-compliant job cost accounting, strict segregation of direct and indirect costs, indirect rate pools for fringe, overhead, and G&A, compliant timekeeping, provisional billing rates, and the annual incurred cost submission. Before a cost-reimbursable award, a pre-award survey on the SF1408 standard tests whether the system is adequate.
Most ERP advice comes from resellers who earn commission on what they sell. Lightbridge ERP accepts no vendor kickbacks and carries no reseller quotas or partner-tier incentives. The recommendation is driven by fit for your contract mix and your audit obligations, not by a vendor compensation plan.
The selection runs across the full platform landscape. Review the ERP selection methodology and the platforms Lightbridge ERP covers.
Lightbridge ERP compares the GovCon platform landscape without vendor bias.
Choosing between Deltek Costpoint and Unanet is the question most contractors ask first, and the honest answer is that it depends on the business. Lightbridge ERP scores each option against weighted, evidence-based requirements rather than a sales target.
Deltek Costpoint
Purpose-built for project-centric government contractors, with deep DCAA cost accounting, indirect rate management, and incurred cost tooling. Often the fit for larger or rapidly scaling contractors with complex cost-reimbursable portfolios.
Unanet
GovCon-focused project ERP with strong timekeeping, resource planning, and cost accounting, frequently favored by small and mid-size contractors that want compliant cost accounting without the weight of a larger platform.
NetSuite
A strong fit for contractors that also run commercial lines and want one financial platform across both, with GovCon cost accounting configured to the contract mix. NetSuite is a Lightbridge in-house delivery practice.
The data decides, not a vendor relationship. Lightbridge ERP earns nothing on which platform a contractor selects, which is the point.
Lightbridge ERP government contracting capabilities.
Needs assessment and roadmap
Current-state assessment of contract mix, indirect rate structure, timekeeping, and compliance gaps, translated into weighted requirements and a sequenced technology roadmap.
Vendor-neutral selection
Evidence-based platform selection across Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, NetSuite, and others. No kickbacks, no quotas, scored on DCAA fit and contract economics.
DCAA-compliant cost accounting
A compliant chart of accounts, direct and indirect cost segregation, job and project cost structures, and timekeeping discipline configured on the chosen platform.
Indirect rate management
Fringe, overhead, and G&A pools with allocation bases, plus material and subcontract handling pools where the contract mix calls for them.
Provisional billing and ICS readiness
Provisional billing rates for interim invoicing, actual-versus-provisional tracking, and incurred cost submission data drawn from the same system, not a side spreadsheet.
Contract and project accounting
Project and job cost accounting across FFP, T&M, CPFF, and CPAF contract types, with the structure to support pre-award SF1408 system adequacy.
Audit readiness
System adequacy, segregation of duties, and a defensible audit trail so timekeeping, billing, and rate calculations hold up under DCAA review.
Program leadership of delivery
Lightbridge owns program management and technical leadership through implementation, regardless of which platform and which delivery team executes.
Lightbridge ERP serves the National Capital Region government contracting community.
Lightbridge is headquartered at 11921 Freedom Drive in Reston, Virginia, inside the densest government contracting market in the country: Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. The contractors here run the full range, from emerging 8(a) and small businesses standing up their first compliant accounting system to established primes managing complex cost-reimbursable portfolios.
Proximity earns its keep in GovCon work. Requirements sessions, audit-readiness reviews, and stakeholder alignment move faster with a team in the same market and the same time zone. Lightbridge ERP works with contractors across the DC region and nationwide, with the same vendor-neutral standard either way.
Lightbridge ERP leads delivery for contractors on any platform.
Selection is the start, not the finish. Lightbridge ERP owns program management and technical leadership through implementation so the contractor has one accountable owner from requirements to go-live: scope, design, configuration governance, data migration, testing, and cutover.
For NetSuite and for EPM and FP&A work, hands-on delivery is in-house. For Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, and other GovCon platforms, hands-on delivery runs through rigorously vetted partners under Lightbridge program management and technical leadership. The contractor is never handed to a vendor and left to manage a compliance-critical program alone.
Major programs add a project-controls layer on top of the accounting system. See the Lightbridge ERP guide to earned value management for how an ANSI/EIA-748 EVMS draws on this accounting foundation, and the cross-entity aerospace and defense hub for suppliers that also carry AS9100 quality obligations.
Lightbridge ERP: common questions about ERP for government contractors
- How does Lightbridge ERP select an ERP for a government contractor?
- Lightbridge ERP starts with an enterprise needs assessment: the contract mix (FFP, T&M, CPFF, CPAF), the indirect rate structure, timekeeping and incurred cost obligations, and where the current system fails an audit. We translate that into weighted requirements, then run a structured, evidence-based selection across the platform landscape. Because Lightbridge accepts no vendor kickbacks and carries no reseller quotas, the shortlist reflects fit for DCAA-compliant cost accounting and your contract portfolio, not which product pays a commission. See the ERP selection methodology and the platforms we cover.
- Which ERP platforms does Lightbridge ERP evaluate for government contractors?
- Lightbridge ERP is vendor-neutral and evaluates the full set of platforms used by government contractors, including Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, and NetSuite, among others. Deltek Costpoint and Unanet are purpose-built for project-centric GovCon cost accounting; NetSuite is a strong fit for contractors who also run commercial lines and want one financial platform. The right choice depends on contract types, indirect rate complexity, headcount, growth stage, and how much of the business is cost-reimbursable versus fixed-price.
- What makes ERP selection different for a government contractor?
- Government contractors carry compliance obligations that commercial firms do not. The accounting system must support DCAA-compliant job cost accounting, segregation of direct and indirect costs, indirect rate pools (fringe, overhead, G&A), compliant timekeeping, provisional billing rates, and the incurred cost submission. A pre-award survey (SF1408) tests whether the system is adequate before a cost-reimbursable award. ERP selection for a contractor is therefore a compliance decision as much as a finance decision, and the wrong platform can put an award or an audit at risk.
- Does Lightbridge ERP help with DCAA compliance and incurred cost submissions?
- Yes, as an advisor. Lightbridge ERP designs and configures the selected platform for DCAA-compliant cost accounting: a compliant chart of accounts, direct and indirect cost segregation, indirect rate pools, project and job cost structures, timekeeping discipline, and the data needed for the incurred cost submission. Lightbridge does not replace your CPA firm or auditor; it makes the system audit-ready so that timekeeping, billing, and rate calculations hold up under DCAA review. Final audit determinations rest with the government.
- How does Lightbridge ERP handle indirect rate structures and provisional billing?
- Lightbridge ERP designs the indirect rate structure on the chosen platform: fringe, overhead, and G&A pools with their allocation bases, plus material handling or subcontract handling pools where the contract mix calls for them. We configure provisional billing rates for interim invoicing, track actual rates against provisional through the year, and structure the system so the year-end incurred cost submission and rate variance true-up come out of the same data, not a separate spreadsheet.
- Who delivers the implementation once a platform is selected?
- Lightbridge ERP owns program management and technical leadership on every engagement, regardless of platform. For NetSuite and for EPM and FP&A work, hands-on delivery is in-house. For Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, and other GovCon platforms, hands-on delivery runs through rigorously vetted partners under Lightbridge program management and technical leadership. Either way, one accountable owner runs the program: requirements, design, configuration governance, data migration, testing, and go-live.
- Does Lightbridge ERP serve government contractors in the Washington DC area?
- Yes. Lightbridge is headquartered at 11921 Freedom Drive in Reston, Virginia, in the heart of the National Capital Region contractor community across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. Proximity matters for GovCon work: requirements sessions, audit-readiness reviews, and stakeholder alignment benefit from a team in the same time zone and the same market. Lightbridge ERP serves contractors in the DC region and nationwide.
- Why does vendor neutrality matter for a government contractor choosing an ERP?
- Most ERP advice for contractors comes from resellers who earn commission on the platform they sell, which biases the result toward their product. For a government contractor the stakes are higher than a commercial firm, because the wrong system can jeopardize a pre-award survey, an incurred cost submission, or an audit. Lightbridge ERP accepts no vendor kickbacks and carries no reseller quotas or partner-tier incentives, so the selection is driven by DCAA fit and contract economics, not a vendor compensation plan.
Lightbridge ERP for government contractors.
Tell us your contract mix and your compliance obligations. Lightbridge ERP will run the assessment and show you which platform fits, with no vendor bias.