AI Model Cost Governor: One Budget Lane vs Estate Controls

Pay vs Consulte for an AI model cost governor: when Starter $2,500 fits one app or key, when Consulte is required for org-wide routing, and Discovery $99 maps spend — no invented savings percentages.

Discovery $99 Consulting $499 Starter $2,500 Growth $8,000/mo Response within 24h

Map it with Discovery — $99 Pay on /plans/ Consulte

What this page is (and is not)

This is a fit guide for one application or one API key class with a spend owner. It is not a case study and it does not invent a savings percentage, SLA letter grade, or certified outcome. Published commercial prices live on /plans/. The diagnostic is Discovery $99. Human-scoped work starts at /contact/.

Related hub: FinOps consulting.

The unit of work

Process

one application or one API key class with a spend owner

Systems

the model gateway or invoices, plus the app that calls the model

Operating signal

tokens or dollars on that key — a line you can already export

Stop rule

No promised percent-off model spend. We map the governor; you set the cap.

Pay vs Consulte

Pay (Starter $2,500 · ZG06)

One app, one owner, and “done” is a budget, routing rule, and a stop for runaway loops.

Pay Starter $2,500 USD · menu on /plans/.

Consulte (/contact/)

Shared keys, shadow IT models, or finance wants chargeback across teams. Consulte the control model.

Start Consulte — SOW first, Pay later if the slice is clear.

If you cannot name the process, the systems, and the acceptor for “done,” do not Pay yet. Use Discovery $99 for a written map (Pay, Consulte, or stop). Deeper SKU comparison: Discovery $99 vs Starter $2,500.

What Discovery $99 writes

Owners and systems for this slice — not a company-wide transformation plan.
A recommendation: Pay Starter, Consulte a SOW, Growth/retainer, or stop.
The stop rule above, in writing, so kickoff cannot smuggle a second project.

Discovery is not implementation. Implementation is Starter or a scoped SOW. Ongoing coverage is Growth after the model is clear.

Good after kickoff (no fake math)

The process sentence still matches day 10.
Access landed or a named blocker with an owner.
Definition of done is operational — a live path, map, or control — not “we explored AI.”
Exception queue exists. Humans know what the automation must not decide alone.

If access is still pending or success was redefined to “demo,” stop and re-scope. That is Consulte, not a silent expand of Pay.

Map it with Discovery — $99 Plans Consulte

FAQs

Can I skip Discovery and Pay Starter?

Yes — if one application or one API key class with a spend owner is already named, the model gateway or invoices, plus the app that calls the model are reachable, and someone will accept “done.” If kickoff would still debate the job, map first: Discovery $99.

Is Consulte a free consultation?

No. Consulte is a human-scoped conversation via /contact/ when the SKU is unclear. Discovery is the $99 written diagnostic. There is no free consultation SKU.

Do you publish ROI or savings percentages for this work?

No. This guide uses fit patterns only. Use an operating signal you already measure. Board language without fake math starts from the Discovery map.

Where do Consulting $499 and Growth fit?

Consulting $499 sits between Discovery and Starter when you need RACI or roadmap without a pilot yet. Growth $8,000/mo is ongoing coverage after the model is clear. Ladder: /plans/.