What does an AI consultant cost? Pricing and packages

What does AI consulting cost?

AI consulting from Dave Willemstein costs a fixed price, a range or a monthly fee, per package. The Executive Briefing is the smallest package at €2,800, an AI Readiness Assessment costs €7,000 and an AI Strategy Sprint costs €15,400 - €22,400. The amounts are excluding VAT and travel expenses.

There is no standard price for AI consulting, because the questions vary so much. A leadership team that wants a shared view in one afternoon needs something different from an organization looking for an eighteen-month roadmap. What I can do is translate the most common questions into fixed packages, each with a clear price or range.

What moves the price

Within a package, the amount moves with a few concrete factors:

• Scope: a single department or process domain is reviewed faster than the whole organization.
• Number of people involved: more business units, interviews or participants means more preparation and sessions.
• Number of vendors or options: in a selection process, the number of parties to assess sets the size of the work.
• Time per month: for an ongoing role, the number of fixed days per month sets the monthly fee.

All amounts on this page are excluding VAT and travel expenses.

Source: Dave Willemstein's rates and typical timelines. Updated: October 2026.

Packages and starting prices

1. OrientExecutive Briefing: one half-day session incl. preparation for leadership or the board
2. Know where you standAI Readiness Assessment: fixed price, 2-3 weeks
3. ChooseVendor Review or AI Due Diligence: a well-founded decision
4. Set directionAI Strategy Sprint: strategy and roadmap
5. SustainFractional AI Lead: ongoing direction

Package	Timeline	Investment
Executive Briefing	one half-day session incl. preparation	€2,800
AI Readiness Assessment	2-3 weeks	€7,000
Vendor Review	3-6 weeks	€9,800 - €15,400
AI Due Diligence	2-4 weeks	€12,600 - €19,600
AI Strategy Sprint	4-6 weeks	€15,400 - €22,400
Fractional AI Lead	2, 4 or 8 days per month	€2,600 / €5,200 / €10,400 per month
AI workshop and training	Half-day or full day	Fixed price in the proposal

AI Readiness Assessment

A sober review of your organization across strategy, data, technology, people and governance, in 2-3 weeks. You get a readiness score, a gap analysis and a 90-day plan. The price is fixed at €7,000, including a closing presentation to leadership or the board. For most organizations this is the logical starting point; full details are on the AI Readiness Assessment page.

AI Strategy Sprint

For organizations that want to move from scattered ideas to a board-ready AI strategy and roadmap. The sprint takes 4-6 weeks and costs €15,400 - €22,400: the lower end if a Readiness Assessment is already in place, the upper end for multiple business units. See what the AI Strategy Sprint delivers.

Fractional AI Lead

For when you do not need a full-time Head of AI, but do need someone who keeps the AI agenda on track and asks the right questions in steering committees. The investment is €2,600 / €5,200 / €10,400 per month across the Advisory, Lead and Lead+ levels (2, 4 or 8 days per month). The minimum term is 3 months, after which the role is cancellable monthly. More on this part-time AI leadership role.

Vendor Review

A structured selection process with scorecards and a three-year TCO comparison. Depending on the number of vendors (2 to 4), a Vendor Review costs €9,800 - €15,400, over a timeline of 3-6 weeks.

Executive Briefing

A three-hour session in which your leadership team or supervisory board gets a shared, realistic view of AI. Including preparation on your sector, the Executive Briefing costs €2,800. This is the smallest fixed-price package, and it is fully credited if you start an AI Readiness Assessment within 60 days.

AI Due Diligence

For investors and organizations that need to assess an AI proposition or vendor. An AI Due Diligence takes 2-4 weeks and costs €12,600 - €19,600: a single solution at the lower end, a whole company at the upper end. Always under NDA.

AI workshop and training

Workshops and training get a fixed price per assignment. Preparation, duration and group size set the amount, and you get that on paper before the start.

Not sure which package fits? Compare them side by side on the overview of all services.

Why no hourly rate?

An hourly rate rewards the wrong things. It makes more hours more attractive than a faster outcome, and it shifts the conversation to the timesheet instead of the decision you want to make. With a fixed price or an agreed range set in advance, you know where you stand before the start, and the collaboration is about the result.

Scoped advisory work, workshops and second opinions also get a fixed price, with no minimum engagement.

Freelance consultant versus agency: the cost difference

An agency or large consultancy has an organization built around the consultant, such as account management and often a mix of senior and junior consultants, and those costs sit in the rate. With me, you always work with the senior you spoke to; there are no juniors on your project. The trade-off is that a one-person practice has less delivery capacity; for that I suggest partners you contract directly, with no margin for me.

Which form fits best depends on your question, not only on the price.

Want to know which package fits your situation? Book a free thirty-minute conversation; at the end you will hear what I would do, even if that means you do not need me.