Services / AI spend management
AI spend management
We find every use of AI in your organisation, work out what each one really costs, and set up tracking so you can keep those costs at the level you choose. After setup, your team runs it, or we monitor 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.
We use 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 in three ways: AI tools paid for per user, AI features switched on inside software you already pay for, and usage bills from AI providers for tokens or requests. Each comes on a different bill, and none of them tells you what one answer, one request or one use case really costs.
Some AI use is never approved and is often paid for on a company card. An AI agent stuck repeating itself, or a connection with no usage limit, can build up a large bill within hours. And the bill shows only part of the cost: staff time, data preparation, storage and compliance are not on it. This service sets agreed rules for every AI cost, gives each one an owner, and shows it to the team that uses it. Your team can keep this up to date, or we do it for you each month. The method we use 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 price the work again 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 about 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)
We interview your finance lead, your IT or platform lead, whoever buys AI and the owner of each AI use. We bring AI bills, usage exports and seat reports into one layout and list every AI use, including AI use nobody approved. You sign a baseline.
- 3
Cost model (weeks 2 to 3)
We work out the cost per answer, per request, per active user and per outcome, including the costs that are not on the bill. We model half, double and five times today's use, and set the levels at which you should make a change.
- 4
Tracking and team reports (weeks 3 to 4)
Usage tracking, alerts for costs that rise too fast, and budget limits are designed with the owners and switched on by your teams. We check paid seats against active users and produce the first reports by team and use case.
- 5
Handover (week 4)
After one round of review 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 does this for you.
If you have had our cost review recently, we do not repeat it: we update its signed baseline with you and continue from there. The scope and price take account of the work already done.
The setup, week by week (smaller organisations)
Medium setups take about 6 to 7 weeks. Large setups take 8 to 10 weeks, one business unit at a time. 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
Cost reports by team and use case
Each team, and the owner of 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: you pay 50% when you sign, and work starts once this payment is made. You pay the other 50% when you sign off the completed setup.
- Monthly service, only if you choose it: billed each month, starting the month after you sign off the setup. The minimum term is 12 months. After that it continues month by month, and either side can end it with 3 months' notice.
Your data
You prepare and send the agreed data. We do your work in a separate workspace, and your files are kept encrypted, in protected storage 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.
In one call, tell us what you spend on and what worries you. If we can help, you get a written scope and price.
Book a first call