Phos AI Labs does not publish a price list because every engagement is scoped to the business. But we do publish the range, what drives cost up or down, and what the investment looks like at each phase. That is what this page covers.
The starting point: what $10,000/month means
$10,000/month is the minimum engagement. It covers:
- A dedicated Phos AI Labs team working inside the client’s business; not a project manager coordinating from a distance
- All four phases of the engagement at the appropriate depth for the business
- Unlimited access to the Phos AI Labs team during the engagement; no hourly billing, no scope surprises on communication
What it does not include: any third-party software licenses the engagement recommends. Off-the-shelf AI tools, project management platforms, and similar; these are typically $200–$600/month in total for a company in the Phos AI Labs ICP and are the client’s direct contracts.
What drives cost up
Team size and workflow complexity. A 15-person company with five core recurring workflows and a single buyer requires less embedded work than a 40-person company with twelve departments, three distinct client archetypes, and a complex approval structure. The context pack is larger, the training is longer, the workspace configuration is more involved.
Phase 4 scope. Phase 1–3 engagements are relatively consistent in scope for a given company size. Phase 4 is where the range widens; because operational redesign depends on:
- How many workflows are being rebuilt
- How many agent chains are being constructed
- How deeply the operations are being restructured
Number of distinct business lines. A company with one primary service line and one client type is simpler to build for than a company with three service lines, two client segments, and different operational standards for each.
Speed requirements. A company that needs Phase 1 completed in two weeks instead of four requires more concentrated Phos AI Labs time and resources. Compressed timelines are possible; they cost more.
The hire-versus-partner comparison: the number that puts the retainer in context
| Option | Year 1 cost | Time to value | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hire an AI-native operator | $85,000–$120,000 fully loaded | 3–6 months to ramp | Mis-hire risk; leaves when they leave |
| Hire a senior AI strategist | $120,000–$180,000 fully loaded | 6–9 months to ramp | Expensive mis-hire; single point of failure |
| Phos AI Labs engagement (starting) | $120,000/year at floor retainer | Weeks to first outputs | No hiring risk; breadth of expertise across 400+ engagements |
| Phos AI Labs engagement (Phase 1–3) | $120,000–$180,000/year | Immediate start | Full team embedded; no ramp period |
The year-one cost of a Phos AI Labs engagement at the floor retainer is comparable to one senior AI hire. The difference is speed, breadth, and risk:
- Phos AI Labs starts immediately; a hire takes months to ramp
- Phos AI Labs brings the pattern recognition of 400+ engagements; a hire brings whatever they learned at their last job
- If Phos AI Labs is not the right fit, the engagement ends; a bad hire costs 18 months and significant disruption to undo
How the retainer is structured: what monthly looks like in practice
Month-to-month after the initial term. The engagement is structured as a retainer with a minimum initial commitment; typically three to six months for Phases 1–2, longer for Phase 3 and 4. After the initial term, the engagement continues month-to-month. Phos AI Labs does not lock clients into multi-year contracts.
No hourly billing. The retainer covers all Phos AI Labs team time during the engagement. There are no hourly overages for additional calls, no billing for email threads, no surprise invoices at the end of the month. The retainer is the engagement.
Scope reviews. At the end of each phase, Phos AI Labs and the client review:
- What was produced
- What the next phase requires
- Whether the scope or retainer level should adjust
The company pays for what the engagement actually needs; not a fixed package decided at the beginning.
Want a real scope estimate for your specific situation?
The right way to evaluate a Phos AI Labs retainer is not “can we afford $10,000/month?” It is “what is the cost of not building this correctly in the next 12 months?” For a $15M company where AI decisions compound across years, the cost of getting it wrong is measured in competitive position, not just project spend.
Path one: review the timeline page. It shows what changes month by month and when the engagement typically pays for itself; with the actual numbers for a typical $15M business.
Path two: get a real scope. Phos AI Labs will tell you what phase you need to start at, what the engagement would involve, and what the realiztic cost range is for your specific company. No deck. Thirty minutes. Start here.