Project-based ERP platform
Unanet, evaluated by an independent firm.
Unanet is a project-based ERP built for government contractors and architecture and engineering firms, organized around project cost accounting, indirect rates, and contract-level billing. Lightbridge ERP advises on Unanet as an independent, vendor-neutral firm, judging fit by your contracts and compliance posture, never by a partner commission.
Unanet is a project-based ERP, not a generalist one.
Most ERP platforms are organized around products, inventory, or transactions. Unanet is organized around the project. Its general ledger ties cost and revenue to contracts, tasks, and projects, so a government contractor or an A/E firm can answer the question that actually matters to them: is this engagement profitable, and is it compliant.
That orientation is why Unanet is widely adopted by small and mid-sized government contractors and by architecture and engineering practices. The platform pairs project accounting with indirect cost pools, compliant timekeeping, and contract billing, the building blocks a project-driven business needs once spreadsheet job costing stops scaling.
Lightbridge ERP is independent and vendor-neutral. It is not a Unanet partner or reseller. Unanet is a trademark of its owner, used here for identification only. Where Unanet fits, the firm says so; where it does not, the firm says that too. See ERP selection.
Unanet fits project-driven government and services firms.
Unanet is a strong candidate when the project, not the product, is the unit of financial truth. Lightbridge ERP tests that candidacy against your real contract mix rather than assuming it.
Small and mid-sized government contractors
Firms that bill the federal government under cost-plus, time-and-materials, and fixed-price contracts and need a job-cost ledger that ties to the contract, not just the company.
Architecture and engineering firms
A/E practices that run on project profitability, utilization, and earned value, where revenue follows percentage-of-completion rather than a simple invoice cycle.
Professional and technical services
Consultancies and services organizations that bill time against projects and need timesheets, resource planning, and project margin in one system.
Project-based businesses scaling into compliance
Companies whose growth has outrun spreadsheet job costing and that now face audit, indirect rate, and reporting requirements a generalist ERP was never built to meet.
Unanet is built around government-contracting project accounting.
For government contractors, Unanet pairs project cost accounting with the cost-pool, timekeeping, and billing capabilities that a federal contract environment tends to demand. The platform supports compliance work; it does not, on its own, create compliance. Policies, processes, and configuration do that.
Project cost accounting
A ledger structured around projects, tasks, and contract line items, so cost and revenue roll up to the engagement and to the entity at the same time.
Indirect rates and pools
Indirect cost pools, allocation bases, and provisional rate calculation built to support the cost-accounting structure many federal contractors are expected to maintain.
Timesheets and labor distribution
Compliant time capture with audit trails, labor distribution to projects, and the daily-entry and approval discipline that government time-keeping practice tends to require.
Revenue recognition by contract
Recognition methods aligned to contract type, including percentage-of-completion and milestone billing, mapped toward the principles in ASC 606.
Government billing formats
Support for standardized public-sector invoice formats and the contract-level detail an agency or prime typically expects on a submitted invoice.
Project planning and earned value
Resource planning, budgeting, and earned value reporting so program managers can see schedule and cost performance against the baseline.
Regulatory frameworks that shape this environment include FAR and DFARS, DCAA audit expectations, CMMC, and the CUI safeguarding rules tied to NIST and the NARA CUI Registry, with ITAR and EAR applying to export-controlled work. These rules change, and the specifics matter. Verify exact requirements, dates, dollar thresholds, and penalties against the official sources, including acquisition.gov, the DoD CIO and OUSD, NIST, the NARA CUI Registry, DCSA, and DDTC or BIS. For a deeper treatment, see our guide on GovCon project accounting.
Unanet vs Deltek: Lightbridge ERP compares them on fit, not brand.
Unanet and Deltek are the two names most often weighed against each other in the project-based and government-contracting markets. Deltek Costpoint is frequently associated with larger contractors and broad configurability, while Unanet is often chosen by small and mid-sized firms seeking project accounting and compliance support with a lighter footprint. Both are credible. The decision turns on contract complexity, headcount, indirect rate structure, billing formats, and reporting obligations.
Deltek, Costpoint, and Unanet are trademarks of their respective owners. Lightbridge ERP is not a Deltek partner or a Unanet partner and runs this comparison as a vendor-neutral exercise. For the full side-by-side, read Unanet vs Deltek and the Deltek Costpoint platform overview.
How Lightbridge ERP supports a Unanet decision.
Lightbridge ERP uses one accountable program model across every platform: advisory, architecture, ERP selection, and program governance stay in-house on every engagement. What changes is who executes the hands-on build.
Independent selection and advisory: in-house
Needs assessment, vendor-neutral selection, and compliance readiness advisory are delivered by Lightbridge ERP directly, with no vendor kickbacks, reseller quotas, or partner-tier incentives shaping the recommendation.
Delivery: Lightbridge-led, partner-executed where needed
For platforms delivered through partners, hands-on build runs through rigorously vetted partners under Lightbridge ERP program management and technical leadership, so one accountable owner carries the program.
When to consider Unanet, and why independence matters.
Consider Unanet when your business runs on projects and contracts rather than products, especially as a small or mid-sized government contractor or an architecture and engineering firm facing job costing, indirect rates, compliant timekeeping, and government billing. Lightbridge ERP advises on Unanet, Unanet vs Deltek, and other Deltek alternatives as an independent, vendor-neutral ERP firm. It accepts no vendor kickbacks, reseller quotas, or partner-tier incentives, so the recommendation follows fit, not commission.
This page is general guidance, not legal, audit, or accounting advice. Regulatory requirements change; verify specifics against the official sources before acting.
Unanet ERP: frequently asked questions
- What is Unanet ERP?
- Unanet is a project-based ERP and professional services automation platform built around project cost accounting rather than around manufacturing or retail. It is widely adopted by small and mid-sized government contractors and by architecture and engineering firms because its ledger is organized around projects, tasks, indirect cost pools, and contract-level billing. Unanet is a trademark of its owner; Lightbridge ERP is independent and is not affiliated with Unanet.
- Who is Unanet a good fit for?
- Unanet fits project-driven organizations whose financial reality is the project rather than the product: small-to-mid government contractors, architecture and engineering firms, and professional or technical services businesses. These firms need job costing, indirect rate management, compliant timesheets, and contract-level revenue and billing in one system. Lightbridge ERP evaluates that fit against your contract mix and growth plans rather than assuming it.
- Unanet vs Deltek: how do they compare?
- Unanet and Deltek are both project-based platforms with strong followings in the government-contracting and A/E markets. Deltek Costpoint is often associated with larger contractors and broad, deep configurability, while Unanet is frequently chosen by small and mid-sized firms that want project accounting and compliance support with a lighter footprint. The right answer depends on contract complexity, headcount, indirect rate structure, and reporting obligations. Deltek and Costpoint are trademarks of Deltek; the firms are evaluated on fit, not on a partner relationship. See our independent guide on Unanet vs Deltek.
- What are the main Deltek alternatives for government contractors?
- For project-based government contractors, Unanet is one of the most cited alternatives to Deltek, alongside other project-accounting and ERP platforms with public-sector and A/E capabilities. The selection that matters is not brand against brand: it is which platform supports your contract types, indirect rate structure, billing formats, and audit posture at your size. Lightbridge ERP runs that comparison as a vendor-neutral exercise.
- Does Unanet help with DCAA and federal compliance?
- Unanet is built with government-contracting requirements in mind, including job costing, indirect cost pools, and timekeeping practices that map to expectations under the cost-accounting and audit environment many contractors operate in. A platform supports compliance; it does not create it. Compliance with FAR, DFARS, DCAA expectations, and CMMC depends on your policies, processes, and configuration. Lightbridge ERP provides compliance readiness advisory and helps configure the system to support it. Verify specific requirements against the official sources, including acquisition.gov, the DoD CIO, DCSA, and NIST.
- Is Lightbridge ERP a Unanet partner or reseller?
- No. Lightbridge ERP is an independent, vendor-neutral ERP advisory firm. It does not resell Unanet, Deltek, or any other platform and accepts no vendor kickbacks, reseller quotas, or partner-tier incentives. That independence is the point: recommendations are driven by fit with your contracts and operations, not by a commission. When Unanet is the right system, the selection process shows it. When another platform fits better, Lightbridge ERP says so.
- How does Lightbridge ERP support a Unanet selection or implementation?
- Lightbridge ERP guides the full lifecycle: needs assessment, vendor-neutral ERP selection, and the program management and technical leadership that carry delivery through go-live. Advisory, architecture, selection, and program governance are in-house on every engagement. For platforms delivered through partners, Lightbridge ERP keeps program management and technical leadership in-house so one accountable owner stays responsible for the outcome.
- What does Unanet cost?
- Unanet pricing is set by the vendor and varies with modules, user counts, and deployment, so any figure should be confirmed directly with the vendor. Lightbridge ERP never positions on price and never recommends a platform because it is the lowest-cost option. The firm evaluates total fit: how well the system supports your contract types, compliance posture, reporting, and growth, then helps you weigh that against the investment.
Decide on Unanet with an independent firm.
Lightbridge ERP will weigh Unanet against your contract mix, compliance posture, and growth plans, with no vendor quota in the room.