Choosing and costs

What an AI consultant costs in the Netherlands

Hourly rates say little as long as nobody says what you get. This is what really drives the price.

This page is written independently and also recommends things I do not sell myself. If you have a concrete question, ask it: you usually get an answer the same working day. Prefer to look for yourself first? Do the free process check.

The short answer

In the Netherlands AI advice runs roughly from 100 to 250 euros per hour with independents and considerably higher with agencies. A bounded implementation is usually quoted as a fixed amount. At Tamboer AI: diagnosis free, audit 1,495 euros, implementation and training from 4,500 euros per process in three weeks, maintenance 125 euros per hour with a ceiling agreed beforehand. All excluding VAT.

Why hourly rates say little

Two providers with the same hourly rate can differ by a factor of three in final price, because one delivers a working workflow in ten hours and the other a report in thirty. The question that counts is not what an hour costs, but what stands at the end and who signs that it works.

So always ask for a fixed price per bounded result. If a provider cannot give that, the subject is not sharp enough to buy yet.

What drives the price

Number of processes

One process is a project. Three processes at once is three projects with a shared analysis, not a third of the price.

Access to systems

Connecting to a package with a decent API is days of work. A package without an API is weeks of work, or the answer is no.

Quality of the source data

If the information is scattered across mailboxes, folders and people's heads, the first half of the budget goes into ordering it.

Risk and supervision

Work under supervision, such as Dutch anti-money-laundering duties, requires recording and evidence. That is not an extra option, it builds in time.

The prices at Tamboer AI

All amounts excluding VAT. No subscription, no extra work without a new agreement.
StepPriceWhat you get
Process diagnosisFreeAn AI starter plan: written advice, suitable tools and three tailored AI work instructions, with at least thirty minutes of personal help
AI Workflow Audit1,495 eurosYour whole way of working reviewed, eight deliverables, up to three processes, ten working days. Credited against an implementation within 30 days
Implementation and trainingFrom 4,500 euros per processBuilt, measured and handed over in three weeks, training included. One-off or twelve instalments from 375 euros
Maintenance125 euros per hourChecking errors and changes, with a goal and an hour ceiling agreed beforehand

What to check in a quote

  • Is there a fixed price per result, or only an hourly rate with an estimate?
  • What happens if it does not work as described? Is there a stop moment and do you get your money back?
  • Who owns what is delivered, including the prompts and the configuration?
  • Is training for the people who will use it included, or does that arrive later as an extra?
  • Is there a baseline measurement? Without measuring beforehand you can prove nothing afterwards.

Run your own situation through the net process value calculator, or see the full price build-up.

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal hourly rate for AI advice in the Netherlands?

With independents it sits roughly between 100 and 250 euros per hour, with agencies higher. That figure says little without a bounded result: always ask for a fixed price per deliverable.

Why is the first step free?

Because most questions are not sharp yet at that point and I want to know myself whether there is a business case. If there is none, I say so and it stops there. That costs us both less than a wrong project.

Can I skip the audit?

Yes, if you already know which process should come first and how it runs. The audit is meant for organisations that want to know what to do first and in which order the rest follows.

What if the workflow does not work as agreed after handover?

Then you get your money back. There is also a stop moment after week one: that costs 1,500 euros excluding VAT and the rest of the amount lapses.

Read on

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