Consultancy pricing

Three ways to engage. Sized to the problem.

Beyond Arc Consultancy is for businesses that know AI matters, but don't want a six-month strategy project before anything useful happens.

Map the bottleneck. Build the right first move. Stay involved if the work earns it.

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The ladder

Same engineering and judgement at every level. Different scope, different price, different commitment. The Diagnostic carries a published floor; the build and retainer are quoted on scope because size drives the fee.

01

Diagnostic

from £1,500

Written scoping doc, ~10 working days

Best for: A scoped read of one business area and the bottleneck that matters. We map how the work actually runs, find where AI or automation earns its keep, and hand you a written plan you own. Scales up for multi-area, larger-team, or deeper-system reviews.

Included

  • Short structured intake: business, bottleneck, outcome wanted
  • Discovery call plus short operator interviews
  • Read-only review of your tools and the shape of your data
  • Current-state map: tools, handoffs, decisions, bottlenecks
  • Two to four candidate interventions, ranked by payoff, effort, and confidence
  • A recommended sequence: what to ship first, what to defer, what not to do
  • Walkthrough of the findings

Typical outputs

A 4 to 8 page written scoping doc. Map of current state, where AI earns its keep, and what to do next. Yours to keep whether you engage further or not.

Scope caveats

Recommendations only. No build work inside the Diagnostic price. One business unit and up to three connected systems unless scoped up. Larger organisations priced up from the floor, quoted before kickoff.

Talk to us about Diagnostic
02

Business Build

quoted on scope

Reference: from around £8,000

Best for: Businesses ready to stop talking and put a real system into the world. We deliver the outputs from the Diagnostic: design it, build it, integrate it, hand it over.

Included

  • Scoped build around the priority use case
  • Workflow design
  • Build and configuration of the agreed system
  • Integrations where needed
  • Testing and refinement
  • Handover guidance for live use
  • A short post-launch support window

Typical outputs

A working system in production, a defined process for use, handover notes, and a recommended next phase if it is justified. Examples: lead triage and qualification, internal research and reporting workflows, content repurposing, a function-specific assistant.

Scope caveats

Quoted on scope. Reference points: from around £8,000 for a focused single-system build, up to £20,000+ for multi-system delivery with deeper integration. Third-party software, API, hosting and licence costs are separate.

Talk to us about Business Build
03

AI Retainer

quoted on scope

Reference: from £2,000 / month

Best for: Businesses that want senior input after handover. We keep the workflow healthy, improve it as the business moves, and stay close enough to catch problems early. The production workflow stays yours.

Included

  • Workflow-health review
  • Configuration updates
  • Prompt and rules improvement
  • Vendor-change monitoring
  • Prioritisation of what is next
  • Scoped troubleshooting

Typical outputs

Ongoing senior input after handover: workflow-health review, configuration updates, prompt and rules improvement, vendor-change monitoring, prioritisation and scoped troubleshooting. Production workflows remain client-owned and client-operated unless a different support model is agreed explicitly.

Scope caveats

Quoted on scope. Reference points: from £2,000/mo for a focused retainer up to £3,500/mo+ for deeper, multi-workstream work. Commitment is agreed by scope, monthly rolling where that fits. Substantial new builds are scoped separately.

Talk to us about AI Retainer

The Diagnostic floor is a single-area, small-business scope. Final fee confirmed after a brief scoping call before any commitment. Larger organisations, multi-team delivery, or heavy integration work sit above these floors. Workshops are quoted separately when scope requires them.

At a glance

Tier Best for Price Main outcome Delivery type
Diagnostic A written read on where to start from £1,500 Scoping doc with a prioritised first move Written, ~10 working days
Business Build Putting one real system into production quoted on scope A working system, handed over Scoped build + handover
AI Retainer Advisory and maintenance after handover quoted on scope Healthy workflows the client owns Monthly rolling where that fits

Which tier is right for you?

Pick the one whose conditions match where you are now. If two fit, the lighter one usually beats the heavier one.

Choose Diagnostic if:

  • You want a written read on where to start
  • One business area, one bottleneck, one recommended first move
  • You are happy to take the output and decide your own next step

Choose Business Build if:

  • You already know the use case, or you have had the Diagnostic
  • The business needs a working system, not another planning document
  • You are ready to build one focused thing and prove value first

Choose AI Retainer if:

  • You already have momentum and need steady senior input
  • You want someone maintaining and scaling what is live
  • You do not need a full-time internal AI or ops lead yet

Recommended buying path

For most clients, this is the lowest-risk way to engage:

Diagnostic → Business Build → AI Retainer (only if the work earns it)

Keeps risk down. Gets to value faster. Avoids paying for more process than the problem needs. If you already know the use case, skip straight to a Business Build. The Diagnostic exists for teams who need clarity first, not as a forced gate.

FAQ

What's the difference between the Diagnostic and the Business Build?

The Diagnostic maps the problem and hands you a written plan. Advisory only, no build. The Business Build is where we put a real system into production. Different stage, different price. Most clients start with the Diagnostic so the build is scoped properly before anyone spends on it.

Why is the Diagnostic priced "from £1,500"?

The floor is a single-area review for a small business. Bigger organisations cost more: more stakeholders, more systems, deeper data review. "From" sets a minimum; the final fee is confirmed after a short scoping call before any commitment.

Do I have to start with the Diagnostic?

No. If you already know the use case and want to skip to a Business Build, that's fine. The Diagnostic exists for teams who need clarity first, not as a forced gate.

Do you run workshops?

Workshops aren't a tier. If you want in-person sessions with your team, training, or facilitated working days, that's a paid extension quoted separately on top of whichever engagement you're in. The deliverable is whatever the workshop is for; the workshop itself is the format billed on top.

What kind of work do you actually do?

See the Smart Water case study. Website delivered Q1 2026; operational tooling in flight. Honest about what's delivered vs what's still in progress. More case studies land at /case-studies as engagements close. We publish only real ones.

Why "quoted on scope" and not fixed ranges?

Ranges invite haggling. The Diagnostic carries a published floor; the Business Build and AI Retainer are quoted on scope because size of business, integration count, and depth genuinely drive the fee. We quote at the low end unless the scope demands more, and we tell you the driver of the delta explicitly.

What's NOT included in any tier?

Third-party software licences, API usage, hosting or cloud costs, major data cleanup, enterprise compliance review, extensive custom software engineering, full team training programmes. If any of these come up in scoping, they're flagged with separate pricing before work starts.

Do you take equity, success fees, or subscription deals?

No. Fixed fees on builds, monthly fees on the retainer. No revenue-share, no ongoing percentage, no equity. The commercial model stays simple so you own the system and the relationship outright.

How does payment work?

The Diagnostic is split 50% on kickoff, 50% on walkthrough delivery. Build work splits across deposit and milestone or completion stages. Retainers bill monthly in advance. We invoice in GBP. UK VAT applies if Beyond Arc crosses the threshold (currently below).

What if scope expands mid-engagement?

Timing and price are reviewed before any work continues outside the original scope. No surprises in the final invoice. Builds are intentionally tight to avoid bloated delivery.

How fast can you start?

Diagnostics deliver the written doc within about 10 working days of kickoff. Business Builds depend on access to stakeholders and source material, usually 2 to 4 weeks to start. The AI Retainer starts immediately after agreement.

What if the first move doesn't justify more work?

We say so. Smaller, sharper engagements that prove value early beat long contracts that drag. If a Business Build doesn't earn a Retainer or a next phase, we close cleanly and you keep the system.

If you need a slide deck, there are bigger firms for that.

If you need a clear first move, a working system, or a practitioner who has shipped this for himself first, start with a Diagnostic.

Start with a Diagnostic Back to Consultancy