The five things people actually sell
Strip the brand names off twenty consultancies' menus and the same five offers appear on all of them.
| Offer | What it is | 2026 price band |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment / audit | 2–4 weeks; workflows scored; a roadmap | $2,500–$15,000 fixed (enterprise-flavoured firms $25,000+) |
| Single-workflow build | One process automated, tested, handed over | $2,500–$10,000 |
| Multi-workflow build | Several processes, several systems, 4–12 weeks | $15,000–$75,000 |
| Upkeep retainer | Monitoring, fixes, small changes | $200–$1,500 / month |
| Fractional AI lead | Two sessions a month, vendor evaluation, roadmap | $4,000–$10,000 / month |
Hourly rates sit underneath all of it: $100–$250 for a solo or boutique, $150–$300 for a mid-tier firm, and $500+ for a partner at a large one. Hourly is fine for advice. It is the wrong shape for a build, because it prices the consultant's time instead of your result.
What the assessment price buys
A real assessment has four deliverables: a scorecard of every workflow (hours a month, loaded cost, error rate), the top handful designed in enough detail to quote, fixed quotes for those, and a roadmap you own whether or not you build. If a "readiness audit" delivers a maturity score and a slide deck instead, you are paying for a sales call.
Two devices separate the honest ones: the fee is credited to a build started within some window, and the "don't do this" column is real. About a third of the value of a good assessment is what it tells you to leave alone.
Three signs a quote is a trap
- "Contact us for pricing." Every firm on this list that survives publishes numbers. The ones that don't are pricing you, not the work.
- The assessment is only available with the build. Then it is not an assessment. It is a down payment.
- A diagnostic longer than four weeks. Two to three weeks is enough to time and price the workflows of a company under 200 people. Longer means the meter is the product.
What I charge, for comparison
Assessment $4,500, two weeks, credited to a build. Builds from $5,000, most $15,000–$45,000, fixed. Upkeep $500–$1,500 a month, cancel any month. Advisory $250 an hour. The numbers are on the services page, and they are the same on every page of this site.