UK project firms shift from AI trials to ROI gains

Deltek has published research indicating that UK project-based firms are moving from AI experimentation to measurable business results, pointing to broader digital maturity across architecture, engineering and consultancy businesses.

Nearly half of UK organisations reported moderate productivity or cost improvements from AI, while 12% said they had already achieved a significant measurable return on investment. The study also found that 29% of firms now see operationalising and optimising AI as a strategic priority.

The results suggest a shift in how companies are using the technology. Rather than treating AI as a trial tool, firms are beginning to deploy it in day-to-day work such as project forecasting, planning, reporting and resource management.

The research forms part of Deltek's annual Clarity Trends and Insights for Architecture, Engineering and Consulting Firms report and covers UK-based architecture, engineering and consultancy firms. It surveyed senior decision-makers, including chief executives, managing directors and department heads across finance, operations, delivery and projects.

A broader change in digital maturity appears to underpin the shift. According to the findings, 55% of UK organisations now describe themselves as either advanced or mature in their digital transformation journeys.

That figure comes with an apparent wrinkle. The share identifying specifically as advanced fell to 15% from 20% a year earlier, which Deltek attributed to tougher assessments of what digital maturity now means as expectations around system integration rise.

Rather than signalling a pullback in digital investment, the data suggests many businesses are embedding digital tools more deeply into routine operations. Closer links between business and IT systems are becoming a more important measure than one-off technology projects.

Profit Focus

The study also highlighted the financial lens through which firms are viewing AI. Respondents said AI implementation is expected to be one of the biggest drivers of profitability, while stronger cost control remains central as companies manage more complex project portfolios.

Project oversight was another area of confidence. The research found that 85% of UK businesses said they had high confidence in tracking project profitability, while about three quarters said they successfully track indicators such as utilisation and overhead rates.

That matters in sectors where margins are often closely tied to project execution, staffing levels and forecasting accuracy. In that context, AI is being assessed less as a stand-alone innovation and more as part of a broader push to improve operational discipline.

Skills Pressure

The report points to workforce readiness as the next constraint. AI literacy was identified as the top skill organisations expect to need over the next three years, while AI adoption itself was named as the leading project management challenge.

This suggests firms see the technology as useful, but not easy to absorb. Businesses may have stronger digital systems than before, yet still face pressure to train staff and adapt working practices if they want returns to keep improving.

For architecture, engineering and consultancy firms, the issue is particularly relevant because project work often cuts across commercial, technical and operational teams. Broad use of AI in forecasting, reporting or planning is likely to depend on staff understanding both the tools and the business context in which they are used.

Neil Davidson, Group Vice President, Professional Services Sector at Deltek, said: "Architecture, engineering and consulting firms are at a genuine inflection point. After years of steady growth and significant investment in digital foundations, the industry is now asking a harder question: how do we convert that investment into measurable productivity gains? The firms that answer it decisively, embedding the right technology into the heart of how they run projects and serve clients, will set the benchmark for the next decade.

"Firms have spent the last few years building the digital foundations needed to modernise how they run projects. What we're seeing now is a shift from experimentation to real results as AI becomes embedded in core business workflows. Many organisations are already seeing measurable ROI from AI investments, driving clear improvements in efficiency, insight and overall business performance. As adoption becomes more consistent across organisations, that value is set to scale even further.

"For project-based businesses, the opportunity now is to turn that momentum into stronger project insight, better decision-making and improved financial performance."