$1.1M vs $4.2M
Archipelago Software platform — 16 production SaaS products, same scope, outcome contract
73%
of code AI-written on the Archipelago engagement — 100% human-reviewed against the eval rig
8–14 wks
typical delivery for a custom software build, compared to 9–18 months on a Big-4 quote
5 gates
on every pull request before a human sees the diff — spec coverage, test, security, performance, trace
Why the price gap exists
A firm that bills on day rates keeps the AI productivity gain. When AI writes 70% of the code, the day-rate firm's costs drop but the invoice doesn't change. The client pays for the hours that used to be needed.
An outcome contract prices the scope, not the hours. When AI writes 70% of the code on an outcome-priced engagement, the saving flows to the client. The Archipelago Software platform — 16 production SaaS products — came in at $1.1M against a $4.2M Big-4 quote. 73% AI-written, 100% human-reviewed. The framework that built it is the same one we bring to every new engagement.
The same scope, three delivery shapes
| Dimension | Effektiv build | Big-4 fixed-price | Day-rate firm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical 12-week project | $160k–$420k all-in | $420k–$1.1M | $280k–$540k |
| AI authorship disclosed | Per PR, in the trace | Aggregate at end | Not produced |
| Code ownership at exit | Yours, in your repo | Vendor-retained until escrow trigger | Mixed; depends on contract |
| Eval rig handoff | Source code yours at exit | Vendor-framework retained | Not produced |
How we deliver
Two weeks of listening before a line of code. The price is fixed at the end of Design — not at kick-off.
Phase 1 · 1–2 weeks
We read your stack, sprint history, and AI controls. We map the governance posture and build an evaluation rig shaped to your system. Output: a findings document and an outcome contract your legal team can read in one sitting.
Phase 2 · 1–2 weeks
A build plan shaped to what Diagnose found, with the outcome metric named. The eval rig is specified here — not delivered as a surprise at exit. The price agreed at the end of Design is the price on the invoice. No scope creep billing.
Phase 3 · 8–14 weeks
AI agents author at pace. Senior pair from each side reviews every pull request: spec coverage, test coverage, security scan, performance budget. Human sign-off on architecture, security, and any line that touches money or a record of truth.
Quality gates
Every output passes a multi-gate evaluation before it merges or ships. Outputs that fail do not proceed. The eval rig and all gate code are yours at exit.
Eval rig · sample run
Eval rig source code shipped to your repo at exit.
Sample engagement
The Archipelago Software platform: 16 production SaaS products, $1.1M delivered against a $4.2M Big-4 quote. 73% AI-written code, 100% human-reviewed against the eval rig. Eight products in production within 14 weeks of the first Deliver sprint. The eval rig and prompt rules shipped with the codebase on day one of handover.
Read the full case →
Compliance posture
ISO 27001 in progress (Q3 2026) ISO 42001 aligned NIST AI RMF mapped IRAP path Q4 2026 Full governance posture →Other services
Service
AI archaeology decodes what the documentation missed. 11 weeks median.
Read more →Service
RPA and ESB out, agent mesh in. Run cost down 50–70%.
Read more →Service
With-you mode. Your team ships AI without us in 90 days.
Read more →Service
AI helpers that draft for human review. Brand-voice eval gated.
Read more →Service
AI in the alert path. 50–70% drop in human-paged incidents.
Read more →Common questions
Outcome-priced. Eval rig included.
Show us a quote you've received or a scope you're working through. We'll price the same scope on outcomes — 40–60% lower than a comparable day-rate engagement — with the eval rig, trace database, and architecture decision record included in the price.