How AI Is Changing What Consultants Charge

A May 2026 report in Pulse describes the largest consulting firms rethinking how they charge as AI shortens the time many tasks take. It quotes McKinsey partner Michael Birshan saying about 25% of the firm's global fees are now outcome-based. It also reports that BCG expects AI projects to make up about 40% of its revenue and that Bain expects AI-enabled work to grow to half of its revenue. These are reported figures from a single source, so treat them as indicators of direction.

Fixed fees suit most owner-led businesses because you can budget, compare and decide. Outcome-linked fees work when the result can be measured cleanly, such as revenue from a new channel or cost taken out of a process, and when both sides agree how it will be counted.

Ask who will do the work, how many days, and what you will have at the end. Ask for a written scope, a price and the dates you pay. Ask what happens if the scope changes. Ask for a handover: playbooks, dashboards and training that stay when the consultant leaves. Our own packages follow that pattern: Essentials from £3,500 over two to three weeks, Growth from £14,500 over six to ten weeks, and Transformation from £85,000 over three to six months, each with a fixed scope and a 30-day money-back guarantee (terms apply).