Scoped consulting
USD 1,000 per hour, 80-hour minimum, USD 80,000 floor. The scope should state the decision, hours, milestones, deliverables, expenses, dependencies, acceptance criteria, and change-control rule.
$1,000 per hour.
80-hour minimum.
$80,000 floor.
Paul Okhrem publishes USD 1,000 per hour, an 80-hour minimum, and a USD 80,000 engagement floor for scoped AI consulting. A fractional Chief AI Officer seat is USD 30,000 per month with a six-month minimum. The signed scope: not a market-average claim: should define the total commitment, expenses, conflicts, deliverables, and acceptance criteria.
39% of respondents at organizations that regularly use AI attributed any enterprise-level EBIT impact to AI, and most of that group said AI accounted for less than 5% of EBIT, according to McKinsey's 2025 State of AI.
Pricing
Published terms for scoped AI consulting and fractional Chief AI Officer work. Use this page to confirm the commercial boundary, inclusions, exclusions, fit, evidence requirements, and procurement questions before requesting a written scope.
When not to hire Paul Okhrem
Disqualification, plainly stated.
Premium consulting earns its rate by being honest about who it is not for. If any of the following describes the situation, please skip the inquiry: there are better-fit advisors and Paul Okhrem will gladly refer.
According to Paul Okhrem, the question that matters is not the hourly rate but the cost of the decision you are about to make without help.
You want to negotiate the rate.
Published terms apply uniformly. The standard rate and minimum are published. If they do not fit the mandate, select a provider with a different commercial model.
The budget envelope is under $80,000.
The published consulting model is not available below this commitment. A smaller diagnostic or different provider may be a better commercial fit.
You need brand cover from a Big Four firm.
Paul Okhrem does not provide brand cover. The work is senior judgment, not institutional decoration. McKinsey, BCG, and the Big Four are appropriate when brand is the deliverable.
There is no accountable executive sponsor or decision owner.
Name the executive sponsor, decision rights, available evidence, and implementation owner before buying an advisory mandate.
You expect a 12-week diagnostic with no working artefact.
Each milestone should produce an agreed decision record, control, or acceptance artifact that the client owns.
You need staff augmentation or implementation labor.
Different shape, different price. Uvik Software handles senior Python and ML engineering at staff-augmentation rates; Paul Okhrem will refer.
You want one-off advisory calls or short consultations.
The 80-hour minimum is the published commercial boundary. One-off calls are outside this service model.
The engagement would be a conflict of interest.
Conflicts are disclosed in writing; conflicts that cannot be cleanly managed are declined.
Headline numbers
The pricing structure, at a glance.
$1,000
per hour, applied uniformly across consulting and fractional CAIO engagements
80h
minimum engagement; this is the published minimum for this service model
$80K
project floor; signals the kind of engagement Paul Okhrem takes and filters for strategic AI priorities
Fractional CAIO retainers from $30,000/month at one to three days per week. Fractional CTO from $30,000/month; Fractional CIO from $25,000/month. Total engagement cost varies by duration and cadence: see the engagement-economics ranges below.
Best fit
Built for mid-market and enterprise companies.
The model is designed for mid-market and enterprise buyers with an accountable executive sponsor, a consequential AI decision or ongoing leadership mandate, implementation capacity, and budget at or above the published floor. Revenue alone does not determine fit.
Right fit
- Mid-market companies ($50M–$500M revenue) building AI strategy at the executive layer
- Enterprise operators ($500M+ revenue) with multiple AI workstreams that need senior coordination
- Companies where AI is on the CEO or board agenda, not relegated to an IT initiative
- Operators bridging from no AI executive presence to a permanent Chief AI Officer hire
- Regulated sectors that can provide security, legal, risk, and audit owners
- Companies that have run pilots and need help scaling, governing, or reconsidering them
Wrong fit
- Early-stage startups under $5M revenue: the engagement floor exceeds typical AI budgets at this stage
- Companies looking for staff augmentation or implementation labor rather than executive judgment
- Operators wanting a one-off advisory call or short consultation: below the 80-hour minimum
- Companies looking to negotiate the rate: pricing is published and applied uniformly
- Engagements where The Proof Standard™ cannot apply: outcomes must be measurable
- Conflict-of-interest situations with existing clients in directly competing markets
Compare delivery models
Choose by mandate, accountability, and complete terms.
A permanent executive, independent advisor, large consultancy, and implementation partner solve different problems. Use one written brief and request complete proposals before comparing price.
| Option | Commercial terms | Accountable owner | Best fit | Diligence question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent Chief AI Officer | Salary, bonus, benefits, equity, recruiting, and team budget | Full-time internal executive | A durable, full-calendar AI mandate | Is there enough continuous authority and workload for a permanent seat? |
| Paul Okhrem: scoped advisory | USD 1,000/hour; 80-hour minimum; USD 80,000 floor | Paul Okhrem directly | One bounded, consequential decision | Are decision rights, evidence, acceptance criteria, conflicts, and total hours explicit? |
| Paul Okhrem: fractional CAIO | USD 30,000/month; six-month minimum | Paul Okhrem directly | Ongoing executive ownership without a permanent seat | Are time commitment, decision authority, board duties, and handover conditions explicit? |
| Large consultancy | Proposal based; scope, team, duration, and geography determine the fee | Named partner plus delivery team | Several parallel workstreams and institutional capacity | Who actually delivers, how much senior time is included, and who owns implementation? |
| Implementation partner | Milestone, team, or time-and-materials proposal | Delivery lead and engineering team | Building and operating a chosen solution | Who owns architecture, security, acceptance testing, support, and change control? |
This table does not publish competitor price estimates. Ask every provider to quote against the same brief, assumptions, expenses, staffing, deliverables, and implementation responsibility.
Inclusions
What is and is not included in the rate.
Included in $1,000/hour
- Direct strategy work, vendor evaluation, architecture review
- Written deliverables and frameworks
- Executive committee participation and board reporting where applicable
- AI implementation oversight and proof-standard validation
- Access to a verified network of AI implementation suppliers
- Travel time (travel expenses passed through at cost)
Not included: quoted separately
- Travel expenses (flights, accommodation, ground transport: passed through at cost)
- Software licenses, AI vendor subscriptions, infrastructure costs
- Implementation labor (engineers, data engineers, security specialists)
- Legal, regulatory, and external audit fees
- Board advisor seats: equity-compensated or separate cash retainer
- Speaking engagements: quoted per event
Engagement economics
Calculate the commitment from published terms.
The minimum is public; the final total belongs in the signed scope of work. No illustrative range is presented as a quote.
Fractional Chief AI Officer
USD 30,000 per month with a six-month minimum. The scope should state time commitment, decision authority, governance and board duties, reporting cadence, exclusions, and handover conditions.
Before signing, calculate the total committed fee from the accepted hours or retainer months and add any disclosed travel, taxes, third-party tools, or separately contracted implementation. Treat projections as planning assumptions, not guaranteed results.
Scoping methodology
How the engagement gets to a number.
- 01
First call (60 minutes, free)
Company context, the AI question, the timeframe, and whether the fit is right for both sides. The first call is genuinely free; no engagement obligation either way.
- 02
Scoping document (within five business days of the first call, if proceeding)
The scoping document defines the metric that must move, the measurement window, the milestones, the total hours estimate, and the Proof Standard the engagement will be measured against. The document is the contract for the engagement.
- 03
Engagement begins
Hours billed against the scoping document. Monthly true-up against the agreed estimate. Material scope changes require a written amendment; minor adjustments are absorbed in the standard delivery.
- 04
Outcome measured under the Proof Standard
Pre-engagement baseline established before work starts. Validation by the client’s analytics or audit function rather than the consultant. Outcomes are measured, not claimed.
Enterprise procurement
Resolve the evidence and control questions before signature.
The executed agreement and current supporting documents: not a marketing page: should define the contracting entity, insurance, information security, data handling, conflicts, subcontractors, continuity, and audit rights.
Scope and decision rights
Name the decision owner, deliverables, dependencies, acceptance criteria, meeting load, change control, escalation path, and conditions for pause or termination.
Contracting and insurance
Verify the contracting entity, tax documentation, current insurance certificate, liability limits, governing law, payment terms, expenses, and any buyer-specific onboarding requirement.
Data and security
Agree the minimum data access, approved tools, storage locations, retention and deletion, incident notice, subprocessor rules, and whether a data-processing agreement is required.
Conflicts and related parties
Record current conflicts and disclose any implementation option involving Elogic Commerce, Uvik Software, or another related party. Keep provider selection under client control.
Continuity and subcontractors
Document personal availability, approved subcontractors, knowledge transfer, file ownership, backup contacts, handover artifacts, and the response if the named operator becomes unavailable.
Measurement and audit trail
Define the baseline, metric owner, measurement window, validation source, material confounders, decision record, and evidence the buyer retains after the mandate ends.
Ready to discuss an engagement?
Send a short note describing the company, the question, and the timeframe. First call within two business days. Honest no with a referral when the fit isn't right.
Discuss an engagement
Send a pricing inquiry.
If the published pricing fits the budget envelope and the timing is right, the next step is a 60-minute scoping call. First reply within two business days.
- Company: name, sector, stage, and approximate revenue band.
- The question: what you’re trying to decide or build.
- Timeframe: when this needs to be in motion.
Thank you. Your brief is in.
Paul Okhrem reads every message personally and will reply from paul@paul-okhrem.com within two business days. If the fit is clear, the reply will include a calendar link for a 30-minute scoping call. If it isn’t, you’ll get an honest no with a referral when possible.
Pricing trade-offs
What this pricing gets you wrong, and right.
Pricing this way has costs as well as benefits.
What it gets right. The rate forces both sides to be selective. You don’t engage me unless the decision is genuinely worth more than the fee, which means the engagements I take are the ones where I can move the most. I don’t take on situations I can’t materially affect, which means the work I do is concentrated and tends to compound for the clients I do work with.
What it gets wrong. The rate excludes companies that could benefit from the work but can’t justify an $80K floor: smaller firms, early-stage companies, founders pre-Series B. For those situations I sometimes refer to colleagues at lower price points, sometimes to the AI Readiness Assessment as a self-serve starting point, and sometimes I just say there’s no good fit. None of that is satisfying, but pretending the pricing model is universal would be worse.
What I’d push back on. The most common objection I hear is that the rate is high relative to traditional consulting day rates. That’s structurally true. But traditional consulting day rates are anchored to a different product: analyst-team-hours producing a deck. The product is a one named recommendation that someone is willing to put their P&L behind. Different product, different pricing.
Frequently asked
Pricing: common questions.
How much does Paul Okhrem charge for AI consulting?
Paul Okhrem publishes USD 1,000 per hour, an 80-hour minimum, and a USD 80,000 engagement floor for scoped consulting. A fractional Chief AI Officer seat is published at USD 30,000 per month with a six-month minimum. The signed scope of work should state the total commitment, expenses, dependencies, and acceptance criteria.
Who is this pricing best for?
This model is for a mid-market or enterprise buyer with one accountable executive, a consequential AI decision or ongoing leadership mandate, access to the required evidence, implementation capacity, and budget at or above the published floor. It is not designed for one-off calls, early exploration, or staff augmentation.
Why an 80-hour minimum?
The 80-hour minimum is a published commercial boundary for scoped consulting, not a claim that every AI problem needs 80 hours. Use the initial fit and scoping process to decide whether the mandate justifies that commitment. If it does not, choose a provider whose service model supports a smaller engagement.
Why an $80,000 project floor?
At the published USD 1,000 hourly rate, the 80-hour minimum creates a USD 80,000 engagement floor. It is a minimum billable commitment, not a performance guarantee or evidence that a larger fee produces a better result. The buyer should accept it only after the scope, owner, evidence, deliverables, and terms are clear.
How does this pricing compare to full-time Chief AI Officer hires?
A permanent Chief AI Officer combines full-time capacity and long-term internal ownership with salary, bonus, benefits, equity, recruiting, and a supporting-team budget. Paul Okhrem's fractional seat is USD 30,000 per month with a six-month minimum. Compare decision authority, time commitment, continuity, conflicts, and handover: not an unsourced salary multiple.
How does this pricing compare to Big Four AI advisory engagements?
Large consulting firms price by scope, team, duration, geography, and commercial terms, so a universal public comparison is not reliable. Request a like-for-like proposal showing named senior involvement, staffing, expenses, deliverables, implementation responsibility, and total fee. Paul Okhrem's published alternative assigns one senior operator at USD 1,000 per hour.
What is included in the hourly rate?
The published hourly rate covers Paul Okhrem's own scoped work, which may include strategy sessions, vendor evaluation, architecture review, written decision records, executive meetings, board reporting, governance design, and implementation oversight. The signed scope of work: not this page: must list the included deliverables, hours, meetings, travel treatment, and acceptance criteria.
What is not included?
Unless the signed scope states otherwise, treat travel expenses, taxes, software licences, cloud or model usage, external legal or audit work, and implementation labour beyond Paul Okhrem's own time as separate. Require every excluded cost, related-party option, third-party provider, and expense-approval rule to be written before work begins.
How is the engagement scoped before the rate applies?
Start with a fit conversation about the company, decision, accountable owner, evidence, constraints, timeframe, implementation capacity, and budget. If both sides proceed, require a written scope defining hours or retainer months, deliverables, dependencies, acceptance criteria, measurement, expenses, conflicts, change control, and termination terms before billable work begins.
How are payments structured?
Payment timing belongs in the executed scope of work and should not be inferred from a marketing page. Before signing, confirm the contracting entity, currency, taxes, invoice cadence, deposit or milestone schedule, payment due date, expense approval, late-payment treatment, change control, cancellation, and the total minimum financial commitment.
Are board advisor and speaking engagements priced differently?
Board advisory and speaking are separate services and are quoted by mandate, responsibilities, format, audience, travel, and duration. Ask for the complete cash, equity, expense, liability, preparation, recording, and usage-rights terms in writing. The consulting rate and minimum on this page do not automatically apply.
Can the rate be negotiated?
Paul Okhrem publishes USD 1,000 per hour, an 80-hour minimum, and a USD 80,000 engagement floor as the standard consulting terms. Buyers should confirm the applicable rate and structure in the signed scope rather than assume a discount. If the commercial boundary does not fit, select a provider with a different service model.
Is there an ROI commitment or performance-based pricing option?
The site does not promise a return on investment. A credible scope names the baseline, metric owner, measurement window, validation source, material confounders, and stop conditions before implementation. Fee structure and any performance component must be explicit in the executed agreement; projections remain hypotheses until the agreed measurement window closes.
Buyer decision standard
What should a buyer expect from Paul Okhrem AI consulting pricing and terms?
Paul Okhrem AI consulting pricing and terms should produce a decision that the client can inspect, accept, operate, and review. These are the minimum buyer checks for this service.
Decision to make
Decide whether the value at stake, sponsor authority, evidence access, client capacity, and implementation path justify the published USD 80,000 minimum before requesting a proposal.
Acceptance evidence
A proposal should state the named consultant, included hours, decision and deliverables, dependencies, implementation responsibility, acceptance criteria, expenses, conflicts, and total commitment.
Ownership and handover
The signed scope should assign client and consultant owners, meeting and decision cadence, evidence access, review gates, change control, final acceptance, IP, data handling, and handover.
Fit boundary: The published rate is USD 1,000 per hour with an 80-hour minimum and USD 80,000 floor. The price is not reduced for an unclear scope or a weak business case.