Service · Model

The business case, before the purchase order.

A full cost, ROI, and option-comparison model for 3–5 shortlisted use cases. Cloud, self-hosted, hybrid, and platform-native priced side-by-side, as ranges rather than single-point forecasts, with environmental impact modelled.

Book a 30-min scoping call Open the cost calculator
Fit

Who it's for, who it isn't

It fits when

  • Your AI programme has to survive a CFO review.
  • You're choosing between SaaS, a fine-tune, self-hosting, or sticking on a cloud API.
  • You need Scope 2–aligned numbers, not vendor averages.

It doesn't fit when

  • You haven't scoped the use cases yet: do a Discovery Sprint.
  • You want a vendor demo rather than a model: that's someone else.
  • You want a single point estimate with two-decimal confidence: ranges are the honest shape.
What you get

The deliverable

  • The Model. A live spreadsheet / report pairing each shortlisted use case with TCO, ROI range, break-even curve, and option comparison.
  • Option comparison. Cloud API, self-hosted, hybrid, and platform-native priced side-by-side with documented assumptions.
  • Risk register. Vendor lock-in, data residency, regulatory exposure, annotated per option.
  • Environmental impact. kWh and CO₂e per workflow per option, using your grid factor (or a cited default).
  • Board-ready summary. One page with the recommendation a finance team can defend.
How it works

The phases

  1. Intake

    Agree the 3–5 use cases in scope, the options to price, and where the numbers live.

  2. Assumption review

    Volume estimates, rate cards, depreciation schedules, residency constraints. Surface what is guessed vs measured.

  3. Model build

    TCO and ROI per use case per option. Ranges, not points. Sensitivity tables for the inputs that move the answer.

  4. Sensitivity + risk

    Which assumptions break the case if they're wrong? Which risks are absorbable? Annotate the model.

  5. Readout

    A session with the person who has to approve the spend. Written report + live model handed over.

Duration & price

What to budget

Duration

1–3 weeks

Price shape

Fixed per use case

Fixed fee per shortlisted use case. Bundle pricing applies beyond three. Confirmed at scope.

Sample deliverable

What the output looks like

An anonymised sample of a past deliverable for this engagement is being prepared. Until it's published here, the clearest picture comes from the methodology page. This service is one productised slice of the same method.

A model with ranges and assumption-testing survives finance review. A single-point forecast doesn't. This is the difference between "we think it'll pay back in 18 months" and "here is the defensible envelope."
Book a 30-min scoping call Open the cost calculator
Not the right fit?

Try one of these instead