AI readiness audit · Micro business (under 10 staff) · Professional services
AI readiness audit for a five-person accountancy practice
A short, fixed-scope look at where a five-person accountancy practice stands on AI: which tasks are worth automating or assisting, whether its data and systems can support that, and what to do first. Most of the value is likely to be in bookkeeping, client emails and document handling.
Illustrative cost
£1,500 to £4,000 ex VAT
- Typical
- £2,500
- Duration
- About 3 weeks
- Effort
- 3.5 to 6 days
Illustrative estimate, not a quote. Real prices vary.
Worked out from UK freelance contractor day rates in job adverts, with no consultancy or agency margin added. Consultancies and agencies usually charge more.
Source: IT Jobs Watch. Rates read on ; costs computed on .
What is included
- Interviews with the owner or leadership and the people who do the work
- A review of the main systems, data sources and current tool use, including unofficial use of chatbots
- A shortlist of opportunities with rough effort and value
- A recommended first step with a budget range
Deliverables
- A readiness report of 10 to 20 pages
- An opportunity shortlist
- A one-hour findings session
Assumptions
- Staff are available for interviews in the first week
- Read access to system documentation, not live data
- Remote delivery with one on-site day at most
Not included
- Building or buying any tool
- Detailed business cases
- A data protection impact assessment
Project plan
Phases run one after another, about 3 weeks in all.
| Phase | Weeks | Main tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery interviews | 1 | Plan interviews; Interview leadership and staff; Capture current processes and pain points |
| Data and systems review | 1 | Map systems and data sources; Check data quality and access; Note security and data protection constraints |
| Findings and report | 1 | Score opportunities; Write the report; Present findings |
Who does the work
Person-days per role in each phase, low and high effort.
| Phase | Role | Days (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery interviews | AI consultant | 1 to 1.5 days |
| Discovery interviews | Business analyst | 0.5 to 1 day |
| Data and systems review | AI consultant | 0.5 to 1 day |
| Data and systems review | Data engineer | 0.5 to 1 day |
| Findings and report | AI consultant | 1 to 1.5 days |
How the cost adds up
| Role | Low (days × 25th percentile) | Typical (days × median) | High (days × 90th percentile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI consultant | 2.5 × £500 = £1,250 | 3.25 × £575 = £1,869 | 4 × £717 = £2,869 |
| Business analyst | 0.5 × £425 = £213 | 0.75 × £500 = £375 | 1 × £662 = £662 |
| Data engineer | 0.5 × £425 = £213 | 0.75 × £500 = £375 | 1 × £688 = £688 |
| Total, rounded | £1,500 | £2,500 | £4,000 |
How these estimates are worked out
Effort: for each phase we estimate how many days each role works, as a low and a high case. These are our estimates for a typical project of this kind, not measured data.
Rates: each role's daily rate comes from UK contract job adverts over the last six months, as published by IT Jobs Watch. These are freelance contractor rates as advertised, not what was paid, and not what a consultancy or agency charges.
Low end: the low-effort days at each role's 25th-percentile rate. We use the 25th percentile, not the 10th, because the lowest effort at the cheapest rates gives a floor few buyers would ever meet.
Typical: the mid-point between low and high effort, at each role's median rate.
High end: the high-effort days at each role's 90th-percentile rate.
Totals are rounded to the nearest £500 below £10,000 and the nearest £1,000 above, and exclude VAT. Phases run one after another.
Not included:
- Software licences, model and hosting fees
- Travel and expenses
- Your own staff's time
- A consultancy's or agency's margin, overheads and risk
Real prices vary with the supplier, the state of your data and systems, how much of the work your own team does, where the work happens and how much risk the supplier carries. Consultancies and agencies usually charge more than these contractor rates, and a fixed price usually costs more than time and materials because the supplier takes the risk.
Sources
Source: IT Jobs Watch: UK contract job adverts quoting a daily rate, 6 months to 15 November 2026. Each role's page was read on . Published under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
| Role | IT Jobs Watch page | Rates quoted | 25th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI consultant | Artificial Intelligence Consultant | 68 | £500 | £575 | £717 |
| Business analyst | Business Analyst | 1,394 | £425 | £500 | £662 |
| Data engineer | Data Engineer | 1,275 | £425 | £500 | £688 |