Pricing

How much does an AI readiness audit cost?

Honest range for 2026: from free (self-scoring tools like the AWS AI Readiness Checklist) to $200,000+ (Big Four engagement). Most useful audits for a growing business sit between $500 and $10,000. NexBDM's Stage 1 is $490 fixed. This page explains what drives the difference and when to pay for which.

The market, honestly

Provider type	Typical cost	What you actually get
Free self-scoring tools (AWS, OECD)	$0	A colour-coded readiness score. No roadmap.
NexBDM Stage 1	$490 fixed	Written 30-day roadmap plus one proof-of-value in your environment. Credited toward Stage 2.
Boutique AI consultancy	$2,000 to $10,000	Written report, sometimes a workshop. Usually no proof-of-value included.
Mid-market consulting firm	$15,000 to $50,000	Multi-week engagement, deck deliverable, executive workshop.
Big Four style engagement	$25,000 to $200,000+	Multi-month engagement, board-level readouts. Justified only at enterprise scale.

Four things that actually drive the price

Scope. One department is $500 to $2,000. Whole company is $5,000 to $50,000.
Systems reviewed. A single CRM adds nothing. Ten disconnected tools adds days.
Deliverable shape. A scoring rubric costs a fraction of a written roadmap.
Proof-of-value included. If AI actually runs inside your environment at the end, the audit is worth 5 to 10 times more than a report. This is the pattern NexBDM Stage 1 is built around.

When to use each

Free tools: when you need to convince yourself AI adoption is worth thinking about. Not enough to act on.
NexBDM Stage 1 ($490): when you want a written roadmap and one proof-of-value, without paying for a report you might file away. Best-value tier for growing businesses.
Boutique consultancy ($2K to $10K): when you need a named senior name on the front page for internal politics.
Enterprise engagements ($25K+): when the audit will inform a board decision or a multi-million-dollar procurement.

How much does an AI readiness audit cost in 2026?

Real market range: $490 fixed at the honest low end (NexBDM Stage 1), $2,000 to $10,000 for a boutique consultancy, $25,000 to $200,000+ for a Big-Four style engagement. Free tools exist (AWS AI Readiness Checklist, the OECD SME AI Readiness Assessment), but they produce a self-score, not a roadmap.

What actually drives the cost of an AI readiness audit?

Four things. Scope (one department versus the whole company). Number of systems reviewed (a single CRM versus a fragmented stack of ten). Whether a written roadmap is delivered or just a scoring rubric. Whether the audit produces a proof-of-value inside your own environment, or ends at the report. NexBDM's Stage 1 covers all four for $490 fixed, 30 days.

Is a $490 audit worth doing if I qualify for a free one?

Yes if you want a written roadmap. The free tools (AWS, OECD) score your readiness against a checklist and produce a colour-coded PDF. They do not tell you which of your systems to integrate first, in what order, at what cost, and with what proof-of-value. That is what a paid audit produces. If a written 30-day roadmap changes your decision, the $490 pays back the first week.

What is included in NexBDM's $490 Stage 1 audit?

A written AI readiness assessment against your operation. A prioritised roadmap of what to do first, second, and third, with cost and time estimates. One tightly scoped proof-of-value delivered inside your environment. A go/no-go recommendation for Stage 2. All in 30 days. The $490 is credited toward Stage 2 if you proceed, so the audit effectively costs nothing to the businesses that go on to implement.

Run the free Autopsy first

or email hjr@nexbdm.com to scope a Stage 1