Pricing
How Much Does an AI Governance Consultant Cost?
A straight answer on AI governance consulting rates, and the four factors that move the number.
AI governance consulting is billed hourly or as a fixed-scope engagement. At Kriv AI, regulated and enterprise work starts at a $200 hourly floor, fractional AI-governance leadership runs $300 to $400 per hour, and specialized advisory reaches $400 to $700 per hour. Engagements begin at an $8,000 minimum, scoped to regulatory exposure and seniority required.
cost drivers
What Drives the Cost of AI Governance Consulting
Four factors move an AI governance engagement's price more than any single line item: how regulated the industry is, how the work is structured, how senior the people doing it are, and how sensitive the data is.
Regulatory scope
Regulated engagements require documented model validation, audit trails, and traceability under frameworks like the Federal Reserve's SR 26-2 model risk guidance, 21 CFR Part 11 for electronic records, and HIPAA for protected health data. That documentation burden expands scope well beyond what an unregulated internal AI tool needs, and it is the single biggest driver of cost.
Engagement model
An hourly engagement suits a defined, time-boxed project. A fractional relationship puts a governance lead on your team part-time, billed monthly, for organizations that need ongoing oversight rather than a one-time deliverable. A fixed-scope project prices the whole engagement upfront.
Seniority
A fractional AI governance lead or a specialized model-risk advisor is priced above general AI implementation work, because the judgment involved (what to validate, how to document it, what a regulator will actually ask) comes from having done it before, not from following a checklist.
Data sensitivity
Work touching protected health information or other regulated personal data adds HIPAA-aligned controls, access review, and additional safeguards, which adds time and therefore cost relative to a project working on non-sensitive data.
rate card
Kriv AI's Consulting Rates
These are Kriv AI's own rate floors, not a market average or a third-party benchmark.
A fixed-scope enterprise engagement at the $200/hr floor reaches the $8,000 minimum at roughly 40 hours of work. A fractional AI governance lead at $300 to $400/hr for about 20 hours a month runs roughly $6,000 to $8,000 a month. Both are illustrative arithmetic, not a quote; actual price is scoped per engagement.
| Track | Kriv hourly rate | Typical engagement model | Minimum engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise / regulated (healthcare, financial services) | From $200/hr | Fixed-scope project or retainer | $8,000 |
| Fractional CTO / AI governance lead | $300 to $400/hr | Part-time, ongoing (monthly) | $8,000 |
| Specialized advisory (model risk, expert consults) | $400 to $700/hr | Hourly, per-session | Varies by engagement |
| Small business | $150/hr | Referred to Kriv AI's partner network | n/a |
tiers
What You Get at Each Tier
1. Enterprise and regulated (healthcare, financial services)
An AI governance framework, model-risk documentation aligned to SR 26-2 and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, validation artifacts, and HIPAA-aware controls, delivered as a fixed-scope project or ongoing retainer.
2. Fractional CTO / AI governance lead
Ongoing oversight, a policy and review cadence, and executive or board reporting on AI risk, billed monthly as a part-time engagement.
3. Specialized advisory
Targeted expert consults and model-risk deep dives, billed hourly or per session, for organizations that need a second opinion rather than a full engagement.
4. Small business
Referred to Kriv AI's partner network at a $150/hr rate. Kriv AI's own consulting practice focuses on enterprise and regulated engagements.
engagement models
Hourly vs. Fixed-Fee vs. Retainer
Most Kriv AI engagements are quoted fixed-fee: a scoped assessment, a governed AI build, or a training program, priced and delivered against named deliverables agreed upfront. Hourly billing is reserved for staff-augmentation and advisory work, which is where the fractional CTO and specialized advisory rates above apply. A retainer suits organizations that need a named, accountable practitioner available on an ongoing basis rather than a single deliverable.
Whichever model fits, the $200/hr floor and the $8,000 minimum engagement size hold across the board. Kriv AI does not price hourly work below that floor or take on projects below that minimum.
regulation
How Regulation Changes the Engagement
Banks and financial institutions fall under the Federal Reserve's SR 26-2, the 2026 revised guidance on model risk management that superseded SR 11-7, which requires documented model validation, ongoing monitoring, and governance sign-off. Pharmaceutical and clinical AI work falls under 21 CFR Part 11's requirements for electronic records and signatures, which adds audit-trail and validation work. Healthcare organizations handling protected health information add HIPAA-aligned controls under 45 CFR Part 160. Across all three, the voluntary NIST AI Risk Management Framework is the common reference point most engagements are benchmarked against, whether or not a specific regulation applies.
get a quote
How to Get a Real Quote
The rates above are floors, not quotes. A real number depends on regulatory scope, how senior the engagement needs to be, and whether the work is a one-time project or ongoing oversight. Book a discovery call and we will scope it honestly, including whether a smaller assessment makes more sense as a first step.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions about How Much Does an AI Governance Consultant Cost?
How much does an AI governance consultant cost?
At Kriv AI, hourly work starts at a $200 floor, a fractional AI governance lead runs $300 to $400 per hour, and specialized advisory reaches $400 to $700 per hour. Fixed-scope engagements begin at an $8,000 minimum.
What is the difference between hourly and fixed-fee pricing?
Fixed-fee prices a whole project upfront with named deliverables. Hourly billing is reserved for staff-augmentation and advisory work, where a fractional AI governance lead or specialized advisor is billed by the hour or month.
Why does regulated AI cost more than a general AI project?
Regulations such as the Federal Reserve's SR 26-2 model risk guidance and 21 CFR Part 11 require documented validation, audit trails, and traceability, which expand the scope of the work involved.
What is the minimum engagement size?
Kriv AI's fixed-scope engagements begin at an $8,000 minimum.
Does Kriv AI work with small businesses?
Small-business work is referred to Kriv AI's partner network at a $150/hr rate. Kriv AI's own consulting practice focuses on enterprise and regulated industries.
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