Evaluate any AI vendor. Including us.
How the options compare, including where another firm is the better fit.
Large firms lead with strategy. We ship working AI in about 90 days, with the governance and audit trail to defend it. Here is how the options compare, and the questions worth asking any vendor.
How the options compare
What each option delivers
Large consulting firms
Strategy-led
Large systems integrators
Build-led
Freelance developers
Do it yourself
NSSG
Operator-led delivery
Five questions to ask any AI vendor
Run these on any pitch, including ours. If a vendor can't answer them, that's the tell.
Where is the AI, exactly?
Ask them to label every part of the system: the AI, the plain automation, the deterministic code, and the human steps. If the whole thing is "AI," it is probably a prompt wrapped around someone else's model.
Can you see the audit trail?
Every tool call should write a log with a trace ID you can read. Ask to see one. Governance you cannot inspect is a promise, not a control.
What sits between a model and production?
Ask how many approval gates a change passes before it goes live, and who signs off. "It just works" is not an answer a regulator accepts.
Which frameworks are the controls mapped to?
SOC2, NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act, HIPAA, ISO 42001. Ask for the mapping, not a logo. Your reviewers want evidence.
What does it cost, and is there a cap?
Ask for a pre-flight cost estimate and a hard cap per feature. A bill you cannot predict is a bill that grows.
Common questions
Why not a big-name firm?
"Don't we need a big-name firm's brand credibility for the board?"
You need results for the board, not logos. When you show a working system in 90 days with an audit trail your board can check, that's more credible than any consultant's slide deck. We help you present outcomes you can defend, not pedigrees.
"Can NSSG handle our complexity?"
We've built automation for complex operations, from a Caribbean logistics engine to multilingual commerce platforms. We turn complex operations into working automation, not 200-page process maps.
"What if we need ongoing enterprise support?"
We offer ongoing support packages and can scale support based on your needs. We train your team to own it, so you choose how much support you want.
"How can a small team deliver this quality?"
We don't carry a large firm's overhead or bill for junior consultants' hours. We're operators who code: a small, focused team with proven playbooks.
"What if our project is too small for the big firms?"
That's who we built NSSG for: businesses with $10M-$500M in revenue and a specific problem to fix. You don't need a large strategy engagement. You need a working system, scoped to that problem.
"Can we start small and scale up?"
Yes. That's our approach. The first engagement tests the value with one high-impact automation. Then we scale what works. No large up-front commitment to find out if AI works for you.
When to choose each option
Who each option suits best
Choose a large consulting firm if:
- You're a Fortune 500 company and your board expects a brand name
- You want strategy advice, not delivery
- You need industry research reports and frameworks
- Someone else will build what they recommend
Choose a large systems integrator if:
- You're enterprise ($500M+) with a complex IT estate
- You need a fully custom enterprise software platform
- You have a multi-year transformation timeline
- You want managed services and SLA guarantees
Choose freelancers if:
- You have strong internal technical leadership
- Project scope is very specific and well-defined
- You can manage developers and own the outcome
- You have time to iterate and course-correct
Choose NSSG if:
- You're a mid-market business with $10M-$500M in revenue
- You need working AI, not strategy decks
- You want a working system in 90 days, scoped up front
- You value speed and a working system you can defend
Ready to ship AI you can defend?
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