Real World AI Design
Engagement options

Honest pricing. Clear scope. No bait-and-switch.

Most consultants hide their pricing because their pricing is whatever the client will bear. We publish ours because we'd rather match the right tier to your situation than negotiate from zero.

Most engagements start small. We'd rather earn the right to do bigger work by proving value at the lower tier first.

FREE · START HERE

AI Readiness Assessment

A scored evaluation across all five domains — data, systems, use case, organization, governance. Produces a personalized AI-generated report with tiered use case recommendations and a phased roadmap.

About 8 minutes. No call required. The report is yours to keep regardless of whether you engage further.

What you receive

  • – Overall readiness score (20-100) with band
  • – Per-domain scores (data, systems, use case, org, governance)
  • – AI-generated executive summary
  • – Top recommendations + strategic opportunities
  • – "Not yet ready" use cases (and why)
  • – 30/90/180-day roadmap
  • – Downloadable PDF
$1,500 · ENTRY TIER

AI Implementation Blueprint

For organizations who've taken the readiness assessment and want a deeper plan before committing to a larger engagement. Take an extended ~10-minute intake on one specific use case. Get back a Medium-length implementation blueprint covering phased timeline, internal & external resources, software categories with example vendors, year-one cost estimate, and risk register.

Includes a 30-minute consultation with Terry to walk through the blueprint and refine based on what no form can capture.

What this is, and isn't.
The Blueprint is a planning artifact — the fact-gathering starting point before we engage on the actual implementation work. It's not a binding implementation document, and we don't pretend an AI-generated plan replaces seeing your environment firsthand. It's the most efficient way to get organized before the real conversation.
Start with the assessment (Blueprint becomes available after assessment is complete)

Blueprint contents

  • – Executive framing of your chosen use case
  • – Phased timeline (3-4 phases over ~24 weeks)
  • – Internal & external resource plan with role-by-role commitment
  • – 4-7 software categories with 2-3 example vendors each
  • – Year-one cost estimate (software, services, internal time)
  • – Risk register with concrete mitigations
  • – Success metrics with measurable targets
  • – Consultation prep questions
  • – 30-min consultation with Terry
  • – Downloadable PDF
Full engagement tiers

When you're ready for the real work.

Pick the tier that matches the depth of work needed. Most clients enter at Advisory or Architecture, then move to Build once readiness is proven and scope is clear.

TIER 1

Advisory

$3.5K — $7.5K / engagement
2–4 weeks

Best for: Exploration, leadership alignment, getting AI literate as a team.

  • AI strategy sessions
  • Use case identification
  • Executive guidance
  • High-level next-step plan
Inquire →
TIER 2

Architecture

$10K — $25K / engagement
4–8 weeks

Best for: Serious AI initiatives that need full design before build.

  • Full readiness assessment
  • System architecture design
  • Vendor selection
  • Implementation roadmap
Inquire →
TIER 3

Build

$25K — $75K+ / project
3–6 months

Best for: Execution. Production AI systems shipped to your environment.

  • AI system development
  • Integrations with existing platforms
  • Dashboards & analytics
  • Workflow automation
Inquire →
TIER 4

Retainer

$5K — $15K / month
Ongoing

Best for: Long-term AI strategy and architecture oversight.

  • Ongoing AI advisory
  • Vendor and tool evaluation
  • Roadmap execution oversight
  • Governance and risk management
Inquire →
FOR EXISTING CLIENTS

Talent Enablement

Most of our engagements need more than one architect to ship. When a client engagement requires AI engineers, data engineers, ML practitioners, or full-stack builders we don't have on hand, we source vetted talent specifically for that engagement — using the same kind of AI-augmented sourcing we'd architect for any other use case.

Subcontract model. Talent works under our engagement contract. We stay accountable to you for delivery, design oversight, and quality. The subcontractors report to us; you get one throat to choke.

What this isn't.
This is not a recruiting service, a staffing agency, or a permanent placement firm. We don't take a percentage of first-year salary. We don't maintain a bench you can browse. Talent is sourced per-engagement based on the exact capabilities needed — available only to clients we're already engaged with on Architecture, Build, or Retainer work.

How sourcing works

  • 01 · Engagement scope identifies needed capabilities
  • 02 · AI sourcing agents search public profile data — LinkedIn, GitHub, Google Scholar, personal sites — for matching candidates
  • 03 · Candidates ranked by capability match, recency, and signal quality
  • 04 · Terry personally reviews the shortlist — AI surfaces, humans decide
  • 05 · 2–3 vetted candidates presented to you with capability summary, sample work, and rate
  • 06 · You select; we contract; engagement proceeds with our oversight

Sourcing uses category-leading autonomous AI agents (the same kind of capability we'd help you architect). We're vendor-neutral on which agent product is best for any given search.

How to choose

A practical decision tree.

Start with the free Assessment if…

  • You're exploring whether AI is right for your situation at all
  • You want a snapshot of where you stand before talking to anyone
  • You're unsure which use case to pursue first

Move to the $1,500 Blueprint if…

  • You've completed the assessment and you know which use case matters most
  • You want a structured implementation plan before talking to vendors
  • You want a 30-minute consultation as part of getting organized

Engage Advisory if…

  • Your leadership team needs alignment before committing budget
  • You want strategy sessions before designing anything
  • You're trying to decide if a long-term advisory model fits

Engage Architecture or Build if…

  • You have a clear use case and budget envelope
  • You need actual design work or production system development
  • You're ready to move from planning to shipping
When we'll tell you not to engage us.
If your readiness assessment shows you're not in a position to ship AI yet — data not in place, no executive sponsor, no clear use case — we'll say so. The Blueprint is sometimes the right next step. So is "wait six months and address X first." So is referring you to someone whose specialty fits better. We'd rather lose a small engagement than ship something that doesn't work.

Most clients start with the free assessment.

It's the fastest way to know if Real World AI Design is the right fit, and the best way to figure out which engagement tier matches your situation.

Take the AI Readiness Assessment Or email Terry directly