The Real Cost of Consulting
Big consultancies charge premium rates for teams of graduates supervised by partners you rarely see. There's a better way.
What the Big Firms Charge
When you engage a major consultancy—Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, EY, or firms like MartinJenkins—you're paying for more than expertise. You're paying for CBD office leases, partner profit margins, layers of management, and graduate analysts learning on your project.
Big 5 Consultancy
$350-600+
per hour (blended team rate)
- Partner oversight at $800-1,200/hr
- Senior consultants at $400-600/hr
- Graduate analysts at $180-250/hr
- Project management overhead
- Minimum engagement: often $50,000+
Boutique NZ Firms
$250-400
per hour (senior consultant)
- Principal/Director at $350-500/hr
- Senior Consultant at $250-350/hr
- Analyst support at $150-200/hr
- Smaller teams, still have overhead
- Minimum engagement: typically $15,000+
But not us.
We don't have a CBD tower to pay for. No graduate analysts padding hours while they learn. No partner tier taking a cut for occasional oversight. You work directly with senior expertise—decades of experience in commercial strategy and technical delivery—at a fraction of what you'd pay the big firms.
What You're Really Paying For
A breakdown of where consultancy fees actually go
| Cost Component | Big 5 Firms | Us |
|---|---|---|
| CBD office & overheads | 15-25% of fees | None |
| Partner profit margin | 20-30% of fees | None |
| Account management layer | 10-15% of fees | None |
| Graduate analyst training | Billed to you | None |
| Senior expertise (actual work) | 30-40% of fees | 100% of fees |
When you pay us, you're paying for the work. Nothing else.
How We Work With You
We don't believe in minimum engagement thresholds or lock-in contracts. Need two days of focused work this month? That's fine. Need a week-long sprint next quarter? Also fine.
Flexible, As-Needed Support
Most clients use us for one to two days per month—sometimes more during busy periods, sometimes less. You're not locked into retainers or minimum hours.
Think of it as having a senior commercial advisor and technical capability on call, without the full-time cost or consultancy overhead.
What this looks like:
- A focused research sprint when you need answers
- A dashboard built when you need visibility
- Strategic input before a major decision
- Technical automation to save ongoing time
- Overflow capacity during peak periods
What you avoid:
- Six-figure minimum engagements
- Teams of juniors learning on your dime
- Months of "discovery" before any output
- Account managers who don't do the work
- Lock-in contracts and retainer commitments
What This Means in Practice
Same quality of work. Significantly less cost.
| Engagement Type | Big Firm Quote | With Us |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility Study | $40,000 - $80,000 | 60-70% less |
| Strategic Review | $60,000 - $150,000 | 60-70% less |
| Market Research & Analysis | $25,000 - $50,000 | 60-70% less |
| Dashboard & Analytics Build | $50,000 - $100,000+ | 70-80% less |
| Ongoing Advisory (per month) | $15,000 - $30,000 | 70-80% less |
We quote based on your specific needs. The conversation starts with what you're trying to achieve—not our rate card.
Senior Expertise, Direct Access
The person you talk to is the person who does the work. Decades of experience across strategic research, commercial advisory, and technical delivery—from business strategy to building the systems that execute it.
What You Get
- Direct access to senior expertise—no gatekeepers
- Strategic research delivered with commercial rigour
- Technical capability—we build dashboards, automation, and systems
- Flexible engagement—ad-hoc support as you need it
- No overhead—you pay for the work, not the office
Most consultants recommend. We recommend and build. Most developers build what you specify. We do the strategic thinking first, then build what actually solves the problem.
Let's talk about what you need
No minimum engagement. No obligation. Just a conversation about whether we can help.
All consultations are confidential