Larkmoor Guide

Larkmoor Guide helps finance, purchasing and delivery teams work out what an AI consulting agreement will buy.
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Buying guides

Editorial selection

Full comparison

Nexus

Nexus makes sense when you want an automated role with people helping you build and improve it. Start with a named business process and ask what stays inside the role's fee.1,2,3

Best for
A process owner who can describe a good result and wants help getting there.
Avoid when
You need engineers to work through your backlog, or still cannot tell what the role fee includes.
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Mercury Development

Mercury gives buyers a clearer starting point for discussing the cost of discovery, a custom build and ongoing operation. Keep those stages separate when you request a quote.4,5,6

Best for
A custom-software buyer who wants stage budgets and a direct discussion about owning the code.
Avoid when
You are using a published starting price as the entire budget for a production system nobody has scoped.
Read profile
Burger King gamified contest app, from the Mercury Development portfolio
Image from Mercury Development.

Dualboot Partners

Dualboot deserves a look if you need part-time AI leadership or people to strengthen an existing delivery team. Decide which gap you are hiring it to fill before comparing the fees.7,8,9

Best for
An organization that needs continuing executive direction or people working alongside its existing team.
Avoid when
You are treating part-time advice as a promise to build and run the whole system.
Read profile
PetScreening performance dashboard on a laptop, from a Dualboot Partners case study
Image from Dualboot Partners.

Full comparison

Compare the shortlist

Choose which providers to keep, then focus the evidence on one buying criterion.

Providers
1NexusA process owner who can describe a good result and wants help getting there.

Nexus makes sense when you want an automated role with people helping you build and improve it. Start with a named business process and ask what stays inside the role's fee.1,2,3

Best for
A process owner who can describe a good result and wants help getting there.
Avoid when
You need engineers to work through your backlog, or still cannot tell what the role fee includes.

What is included?

Partly documented

Nexus quotes a first live agent within a three-month proof of concept. Its public material also says deployed agents have business KPIs.1,10

What happens each month?

Partly documented

Nexus's homepage says the team stays to improve the first version with the customer.3

Who directs the people?

Partly documented

Nexus describes building with the customer's team. Its telecom material says the business team runs the service.2,11

What costs extra?

Partly documented

Nexus confirms pricing by role, without billing consultant time.1

What do you keep?

Not established

What procedures, settings, records and usable exports will you receive at handover?

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2BlueLabelA buyer who wants a staged build and a clear path for the team to start using it.

BlueLabel is worth considering when you need to turn an initial idea into a build plan and teach your own people along the way. Its discovery, delivery and training descriptions address those steps.12,13,14

Best for
A buyer who wants a staged build and a clear path for the team to start using it.
Avoid when
You need a fixed total or a staffing-only arrangement that the proposal has not promised.

What is included?

Partly documented

BlueLabel describes a Discovery SPRINT, with the validated plan becoming the build specification.12,13

What happens each month?

Partly documented

BlueLabel offers long-term support after a product launches.15

Who directs the people?

Partly documented

BlueLabel describes turnkey teams. It says success measures are agreed up front and reviewed at each sprint.16,17

What costs extra?

Not established

What happens to the price and agreed work when you change sprint priorities or the build specification?13,18

What do you keep?

Partly documented

BlueLabel says it trains client staff during the build so they can run and extend the work.14

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3Dualboot PartnersAn organization that needs continuing executive direction or people working alongside its existing team.

Dualboot deserves a look if you need part-time AI leadership or people to strengthen an existing delivery team. Decide which gap you are hiring it to fill before comparing the fees.7,8,9

Best for
An organization that needs continuing executive direction or people working alongside its existing team.
Avoid when
You are treating part-time advice as a promise to build and run the whole system.

What is included?

Partly documented

Dualboot's strategy workshop aims to produce prioritized initiatives that account for risk. Its fractional chief AI officer service includes an enterprise roadmap.19,20

What happens each month?

Partly documented

The fractional chief AI officer page describes a typical commitment equivalent to one or two days a week.8

Who directs the people?

Partly documented

Dualboot lists staff augmentation. Its chief AI officer service addresses who owns AI work and how new requests enter the process.9,21

What costs extra?

Partly documented

Dualboot says price depends on the scope, the organization's complexity and how much discovery is needed.22

What do you keep?

Partly documented

The fractional chief AI officer offer describes flexibility for a strategic handover or a longer-term relationship.23

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4DOOR3A buyer with a prototype or troubled project who needs to understand the work required before spending more.

DOOR3 is worth a look when you need to find out what a project requires before committing to the build. Its discovery, buildout and rescue offers also address prototypes that need more work before everyday use.24,25,26

Best for
A buyer with a prototype or troubled project who needs to understand the work required before spending more.
Avoid when
The proposal treats a successful demo as enough to accept a service you must run.

What is included?

Partly documented

DOOR3 offers technical discovery at the start of an engagement. Its material distinguishes a working prototype from an application ready for production.25,27

What happens each month?

Not established

What maintenance, response and improvement work can DOOR3 provide after this project?

Who directs the people?

Partly documented

DOOR3 describes advisory, buildout and project rescue. In its Achievement Network case, the client's team did the build.24,28

What costs extra?

Not established

How will newly discovered production work change the estimate?26

What do you keep?

Partly documented

DOOR3's production-readiness material includes logging, monitoring and alerts.29

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5Mercury DevelopmentA custom-software buyer who wants stage budgets and a direct discussion about owning the code.

Mercury gives buyers a clearer starting point for discussing the cost of discovery, a custom build and ongoing operation. Keep those stages separate when you request a quote.4,5,6

Best for
A custom-software buyer who wants stage budgets and a direct discussion about owning the code.
Avoid when
You are using a published starting price as the entire budget for a production system nobody has scoped.

What is included?

Partly documented

Mercury publishes discovery starting at $25,000 and typical production builds of $80,000–$400,000, depending on scope.4,5

What happens each month?

Partly documented

Mercury says ongoing operation and improvements are billed monthly.6

Who directs the people?

Partly documented

Mercury lists staff augmentation and says teams grow with the project's needs.30,31

What costs extra?

Partly documented

Mercury links production prices to the number of agents, integrations and compliance work. It asks buyers to request a tailored estimate.5,32

What do you keep?

Partly documented

Mercury's about page says customers own the code and underlying intellectual property through its work-for-hire approach.33

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6SOLTECHAn internal leader deciding which planning, delivery and staffing help to buy.

SOLTECH lets you consider readiness advice and IT staffing alongside software development. It is useful to compare those offers separately when you are still deciding what your own team can take on.34,35,36

Best for
An internal leader deciding which planning, delivery and staffing help to buy.
Avoid when
You are assuming an assessment or staffing offer includes responsibility for the whole live service without pricing it.

What is included?

Partly documented

SOLTECH's readiness assessment lists an AI maturity score, a prioritized list of initiatives and an outline roadmap.35

What happens each month?

Partly documented

SOLTECH's LG Electronics case describes an ongoing development partnership after the rebuild.37

Who directs the people?

Partly documented

SOLTECH lists IT staffing alongside custom software development and technology consulting.34,36

What costs extra?

Partly documented

The LG Electronics case began with transition and support work, then grew into a redesign and rebuild.38

What do you keep?

Not established

Which source materials, accounts and knowledge-transfer work are included when the assignment ends?

Read profile

When another provider fits

Mercury Development

You need separate budgets for discovery, a custom build and monthly operation.

Mercury publishes price indications for discovery and production, then describes monthly billing for ongoing work. That gives finance a more concrete starting point.4,5,6

Trade-off: Starting prices and typical ranges still need a quote for your project. Get the connections, controls and continuing work spelled out.5,32

Dualboot Partners

You need someone to lead the AI agenda while your team or another supplier builds.

Dualboot offers part-time senior AI leadership, including responsibility for the work and a roadmap. That is a closer match when direction is the missing resource.7,21,20,8

Trade-off: A leader's time is not the same purchase as a working system. Include the people doing the build if the agreement must deliver one.7,8,9

BlueLabel

The first project needs to leave your people able to run and extend the result.

BlueLabel says it trains client staff as it builds. It also describes turning the agreed strategy into the build specification.14,13

Trade-off: You still need people to receive that training and a practical handover exercise. The training promise does not list which assets will transfer.14

DOOR3

The prototype works in a demo, but you cannot yet rely on it in everyday use.

DOOR3 describes a service for that gap, including the logs, monitoring and alerts needed to follow a system in use.26,29

Trade-off: Discovery may reveal more building to do. Accepting those findings and agreeing to fund the build should be separate decisions.25,26

From the archive

The Best AI Consulting Services by Engagement Model

Six AI consulting services compared by how each one sells its work, from fixed scope sprints and retainers to staff augmentation and pricing per role automated.

Read the article