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Deltek launches new sustainable growth formula to power next wave of UK SMB growth
Deltek, an intelligent platform for project-based businesses, has unveiled a new framework to help UK small and midsized firms strengthen their confidence and build sustainable growth in 2026.
As business leaders shift their focus from short-term recovery to long-term stability, new Deltek research reveals that confidence among UK SMEs is being tested by operational and technological pressures. The findings show that 73 % of UK SMEs are extremely concerned about coping with sustainable growth, while 47 % of financial leaders cite
managing that growth as their top challenge over the next three years. In addition, 70 % of firms worry about being unable to automate processes that need it, and 81 % fear competitors are implementing new technologies faster than they can.
In response to these challenges, Deltek has developed its Growth Formula, a new framework designed to help small and mid-sized firms overcome these barriers and scale smarter. Centred on five key principles, the formula distils insights from Deltek’ s latest Growth Blueprint whitepaper into a practical model for sustainable success. The framework helps firms focus on:
1. Clarity – Building visibility into business performance and project progress, so leaders can make informed decisions with confidence
2. Control – Strengthening operational discipline through better management of resources, costs and workflows
3. Cash – Enhancing financial resilience with stronger forecasting and smarter cash flow management 4. Clients – Prioritising the right opportunities to drive profitability, not just volume
5. Connection – Integrating people, processes and technology to improve efficiency and collaboration across the business.
Biggest tax reform in a generation leaves sole traders vulnerable
With just months until the first Making Tax Digital( MTD) deadline, new research from Sage – a global leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for SMBs – and IPSE, an association for the self-employed, reveals that 70 % of UK sole traders still aren’ t aware the change is coming.
The first phase, which is the biggest to self-assessment in almost 20 years( April 2026), will require sole traders to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using approved accounting software.
But the report From Spreadsheets to Software: Supporting Sole Traders Through Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, shows most still rely on manual methods with 77 % saying they are comfortable with their current way of tax reporting – revealing a major barrier to wanting to adopt digital tools.
The research shows that: only 10 % use cloud-based accounting software, 66 % use spreadsheets, 56 % rely on bank statements and 33 % still track income and expenses with pen and paper.
Using digital tools can make running a business far simpler for sole traders. Those already using them report clear benefits including better financial visibility( 53 %), stronger cashflow control( 48 %) and reduced stress. While 74 % say receiving quarterly tax bill estimates would help them plan ahead. �
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