How much does an AI strategy cost?

What an AI strategy engagement includes

A full AI strategy engagement with Acuity AI Advisory includes four phases. The diagnostic phase involves structured interviews with the leadership team, a review of current AI use, an assessment of data and governance maturity, and a mapping of business objectives. The strategy development phase translates diagnostic findings into prioritised use cases, governance requirements, and capability investments. The governance design phase produces the AI use policy, the oversight structure, the risk register template, and the EU AI Act compliance roadmap. The roadmap phase sequences all implementation actions with owners, timescales, and dependencies. Deliverables are written documents: the strategy, the governance framework, and the roadmap — not a slide deck. The engagement is principal-led: the work is done by the Acuity principal, not delegated to a junior team.

Why fixed-fee matters for strategy work

Fixed-fee pricing for AI strategy creates the right incentives on both sides of the engagement. The client knows the total cost before the work begins — there are no surprises, no scope creep invoices, no open-ended billing. The advisor has an incentive to work efficiently and produce clear deliverables, rather than to extend the engagement. For business leaders making investment decisions, fixed-fee pricing makes it straightforward to evaluate the value of the engagement: a defined cost produces defined deliverables. Day-rate or hourly billing models for strategy work create the wrong incentives — they reward time spent rather than outcomes delivered. All Acuity AI Advisory engagements are fixed-fee, with scope defined at the outset.