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The foundations are built.
The environment keeps moving.

Completing the Foundation Review and Layer Build work puts your business in a stronger position than most. But AI readiness is not a destination — it is a posture. Regulations shift. New tools arrive with new data handling practices. Operational changes erode the foundations you built. The Retained Advisory exists to keep you calibrated without creating a dependency on us to function.

At a glance
Foundation Retainer
£3,000/mo
Extended Retainer
£5,000/mo
Minimum term
3 months
After minimum
Month-to-month
Exit notice
30 days
Why calibration matters

The work you did is real. So is the drift.

AI readiness is not a static achievement. The state you documented in the Foundation Review and improved through Layer Build work changes continuously — through decisions made inside your business and through changes in the environment outside it.

Most businesses discover this the hard way: six months after completing foundation work, a vendor contract renewal introduces new data-sharing terms, a department head starts using a new AI tool without a governance review, or a regulatory update puts a use case in a different risk category. None of these require a new Foundation Review. But all of them require someone with context to catch them before they compound.

That is what the retainer is for.

Regulatory environment

The UK AI Act framework is evolving. ICO guidance on AI and data protection is updated regularly. What constituted a low-risk use case when you built your governance framework may be reclassified by the time you are ready to deploy at scale.

Vendor landscape

AI tools are releasing new versions, changing data handling terms, and being acquired at a pace that makes every contract renewal a potential governance event. The tool that was appropriate six months ago may have introduced practices that conflict with your documented standards.

Operational change

Businesses change. New workflows, new headcount, new systems — each one has the potential to degrade foundations that were sound when you last assessed them. Data pipelines get modified. Process documentation falls out of date. Key people leave with undocumented knowledge.

AI capability development

New AI use cases that were not feasible or relevant when you built your foundations become viable as model capabilities develop. Knowing which ones your current foundation state supports — and which require additional build work — determines whether you pursue the right opportunities first.

What the retainer covers

Four things included in every retainer, every month.

The retainer is not an open-ended advisory relationship. It is a defined scope — four specific services, delivered on a fixed cadence, priced monthly. The scope is the same at both tiers; the Extended Retainer adds breadth, not different services.

Monthly · 90 minutes

Advisory Session

A structured 90-minute call, monthly, with a standing agenda you set. This is not a check-in — it is a working session. Decisions that need an independent view, situations that require escalation before they become problems, and strategic questions about your AI roadmap all belong here.

  • Agenda owned by you — we prepare against it in advance
  • Escalation route for decisions that cannot wait until the next session
  • Notes and agreed actions documented and shared within 24 hours
  • Extended Retainer: additional stakeholder access for your wider team
Quarterly · Full re-assessment

Readiness Review

Every quarter, we re-score your position across all four foundation layers and compare against your previous assessment. We flag drift — where foundations that were sound have degraded — and identify new gaps created by operational or regulatory changes. You receive an updated readiness score and refreshed priority action list.

  • Full four-layer re-assessment against the original baseline
  • Drift identification and root cause analysis per gap
  • Updated roadmap reflecting current state, not original state
  • Written report delivered before the quarterly advisory session
As needed · Per contract or tool

Vendor & Tool Review

Before you sign a new AI tool contract, subscribe to a platform with AI-enabled features, or commission AI implementation work from an external provider — we review it. You get one independent perspective with no commercial interest in the outcome.

  • Data handling and processing practices reviewed against your governance framework
  • Integration implications assessed for Layer 1 and Layer 2 impact
  • Regulatory exposure flagged per use case
  • Foundation Retainer: ad-hoc on request. Extended: included as standard.
Ongoing · Email access

Async Access

Direct email access for time-sensitive questions that cannot wait for the next monthly session. Not a general helpdesk — a channel for questions where an independent view genuinely affects a near-term decision. We respond within one business day.

  • One business day response commitment — consistent, not aspirational
  • Senior-level response, not delegated to a junior contact
  • Appropriate for urgent governance questions, regulatory updates, and board prep
Our commitment

Ongoing readiness, not ongoing dependency.

We are explicit about this because most advisory retainers work in the opposite direction — the longer the engagement runs, the more embedded the adviser becomes, and the harder it is to leave. That is commercially rational for the adviser. It is not in your interest.

We measure success by how much better your team gets at managing AI readiness internally over time. If you need us for fewer things in month twelve than you did in month three, the retainer is working.

All deliverables are yours. Every output from every retainer session, review, and vendor assessment belongs to you. If you cancel tomorrow, you leave with everything we have produced.
No proprietary frameworks. We do not operate a methodology that requires our continued presence to function. The governance frameworks, readiness scores, and process documentation we produce are written to be maintained by your team.
No vendor referral fees. Vendor reviews are independent. We have no commercial relationship with any AI tool or platform we assess. The recommendation is the recommendation — not a referral dressed as advice.
Exit with 30 days' notice. After the three-month minimum, you can cancel month-to-month with thirty days' notice. No lock-in. No exit fees. No awkward conversations about scope reductions.
We will tell you when you no longer need us. If your team has built sufficient internal capability that a retainer is providing diminishing value, we say so. Clients who no longer need a retainer become the most reliable source of referrals. That is alignment.
Pricing

Two tiers. The same four services. Different breadth.

The Foundation Retainer covers the monthly session, quarterly review, ad-hoc vendor review, and async access — everything most clients need. The Extended Retainer adds structured access for your wider stakeholder group and makes vendor review a standing deliverable rather than an on-request service.

Foundation Retainer
For most clients
One primary contact, full service scope
£3,000 per month + VAT
Included every month
90-minute monthly advisory session — agenda yours
Quarterly four-layer readiness re-assessment
Vendor and tool review — ad-hoc on request
Async email access — one business day response
Gap Report data — early access ahead of publication
Priority scheduling for unplanned urgent sessions
Start a conversation → 3-month minimum · 30 days' notice to exit
Extended Retainer
For larger teams
Broader stakeholder access, vendor review included as standard
£5,000 per month + VAT
Everything in Foundation, plus
Additional stakeholder access — quarterly sessions with department heads or board contacts in addition to the primary contact
Vendor review included as standard — not on request, but scheduled as part of your procurement process
Extended async access — more complex questions, longer responses where needed
Board-level AI risk summary — updated quarterly and formatted for board reporting
Start a conversation → 3-month minimum · 30 days' notice to exit
3-month minimum commitment Month-to-month thereafter 30 days' notice to cancel or pause Invoiced monthly in advance No long-term contracts
How it works

A predictable rhythm, not an open tab.

The retainer runs on a fixed monthly and quarterly cadence. You always know what is coming and when. The structure prevents the advisory relationship from becoming a reactive helpdesk or an open-ended engagement without clear shape.

Day 1 — Onboarding

Briefing and baseline transfer

We review your Foundation Review report, Layer Build deliverables, and any governance documents produced to date. We align on the standing agenda structure for monthly sessions and agree the format for quarterly readiness re-assessments. One 90-minute briefing session. This is the context that makes every subsequent session more useful.

Monthly

Advisory session

90 minutes, same time each month. You set the agenda — we prepare against it in advance. This is where strategic questions, emerging decisions, vendor considerations, and roadmap updates get worked through properly rather than deferred. Notes and agreed actions shared within 24 hours.

Quarterly

Readiness re-assessment

We re-score all four foundation layers, compare against previous quarters, and produce an updated readiness report. The report is delivered a week before the quarterly advisory session so it can inform the agenda. If the quarterly assessment identifies new gaps requiring a Layer Build, we discuss scope and pricing directly — no obligation, no automatic expansion.

As needed

Vendor reviews and async questions

Vendor reviews are completed within five business days of receiving the contract or proposal. Async questions receive a substantive response within one business day — not an acknowledgement, a response. For genuinely urgent matters between sessions, the escalation channel is the async email, not a new meeting.

Annually

Retainer review

Once a year, we review whether the retainer scope remains appropriate. If your team has built sufficient internal capability in certain areas, we discuss reducing scope — even if that means a lower monthly fee. If new areas have emerged that the retainer does not currently cover well, we discuss adjusting. The retainer should be useful every month, or it should change.

The retainer is right for you if —

  • ✓ You have completed the Foundation Review and have a clear picture of your readiness position
  • ✓ You are actively adopting AI tools or in the process of AI deployment and need an independent sounding board
  • ✓ Your business is growing or changing quickly enough that your readiness position will shift materially between annual assessments
  • ✓ You have a board, investors, or senior leadership who expect regular reporting on AI governance and risk
  • ✓ You are being approached by AI vendors regularly and want an independent review before signing
  • ✓ You want ongoing accountability for maintaining the foundations you built — not just a one-time project

The retainer is not right for you if —

  • ✗ You have not yet completed a Foundation Review — start there, not here
  • ✗ You are looking for someone to manage your AI implementation or run AI projects — that is not what we do
  • ✗ You need a large consultancy presence — headcount on-site, managed services, or ongoing delivery teams
  • ✗ Your operations are currently stable, your foundations are sound, and your AI use is limited — a retainer would provide limited value relative to cost
  • ✗ You want a general business adviser who can cover topics beyond AI readiness and the operational foundations it requires
Common questions

What people ask before committing.

If your question is not here, ask it in the scoping call. We do not dress answers up.

Not necessarily. The retainer is designed for clients who have completed at least the Foundation Review and have a clear picture of their readiness position. Some clients begin a retainer immediately after the Review, using it as an accountability structure while they work through the recommendations internally. Others begin after one or more Layer Builds are complete. We discuss the right starting point during the scoping call.
After the initial three-month minimum, the retainer runs month-to-month and can be paused or cancelled with thirty days' notice. We do not lock clients into long-term contracts. The retainer works because it is useful, not because it is difficult to exit. If you pause, we retain your context and can resume without a full re-briefing.
We re-assess your position across all four foundation layers, comparing against the baseline established in your Foundation Review and the progress made since. We identify any drift — where previously sound foundations have degraded — and flag new gaps created by operational changes, new tool adoptions, or regulatory developments. The output is an updated readiness score, a comparison against previous quarters, and a refreshed priority action list. It is delivered as a written report before your quarterly advisory session so it can inform the agenda.
We assess the proposal or contract against five criteria: data handling and processing practices reviewed against your governance framework; integration implications for your Layer 1 and Layer 2 foundations; regulatory exposure per use case under UK AI Act and GDPR frameworks; contractual risk covering data portability, liability, and exit provisions; and fit with your current readiness state. You receive a written assessment with a clear recommendation and, where relevant, specific contract clauses to push back on. We complete vendor reviews within five business days of receiving the materials.
We tell you directly — it goes into the quarterly report with a clear assessment of severity and urgency. If a Layer Build is warranted, we discuss scope and pricing separately. The retainer never automatically expands into project work. A Layer Build is a distinct engagement with its own SOW and pricing, commissioned separately and independently of the retainer. The retainer continues to run alongside it.
Yes. Moving up to Extended requires a new agreement with 30 days' notice before the change takes effect. Moving down from Extended to Foundation similarly requires 30 days. We do not penalise tier changes — the retainer should reflect what you actually need.
The same senior person who ran your Foundation Review and Layer Build work. We do not switch contacts between project and advisory work. Continuity of context is part of the value — an adviser who has read every document we produced together is a different proposition from a new contact who starts from a briefing note.
Ready to discuss?

The foundations are done. What comes next is the question.

If you have completed Foundation Review work and are thinking about how to stay calibrated as you move into AI deployment, the retainer conversation takes about thirty minutes. We ask what your situation looks like, you ask what the retainer would actually mean for your business, and we both decide if it makes sense.

If you have not yet completed the Foundation Review, that is where the conversation starts — not here.

Discuss a retainer → Start with the Foundation Review
The ReadyLayer journey
Foundation Review — understand where you stand
Layer Build Programmes — fix what needs fixing
Retained Advisory — stay calibrated as the landscape shifts