AI consultant day rates in the UK

Compare Tenhaw’s published AI consultancy day rates, fixed fees and monthly price basis, with the dated G-Cloud 14 benchmark caveats.

Tenhaw publishes its rates: £1,560 a day for a partner, £1,250 for a senior practitioner and £950 for an associate, excluding VAT. For comparison, Level 7 rates listed on large firms’ G-Cloud 14 rate cards are 1.3 to 2.3 times that partner rate. Those are public-sector framework rates, checked on 21 August 2026, and SFIA levels don’t map directly onto job titles.

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Paying for it
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Questions answered
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Evidence basisOur approach
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Evidence basis

The basis for this approach

This is guidance for comparing the published Tenhaw rate card and its dated public-sector benchmark. It is not a market-wide salary survey or a prediction of another supplier’s quote.

On this page

The demand signal

G-Cloud 14 rate cards, last checked against their source documents on 21 August 2026. These figures are a dated reference, not a G-Cloud 15 price list. Confirm the applicable framework, current rates and proposed scope with each supplier when buying.

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Why it stalls

2 failure modes we keep meeting

Responsibility levels are treated as equivalent titles

SFIA levels describe responsibility, not job titles: Level 7 is defined as “set strategy, inspire, mobilise” and Level 3 as “apply”. Tenhaw does not publish SFIA grades, so our partner rate is shown as a reference rather than an equivalent role.

A public rate is read as a private quote

These are published public-sector framework rates. Most of our work is in the private sector, and we do not have equivalent private quotes from these suppliers. The cards give you a reference point; they do not establish what another firm would charge for your scope.

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How we approach it

3 moves, in order

  1. 01

    Compare the proposed people and days

    Tenhaw’s partner rate is £1,560, senior practitioner £1,250 and associate £950 a day, excluding VAT and pre-agreed expenses. Compare role responsibilities, the working-day definition and the allocation needed for your scope. The cited cards use seven- or eight-hour working days, roughly a 14% difference when comparing hourly costs.

  2. 02

    Distinguish the illustration from the fixed fee

    Monthly prices use 20 billable days. Fixed fees cover the agreed deliverables, scope risk and rounding; the day-rate staffing illustration is not invoiced as an exact equality with the fixed fee.

  3. 03

    Price the whole decision

    The audit is £44,000 fixed, the proof of concept £20,000–£55,000 and the 90-day programme £120,000 or £180,000. Include model, platform and ongoing operating costs separately when comparing the overall investment.

Compare role responsibilities, the working-day definition and the allocation needed for your scope.
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Sources

Every source below was opened and read before it was attached. Where nothing survived that check, the claim on this page was softened rather than given a plausible-looking link.

Tenhaw, published pricing and rate cardG-Cloud 14 published source rate card 1Checked against the source document on 21 August 2026. Public-sector framework rates, not a G-Cloud 15 price list or a private quote. Confirm the working-day definition and scope when comparing.G-Cloud 14 published source rate card 2Checked against the source document on 21 August 2026. Public-sector framework rates, not a G-Cloud 15 price list or a private quote. Confirm the working-day definition and scope when comparing.G-Cloud 14 published source rate card 3Checked against the source document on 21 August 2026. Public-sector framework rates, not a G-Cloud 15 price list or a private quote. Confirm the working-day definition and scope when comparing.G-Cloud 14 published source rate card 4Checked against the source document on 21 August 2026. Public-sector framework rates, not a G-Cloud 15 price list or a private quote. Confirm the working-day definition and scope when comparing.G-Cloud 14 published source rate card 5Checked against the source document on 21 August 2026. Public-sector framework rates, not a G-Cloud 15 price list or a private quote. Confirm the working-day definition and scope when comparing.G-Cloud 14 published source rate card 6Checked against the source document on 21 August 2026. Public-sector framework rates, not a G-Cloud 15 price list or a private quote. Confirm the working-day definition and scope when comparing.G-Cloud 14 published source rate card 7Checked against the source document on 21 August 2026. Public-sector framework rates, not a G-Cloud 15 price list or a private quote. Confirm the working-day definition and scope when comparing.G-Cloud 14 published source rate card 8Checked against the source document on 21 August 2026. Public-sector framework rates, not a G-Cloud 15 price list or a private quote. Confirm the working-day definition and scope when comparing.
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Questions this guide answers

Why do rates vary?

Compare the responsibilities and proposed team, not just the job title. The public framework uses SFIA responsibility levels, which do not establish equivalent roles across firms. Scope, allocation and working-day definitions also affect the comparison.

What do fixed fees include?

The agreed deliverables, staffing, scope risk and rounding. Tenhaw publishes staffing illustrations so you can examine the basis, while the fee itself is agreed for the scope. VAT, pre-agreed expenses and model or platform charges are separate.

Day rate or fixed price?

Use a fixed price for an agreed set of deliverables, such as the audit, proof of concept or 90-day programme. The rate card helps explain how the team is costed and supports separately scoped work.

How are monthly prices calculated?

Tenhaw uses 20 billable days a month in its monthly price illustrations. The actual proposal confirms the roles, allocation, scope and fee. Published rates exclude VAT.

Are the G-Cloud figures current quotes?

No. They are G-Cloud 14 source-card figures checked on 21 August 2026, not a G-Cloud 15 price list or a private quote. Confirm the applicable framework, current prices and proposed scope with the supplier, and compare working-day definitions as well as headline rates.