AI consulting · advice, strategy and roadmap
An AI consultant who also builds what they advise
A NinA AI consultant finds where AI saves you time and money, puts a euro figure on it and maps it out on a roadmap. Then the same team builds it, inside your own systems. For leadership teams who want advice that actually turns into something.
- 160+ organizations helped
- € 150 per hour, advice and build
- At least 2x back in year one
AI consultant · intro call
livecalculating: 40 min × 2 people × 80 times × € 45 = € 57,600 a year
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01 / Sound familiar?
You want to do something with AI. But what, and where do you start?
Most leadership teams who come to us aren't short of ideas. They have too many ideas, too little time and nobody to tell them which one pays off most. That's what an AI consultant is for.
Plenty of ideas, no choice
“Everyone has an idea. Nobody knows which one delivers the most.”
A report in the drawer
“We've paid for advice before. It's still sitting in a drawer.”
Vendors pushing
“Every software vendor is selling us AI now. Who tells us what we actually need?”
No hands in-house
“Our IT person is busy enough already. AI just doesn't fit in.”
Worries about data
“What if customer data ends up in ChatGPT? Then we'd rather do nothing.”
02 / What an AI consultant does
What does an AI consultant actually do?
An AI consultant works out which processes in your business AI can make faster, cheaper or better, calculates what that delivers and puts the opportunities in an order that makes sense. Then they help you choose how to tackle it: yourselves, with a tool, or with something that needs to be built.
At many agencies, that's where it ends. You get a report, a presentation and a handshake. At NinA, the consultant sits next to the developer who builds it and the trainer who brings your team along. So the advice never gets thrown over the fence to another company, and the consultant feels it first-hand when an idea doesn't work in practice.
Our consultants never start with the technology. They start on the work floor: with the planner who wants a holiday but can't take one, the colleague who spends every Monday building reports, the 'just ask Pete'. That's where the work AI can take over lives.
01Map the opportunities
Conversations with leadership and the work floor, processes viewed live. Where is the manual work?
02Do the maths
Hours and euros per opportunity, on the expected scenario. No 'that saves loads of time'.
03Choose
Which tool, which build layer, which order. Based on numbers, not on who shouts loudest.
04Agree the rules
Which data may go where, where a human approves, who owns what.
05Roll out and measure
Support until it runs, and every month a view of what it delivers.
03 / What you get
AI advice you can use tomorrow.
Not a thick document full of trends. Six things you need to make a decision and get going. They're yours, even if you don't continue with us.
AI strategy
Where AI fits in your plans
Not 'we need to do something with AI', but: which goals does AI help you reach? Growing without extra people, delivering faster, fewer mistakes. The rest follows from there.
AI roadmap
Twelve months, in a logical order
Which process first, which next, and what needs to be live each quarter. With the return alongside, so you know why this order.
Business case
Each opportunity calculated in euros
Duration, headcount and frequency of every step. That gives you the saving, in three scenarios. We advise on the expected one.
Tool and vendor choice
ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude or something else?
We test models ourselves on everyday office work and publish the results in our benchmarks. So you choose on what works for your tasks, not on the slickest demo.
Ground rules
AI policy and data agreements
Which tools are allowed, which data can go in and where a human needs to check. Short and workable, so your team knows where it stands.
Guidance
Your people come along
Advice only lands when the team works with it. We train, create a few ambassadors per team and stay until the new way of working is simply how you work.
04 / The APO method
Process first, technology later.
Every NinA AI consultant works with the same method: APO, AI Process Optimisation. The idea is simple. You look at the work first and only then at the technology. That way you don't buy a solution and then go looking for a problem.
- 01
Baseline on seven dimensions
Where you are
Strategy, data, technology, people, processes, governance and culture. The lowest score is usually where you start.
- 02
Work in measurable steps
Three numbers per step
How long does it take, with how many people, how often? 'That takes ages' becomes '40 minutes, 2 people, 80 times a month'.
- 03
Choose role and build layer
Who does what
Per step: does it stay human work, does AI assist, does a human approve, or does AI do it alone? And which of the four build layers fits?
- 04
Honest maths
Expected scenario
Never more than 90 percent saving per step. No data or examples? Then 40 percent confidence at most.
- 05
Choose and plan
Roadmap
Every opportunity on an impact-effort matrix. Quick wins first, big projects once the foundation is in place.
05 / The baseline
This is what an AI baseline looks like.
An example, not client data. The radar chart shows where an organization stands now and where it wants to be in twelve months. The biggest gap is rarely the technology. Usually it's data, people or agreements.
Profile · now vs. target
2.7
now
4.1
target after 12 months
Biggest jumpData readiness (2 to 4)
What we measure, on a scale of 1 to 5
Strategy and Vision+1 jump
How clear and shared is the AI vision at board level? Is the strategy written down and who holds the mandate?
now 3, target 4.Data readiness+2 jump
Is data centrally available, structured and accessible for automation and AI?
now 2, target 4.Technology and Infrastructure+1 jump
Which tools, cloud platforms and integrations are in place? How easily do you connect new systems?
now 3, target 4.People and Skills+2 jump
Does the team know AI tools, prompting and automation? Is there capacity and willingness to learn?
now 2, target 4.Processes and Adoption+1 jump
Are processes clearly described and actively optimised? How did earlier change programmes go?
now 3, target 4.Governance and Risk+2 jump
Is there policy for AI use, data ethics, privacy and security? How is risk weighed against speed?
now 2, target 4.Culture and Change+1 jump
How does the organisation deal with change? Is there room to experiment, fail and learn?
now 4, target 5.
06 / AI strategy without overkill
Not everything needs to be built.
A good AI strategy is mostly about choosing the right layer. A lot of the gain is in things your team can do itself, with a good prompt or its own assistant. Building only becomes interesting when a process comes back often and runs through several systems.
That's why a NinA AI consultant places every opportunity in one of four build layers. Your team handles layers 1 and 2 itself; we teach them how. We build layers 3 and 4.
That saves money. An opportunity an assistant can handle doesn't need a custom build. And an opportunity that genuinely needs custom work won't be solved with a prompt.
01Layer 1: prompts and knowledge
Working better with ChatGPT, Copilot or Claude. Your team does it themselves, after a workshop.
02Layer 2: skills and assistants
Your own assistants that know your brand, products and way of working. Also something you can build yourselves.
03Layer 3: workflow automation
Processes that run by themselves, often in n8n, connected to your systems. We build this.
04Layer 4: custom builds
AI agents and custom software for what no standard tool can do. We build this too.
07 / Who do you bring in?
Own hire, freelancer, big consultancy or NinA?
Four ways to bring AI expertise in. They all have their place. Here's how they compare, honestly, including where we're not the best choice.
| Own AI hire | Freelance AI consultant | Large consultancy | NinA AI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it costs | Salary plus employer costs | € 120 per hour on average (Knab, 2026) | Usually per project | € 150 per hour, in packages from € 4,500 per month |
| Strategy and building | Rarely both | Usually one of the two | Mostly strategy | ✓ |
| Consultant, developer and trainer | One person | One person | ✓ | ✓ |
| Knowledge from other organizations | · | Varies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Continuity when someone is ill or leaves | Vulnerable | Vulnerable | Good | Good |
| Hosting and maintenance of what runs | · | · | Sometimes | ✓ |
| Guaranteed return | · | · | · | At least 2x in year one |
| Best fit when | AI is the core of your product | You have one well-defined job | You want organization-wide advice | You want the advice to actually run |
Swipe sideways to see all columns →
The freelance rate comes from the Knab Zzp Uurtarievenboekje 2026, a survey of more than 20,000 Dutch freelancers (self-reported, excl. VAT). The rest is an indication based on what we see in the market, not a judgement of individual consultants or firms.
08 / What it costs
What does an AI consultant cost?
A freelance AI consultant in the Netherlands charges € 120 per hour on average, excluding VAT, according to the Knab Zzp Uurtarievenboekje 2026. At NinA you pay € 150 per hour, but you're not buying loose hours: you're buying a team with a plan and a guarantee.
The start is always the AI Quick Scan: € 6,000 one-off. That covers one day on site and, within a week, a baseline, a business case per opportunity, an impact-effort matrix, a twelve-month roadmap and package advice.
If you want to continue, the advice carries on in the AI Partnership. Advice and building in one monthly fee, at the same rate. Want everything side by side, including what AI licences and model usage cost? Read what AI costs your business.
01AI Quick Scan
€ 6,000 one-off. Also available on its own, and the outcome is yours.
02Partnership S
€ 4,500 per month, 30 hours, one process at a time.
03Partnership M
€ 7,500 per month, 50 hours, two processes at a time. Our advice.
04Partnership L
€ 12,000 per month, 80 hours, four processes at a time.
05One rate
€ 150 per hour for advice and building. All amounts excl. VAT.
09 / The route
From first conversation to working AI.
Four steps. You can stop after each one, and after each one you know more than before.
- 01
Intro call
15 minutes, free
A short conversation with a consultant. Where does work get stuck, what do you want to achieve, and does a Quick Scan fit? Sometimes the honest answer is: not yet.
- 02
AI Quick Scan
1 day on site, results within a week
We spend a day with leadership, team and work floor. Within a week there's a business case with your own numbers and a roadmap.
- 03
Decision
Your call
Carry on with the roadmap yourselves, or together. If the business case doesn't reach 2x the investment, we advise against the partnership.
- 04
AI Partnership
Minimum 12 months, then 2 months' notice
The same team advises, builds and trains. Working through the roadmap quarter by quarter, with a report every month on what it delivered.
10 / In all honesty
When you don't need an AI consultant.
We'd rather say it now than after the invoice. In these cases, something else serves you better.
Your team mainly needs to learn
Then a workshop is enough
Still at the stage of loose prompts? Get your team to the same level in one half-day session first. A workshop costs € 4,500 per half day, and afterwards you'll see where the work piles up.
Software for it already exists
Then buy that
If an off-the-shelf package solves your problem, that's faster and cheaper than advice plus a custom build. Not sure? Ask us in the intro call. An honest 'buy that package' costs nothing.
You have one question
Then free resources help
For a one-off question about tools or a first look around, you don't need a consultant. Start with the self-scan below, our freebies or the newsletter.
You only want a report
Then we're not the right fit
Want a strategy document that nothing happens with? A classic consultancy suits you better. We advise in order to build, and we build what we advise.
11 / Check for yourself first
Where does your organization stand today?
Seven questions, two minutes, free. You get an indication of your AI maturity and some first advice. No consultant needed.
Free AI self-scan
1 = nothing in place · 5 = fully sorted
Strategy and Vision
Is there a shared AI vision and a mandate at board level?
Data readiness
Is data central, structured and accessible?
Technology and Infrastructure
How easily do you connect new systems to existing ones?
People and Skills
Does the team know AI tools, and is there room to learn?
Processes and Adoption
Are processes documented and actively optimised?
Governance and Risk
Is there policy for AI use, privacy and security?
Culture and Change
Is there room to experiment, to fail and to learn?
3.0
your score
4.0
target · after 12 months
Start here
Strategy and Vision
your lowest score, so the biggest gain
You have loose pieces in place
Enough to start with, too little to build on. The gain is in tying together what is already there.
Free, no strings
Send us your profile and get an analysis back
- ✓Which of the seven dimensions we would tackle first, and why that one
- ✓Two examples of what that delivered at a comparable organisation
- ✓Whether a single workshop makes more sense here than a partnership, or the other way round
Your mail app opens with your seven scores in it, addressed to noud@nina-ai.nl. You send it yourself, so we store nothing until you hit send. Reply within 24 hours, from a human.
Rather look around first?
Indicative and not stored: we do not keep your answers. The real baseline we do on site in the AI Quick Scan, together with your team.
12 / What it delivers
What it delivers.
Advice is only worth something once it runs. Three examples of processes that were built after the advice.
The guarantee
At least 2x back in the first year. Otherwise we don't start.
If the Quick Scan business case doesn't show savings of at least twice the investment, we advise a smaller package, a different process, or not starting. An AI consultant who dares to say no.
13 / The team
The consultants, and the people beside them.
Olaf Lemmens
Founder
Janique Weijer-Gerrits Jans
Project manager
Pepijn Tiktak
Business developer
Nick Spapens
AI consultant
Noud Appelman
Sales manager
Senna Oortgijsen
Business development & events
Sergei Agaronian
AI developer
Wing Fung Lam
AI developer
Wolf Huiberts
AI developer
Marciano Hardjowikromo
AI developer
14 / Questions
Frequently asked questions about AI consulting.
Question not listed? Book an intro call and ask a consultant directly.
What does an AI consultant do?
An AI consultant maps which processes AI can make faster or cheaper, calculates what each opportunity delivers and puts the opportunities on a roadmap. Then they help choose tools, agree on data rules and guide the rollout. At NinA, the same team also builds what it advises.
What does it cost to hire an AI consultant?
A freelance AI consultant charges € 120 per hour on average, excluding VAT (Knab Zzp Uurtarievenboekje 2026). NinA charges € 150 per hour for advice and building. You start with the AI Quick Scan at € 6,000 one-off; after that the advice continues in the AI Partnership, from € 4,500 per month, for a minimum of twelve months, then two months' notice. All amounts excluding VAT.
What's the difference between an AI consultant and an AI agency?
A standalone AI consultant advises and usually delivers a report or a plan. An AI agency like NinA advises, builds and keeps it running afterwards, with consultants, developers and trainers in one team. So you don't have to translate the advice for another company yourself.
Can I buy advice only, without the build?
Yes. The AI Quick Scan is available on its own for € 6,000. You get a baseline, a business case per opportunity, an impact-effort matrix, a twelve-month roadmap and package advice. With that you can carry on yourselves or with another party. We only build within a partnership.
How long does it take to create an AI strategy and roadmap?
At NinA, about three weeks. We schedule the Quick Scan within two weeks of agreement. Then we spend one day on site, and within a week we present the baseline, the business case and the twelve-month roadmap.
What is the APO method?
APO stands for AI Process Optimisation, NinA's method. Process first, then technology. We measure every step in three numbers (duration, headcount, frequency), decide per step who does it (human, AI assists, human approves, or fully AI) and calculate on the expected scenario, never assuming more than 90 percent saving per step.
Is your advice on tools independent?
We're not a software vendor. We work with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, Azure OpenAI, n8n and custom builds, and choose per process what fits. We test models ourselves on everyday office work; the results are on our benchmarks page. If standard software solves your problem, we'll recommend it.
Is AI consulting also for a smaller company?
That depends on what there is to gain, not on headcount. We only take on a partnership if the business case for the partnership as a whole returns at least twice the investment. With package S, that means at least € 120,000 in savings in year one. If that's not there, we recommend a workshop or the free self-scan.
Is our data safe when an AI consultant looks over our shoulder?
Yes. When we build, data stays in the EU, on your own infrastructure or on servers with a European provider. We work to ISO 27001 and NEN 7510 (certification in preparation) and there's always a human in the loop.
Do you come to our offices?
Yes. We always do the Quick Scan on site, anywhere in the Netherlands and Belgium. Travel within the Netherlands is included. Our office is in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, and you're welcome there too.
Further reading
- The AI Quick ScanOne day on site, a business case and a roadmap within a week.
- Implementing AI in 7 stepsThe step-by-step plan, the pitfalls and what you can do yourself.
- What does AI cost your business?All prices side by side, plus licences, model usage and payback time.
- Hire an AI specialist or a partner?Hiring, a freelancer or a fixed partner: the three routes compared.
Book an intro call with an AI consultant
Fifteen minutes, no strings. You tell us where work gets stuck, we tell you honestly whether a Quick Scan fits.
01
Intro call
Fifteen minutes, no strings. Where does work get stuck and what do you want to achieve?
02
AI Quick Scan
One day on site. Within a week, a business case and a roadmap.
03
AI Partnership
A dedicated team that builds, trains and shows what it delivers every month.
160+ organizations · Sessions rated 9.3 · Based in Amsterdam