Why is this market hard to compare?
Almost every provider calls itself an AI consultancy, and the websites read alike. Underneath, they sell very different things. One firm's fee buys a document, another's buys a course, another's buys a software subscription and another's buys a process that runs. Comparing them on day rates or on how impressive the pitch felt misses the point. You need to compare what you will have when they leave.
Broadly, providers fall into four types. None is wrong. Each suits a different situation.
What are the four types of provider?
Assessment and roadmap sellers
They interview your people, review your systems and produce a report: where AI could help, in what order, with what risks. The output is a plan. Good ones are thorough and give a board something to agree around. The limit is that nothing changes in the firm until someone acts on the plan, and that someone is usually you.
Training providers
They run workshops, courses or coaching on AI tools and safe use. The output is people who know more. This is valuable for fluency and for setting habits around client data. It rarely changes how a particular job is done, because the job was never in scope.
Software resellers
They sell, license and set up a particular product, often with configuration and onboarding included. The output is a tool, switched on. It works well when the product fits your job. When it does not, the reseller's incentive is still to sell the product.
Build partners
They take a specific job, map how it is done, rebuild it and hand it over running, with the team trained. The output is a working process. It demands more of your people's time up front, because the job has to be understood before it can be rebuilt, and it covers one job at a time rather than the whole firm.
How do the four compare side by side?
| Assessment and roadmap | Training | Software reseller | Build partner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you have at the end | A report and a plan | Staff who know more | A licensed product | A process running live |
| Cost structure | Fixed fee or day rates for the study | Per session or per head | Subscription plus setup | Fixed fee or time and materials per process |
| Time to value | Only once you act on the plan | Immediate for individuals, patchy firm-wide | Quick if the product fits | Weeks, once the job is live |
| Who carries the risk | You, for implementation | You, for uptake | You, for fit | Shared, or the provider's if payment depends on go-live |
| Control | High; you decide what to do next | High | The vendor sets the roadmap | Depends on the contract and where it runs |
| What happens after | You need a second provider to build | Habits fade unless the work changes | An ongoing subscription | You own the process; support tails off |
| Best when | You have no idea where to start | The need is safe, confident use | A product already fits your job | You can name the job that hurts |
How should you decide which type you need?
- If you cannot yet name the problem, an assessment may be worth it. Keep the scope tight and ask for a named first process as a deliverable, not just a list of opportunities.
- If the problem is behaviour, such as staff using public tools on client work, start with a policy and training.
- If a product you have trialled on real work already fits, buy it through whoever supports it best.
- If you can name the job and it keeps taking the same senior hours, you need a build partner.
How do you compare providers of the same type?
Once you know which type you need, compare like with like. Ask each what will exist on the last day, how the fee is set and whether it can grow, who reviews AI output before a client sees it, how client data is handled under UK GDPR, and what you will own and be able to run without them. The full list is in questions to ask an AI consultant, and how AI consultancy is priced explains the fee models you will meet.
Aldbry is a build partner, and only that. We do not sell roadmaps, courses or software licences. If you need one of those, one of the other types will serve you better. If you already know the job, or want the audit to point to it, we rebuild it in 30 days for a fixed fee, and if it is not live in that time you do not pay.