Services / AI spend management
AI spend management
We find every AI use in your organisation, work out what each one really costs per use, and set up the tracking that keeps those costs where you want them. Your team runs it from there, or we watch it for you each month if you prefer.
- Usual setup
- About 4 weekssmaller organisations
- Price
- See PricingTypical setup and monthly prices by size
- Optional
- We run it monthlyOr your team runs it.
Built on the recognised industry methods for managing technology and AI spend: the FinOps Framework, the FOCUS billing standard, ISO/IEC 19770 software asset management, and TBM.
Download the service brief (PDF)Why it needs managing, not just reporting
AI arrives three ways: AI tools bought by the seat, AI features switched on inside software you already pay for, and usage bills from AI providers for tokens or requests. Each arrives on a different bill, and none of them tells you what one answer, one request or one use case really costs.
AI use nobody approved runs in the background, often on a card. A looping agent or an unthrottled endpoint can run up a bill within hours. And the bill shows only part of the cost: staff time, data preparation, storage and compliance sit outside it. This service builds agreed rules for every AI cost, gives each an owner, and shows it to the team that uses it. Your team can keep the picture current, or we do it for you each month. The method underneath is token economics, the FinOps approach to AI cost and value.
Who it is for
| Size | Monthly AI bill (tools, features and usage) | Cost sources tracked each month |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Under USD 50,000 | Up to 30 |
| Medium | USD 50,000 to 250,000 | Up to 60 |
| Large | Above USD 250,000 | Up to 100 per phase, one business unit at a time |
A cost source is one bill, export or contract we collect and check each month. We agree the number with you when you sign, and we deliver exactly that number. If we find more, you choose: we re-cost for the new number, or you keep the agreed number and choose which sources to leave out.
The steps, in order
- 1
Before we start
One or two calls on your AI use, who owns it and how you budget. Scope document, contract, confidentiality agreement and data-handling terms. Work starts when the scope is signed and the 50% setup deposit is paid.
- 2
Discovery and baseline (weeks 1 to 2)
Interviews with your finance lead, IT or platform lead, AI buyer and use-case owners. AI bills, usage exports and seat reports brought into one layout; a register of every AI use, including AI use nobody approved; a signed baseline.
- 3
Cost model (weeks 2 to 3)
Cost per answer, per request, per active user and per outcome, plus what the bill leaves out. Scenarios at half, double and five times today's use, and the thresholds that should trigger a change.
- 4
Tracking and showback (weeks 3 to 4)
Usage tracking, runaway-cost alerts and budget limits designed with your owners and switched on by your teams. Paid seats checked against active users; the first reports by team and use case.
- 5
Handover (week 4)
After one review round you sign off with each team head, and your team gets the monthly routine to run it themselves. If you would rather we run it, our optional monthly service takes over from here.
If you have had our cost review recently, we do not repeat it: we refresh its signed baseline with you and go straight on. The scope and price reflect the work already done.
The setup, week by week (smaller organisations)
Medium setups take about 6 to 7 weeks; Large, one business unit at a time, 8 to 10 weeks. We never work inside your AI platforms: your teams switch on what is agreed.
What you receive
- 1
Discovery set
AI use register, AI spend in one layout, maturity scores, signed baseline.
- 2
AI cost model
Cost per use, full cost per use case, scenarios and a scaling plan.
- 3
Measures, alert levels and budget limits
Designed with you, switched on by your teams.
- 4
Showback by team and use case
Each team and each use case sees its AI costs.
- 5
Monthly routine
The export schedule, report template, alert procedure and review calendar your team runs from. If you choose our monthly service, we run it: a report each month and a review each quarter.
What we need from you
- People: a buyer who signs; a finance lead, an IT or platform lead and an AI buyer; use-case owners for the cost model and reviews; team heads for the walkthroughs.
- Data: AI bills, usage exports, seat and sign-in reports, contracts and committed capacity, the list of known AI uses, and a team list.
- Only if you choose the monthly service: the agreed exports by the agreed day, and 30 minutes for the review call each month.
Price
The typical prices for this service, and what each one covers, are on our Pricing page. Your actual price depends on your needs and is agreed in writing before we start.
See typical pricesAfter setup your team can run it themselves, or we run it for you each month. The monthly service is optional.
How payment works
- Setup: 50% on signing; work starts once the scope is signed and this payment is made. 50% at sign-off of the completed setup.
- Monthly service, only if you choose it: billed monthly from the month after setup sign-off. The minimum term is 12 months; after that it runs month to month, and either side can end it with 3 months' notice.
Your data
You prepare and send the agreed data. Your work is done in its own workspace, and your files are kept as an encrypted set of files in a protected space that only that workspace can reach.
We use AI assistance in our work. Your confidential data is processed only on our own machines and is never sent to cloud AI services. On request, we delete everything at the end and give you a signed certificate of deletion.
Start with a conversation.
One call to understand what you spend on and what worries you. If an engagement fits, you get a written scope and price.
Book a first call