# How to add a mobile app to Deltek Costpoint > Source: https://netray.co/integrations/deltek-costpoint-mobile-app > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Integrations ## Short answer Start by checking what Deltek's own mobile offerings cover, then fill gaps with a thin mobile client over a backend service that talks to Costpoint through supported interfaces. Timesheets, approvals and barcode receiving are the common targets. Offline support and device security decide the design. ## System Deltek Costpoint ## Capability mobile-app ## Intro Costpoint is browser-based and was not designed as a phone-first system. Deltek has offered mobile and time-entry options over the years, though the exact products, names and what they cover depend on your release and licensing. Teams still end up asking for the same few things on a phone: enter or approve time, approve a requisition, receive material with a scanner, and look up a project. Manufacturers using the Costpoint manufacturing modules add shop-floor needs: labor reporting against work orders, material moves, and inspection results. Those usually need a ruggedized device with a barcode scanner rather than a personal phone. The right answer depends on who the user is. Office staff are well served by approvals and lookups. Field and site staff need offline timesheets. Warehouse staff need fast scanning with immediate validation. ## Use Cases ### Offline timesheet entry for site staff **Description:** Employees on customer sites or remote locations enter hours against allowed charge codes, store them on the device and sync later, with validation against valid project, task and labor category. ### Approvals for managers **Description:** Approve timesheets, requisitions and expense reports from a phone with the context needed: who, how much, which project. ### Barcode receiving **Description:** Scan PO barcode and item labels to receive material, flag overages and capture lot numbers. ### Shop-floor labor and job reporting **Description:** Start and stop work on operations with badge or barcode scans, feeding labor into project or work order costs after supervisor approval. ### Inventory moves and cycle counts **Description:** Move parts between locations and count with a handheld, writing differences to a staging area for supervisor review. ## System Surface - Deltek mobile and time entry options: check your license for Costpoint mobile or related time products before building anything new. - Costpoint web services where licensed: the cleanest backend for timesheet, approval and receiving transactions; confirm object coverage. - Costpoint import utilities: a controlled fallback for batch-style submission of time or receipts. - SQL Server read access (on-prem): suitable for lookup data such as valid charge codes, PO lines and locations in a read-only cache. - SSO via your identity provider: required so the mobile app uses the same identity as the browser client. ## How It Works ### Inventory what Deltek already provides **Detail:** Ask your reseller about mobile time entry and approvals for your version. Use it where it fits; build only the gaps. ### Choose the client style **Detail:** A progressive web app is quick for office roles. A native or cross-platform app is better for scanning, background sync and device management. ### Build a backend for mobile **Detail:** A service that authenticates users, caches reference data, validates entries, and speaks to Costpoint. Do not expose Costpoint directly to the internet. ### Design offline sync **Detail:** Queue entries with timestamps and unique IDs, resolve conflicts on server side, and show clear status for each entry. ### Integrate scanning and device features **Detail:** Use camera or hardware scanners with immediate local validation against cached PO lines or locations. ### Deploy with device management **Detail:** Use MDM for enrollment, remote wipe and app distribution, especially for contractors handling controlled data. ## Example Flows ### Offline timesheet sync **Trigger:** A technician enters hours with no signal on a remote site. **Steps:** - App checks hours against locally cached valid charge codes. - Entry is saved with a unique ID and queued. - On reconnect the backend validates and submits to Costpoint. - App shows accepted or rejected with the reason for each line. **Result:** Time is captured daily without waiting for connectivity, and rejections are fixed while memory is fresh. ### Dock receiving with scanner **Trigger:** Receiving clerk scans a PO barcode. **Steps:** - App fetches open lines from the backend cache. - Clerk scans items and enters counts; overages trigger a warning. - Submission creates a receipt for posting after any required inspection hold. **Result:** Receipts happen at the dock in real time with fewer keying errors. ## On Prem A mobile backend can sit in your DMZ or inside your network with a VPN or zero trust access for devices, so Costpoint never faces the internet. For cloud-hosted Costpoint, only the backend needs reach to the supported interfaces. If you add voice or natural language entry, use a locally hosted open-weight model, since utterances can contain project and program names. Offline caches on devices should be encrypted and wiped on logout or MDM command. ## Security - Authenticate with your identity provider and short-lived tokens; do not store passwords on devices. - Encrypt local storage, require device PIN or biometrics, and support remote wipe through MDM. - Cache only reference data the user is allowed to charge or see, not the full project list. - Validate every submission server-side; a modified client must not bypass charge code rules. - Log device ID, user and time for each transaction to support labor audit requirements. ## Options ### Deltek-provided mobile time or approvals **Fit:** Standard timesheet and approval needs on supported releases. **Effort:** Configuration and rollout, usually weeks. ### Third-party mobile time or scanning product **Fit:** Teams needing barcode or labor capture with a vendor connector to Costpoint. **Effort:** Weeks, plus license; verify connector support. ### Custom app built with Netray or your team **Fit:** Specific workflows, offline needs and on-prem model features. **Effort:** Typically 8 to 16 weeks for a first release, depending on scope. ## Pitfalls - Letting employees enter time against any project because the cache is too broad. - Building offline mode without conflict rules, causing duplicate timesheet lines. - Exposing Costpoint directly to mobile networks. - Ignoring MDM and allowing unmanaged personal devices to hold project data. - Underestimating review: DCAA-style labor audits expect time to be entered contemporaneously and approved. ## Faq ### Does Deltek Costpoint have a mobile app? **Answer:** Deltek has offered mobile and time-entry options in the past, and the details depend on your version and licensing. Ask your Deltek representative or reseller what is available for your release, then decide whether a custom app is needed for the gaps. ### Can we capture time offline? **Answer:** Yes with a custom or third-party client that caches valid charge codes locally and syncs later. You need clear conflict handling and a rule that time is validated again on the server before it reaches Costpoint. ### Can a phone act as a barcode scanner for receiving? **Answer:** For low volume, yes with the camera. For heavy dock or warehouse use, rugged handhelds with hardware scanners are faster and more reliable. The backend logic is the same either way. ### Is a mobile app allowed for controlled-program data? **Answer:** Only with proper controls: managed devices, encrypted storage, authenticated access and a policy that matches your contract obligations. Many teams limit mobile to time, approvals and logistics data. ### How do mobile entries reach Costpoint? **Answer:** Through a backend that validates entries and submits via supported web services or import utilities. Writing directly to the database is discouraged because it bypasses Costpoint's rules and audit fields. ## Search terms deltek costpoint mobile app, costpoint mobile timesheet, costpoint offline time entry, costpoint barcode scanning, costpoint mobile approvals, costpoint shop floor labor mobile, costpoint receiving handheld, costpoint time and expense mobile, mobile app for deltek costpoint, costpoint ios android --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json