Should you hire an AI person or engage a consultant?
Hire when you have continuous engineering work, someone who can manage it, and a reason to keep that capability inside the business. Engage for a defined build when you need a system delivered without creating a permanent engineering role. Company headcount alone does not decide this.
Start with the next twelve months of work: new builds, maintenance, integrations, security reviews, and the improvements your team will request after launch. We sell implementation, so compare that workload with the costs below rather than taking our preferred model on faith.
What does an in-house hire actually cost?
Use a salary benchmark as a starting point, then price the role you need in your location. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $135,980 median annual wage for software developers in May 2025. That is a broad occupation benchmark, not an AI specialist quote or the employer’s fully loaded cost.
Add benefits, payroll costs, recruiting, equipment, software, onboarding, and management time. Ask who covers the system during leave or after a departure. A hire can build deep knowledge of your operation; that knowledge still needs documentation and a second person who can use it.
What does engaging a consultancy cost?
At our published prices, an AI Implementation Sprint is $18,000–$60,000 over 4 to 12 weeks. If discovery is needed, an AI Readiness Audit adds $3,500–$8,500 over 2 to 4 weeks before credits. Your audit fee can be credited toward a sprint signed within 60 days, up to 25% of the sprint price.
The quote fixes the agreed scope and price before work begins. Your team still contributes process knowledge, access, decisions, and review. Tools and model usage continue after delivery; hardware and support depend on scope. Optional Managed Services starts at $1,500 a month. A consultant removes the need to staff the build, not the need to own the workflow.
Compare the responsibility, not just the invoice.
| Option | Budget for | Best fit | Your responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hire in-house | Compensation, benefits, recruiting, tools, and management | A sustained engineering backlog and a technical manager | Set priorities, review delivery, and maintain coverage |
| Engage for a build | Defined project fee, tools, review time, and any ongoing support | A workflow with clear boundaries and a business case | Supply access and decisions; own acceptance and operation |
| Use a fractional specialist | The agreed time or deliverables, plus implementation if separate | Part-time expertise with responsibilities spelled out | Confirm who actually builds and who maintains |
| Keep the process manual | Current labor, delay, errors, and any simple process fixes | Low value, low readiness, or no suitable automation | Record the reason to wait and a trigger for revisiting |
These are buying criteria, not market-average prices or a rule that one model always wins.
What does doing nothing cost?
Measure it. Count how often the workflow runs, how long preparation and review take, and which delays create an actual cost. Separate work you could eliminate from capacity you could redirect. An hour returned does not automatically reduce payroll or create revenue.
Our ROI calculator uses published modeling assumptions. They describe potential opportunity, not a measured loss in your business. The math guide explains the capture rate and ongoing costs. A small manual process can be the better economic decision, even when it is technically possible to automate.
What should you ask a fractional specialist?
Ask whether you are buying advice, engineering, or both. “Fractional” describes availability; it does not tell you what ships. Name the deliverables, access needed, decision owner, hours or milestones, and what happens when the arrangement ends.
A fractional leader can help choose work and manage vendors. A fractional builder can implement it. Either can be useful, but do not buy one while expecting the other.
Can you build now and hire later?
Yes. Deliver one defined workflow, name an internal owner, and review the actual maintenance load and backlog before creating a permanent role. The handoff should make that option easier: working software, documentation, team training, and ownership are part of our sprint.
Before choosing, write down three things: the work that needs doing this year, the person accountable for it, and the cost you are trying to change. Then use the consultant checklist and proposal comparison to test your options. If the workflow is already clear, discuss a sprint; if the business case is unclear, consider an audit.