The short answer
My estimate, based on what I see in the market: AI advice in the Netherlands runs roughly from 100 to 250 euros per hour with independents and considerably higher with agencies. A bounded implementation is usually quoted as a fixed amount. At Tamboer AI: free AI plan, One process with AI 1,500 euros, the AI Operating System for your whole business 4,500 euros in three weeks, maintenance 125 euros per hour with a ceiling agreed beforehand. All excluding VAT.
Why hourly rates say little
Two providers with the same hourly rate can differ by a factor of three in final price, because one delivers a working workflow in ten hours and the other a report in thirty. The question that counts is not what an hour costs, but what stands at the end and who signs that it works.
So always ask for a fixed price per bounded result. If a provider cannot give that, the subject is not sharp enough to buy yet.
What drives the price
Number of processes
One process is a project. Three processes at once is three projects with a shared analysis, not a third of the price.
Access to systems
Connecting to a package with a decent API is days of work. A package without an API is weeks of work, or the answer is no.
Quality of the source data
If the information is scattered across mailboxes, folders and people's heads, the first half of the budget goes into ordering it.
Risk and supervision
Work under supervision requires recording and evidence. That is not an extra option, it builds in time.
The prices at Tamboer AI
| Step | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free AI plan | Free | An AI plan for your whole business, three tailored examples and a demonstration, within a week of our call |
| One process with AI | 1,500 euros | One process reviewed (the AI Workflow Audit), built and tested in ten working days, with an opportunity map for the rest of your business. Fully credited against the AI Operating System within 30 days |
| AI Operating System | 4,500 euros | Your whole business on AI: second brain, multiple workflows and training, handed over in three weeks. Half at the start and half at delivery |
| Maintenance | 125 euros per hour | Checking errors and changes, with a goal and an hour ceiling agreed beforehand |
What to check in a quote
- Is there a fixed price per result, or only an hourly rate with an estimate?
- What happens if it does not work as described? Is there a stop moment, and is there a refund?
- Who owns what is delivered, including the prompts and the configuration?
- Is training for the people who will use it included, or does that arrive later as an extra?
- Is there a baseline measurement? Without measuring beforehand you can prove nothing afterwards.
Run your own situation through the net process value calculator, or see the full price build-up.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal hourly rate for AI advice in the Netherlands?
There is no fixed standard rate. My estimate, based on what I see in the market: roughly 100 to 250 euros per hour with independents, higher with agencies. That figure says little without a bounded result: always ask for a fixed price per deliverable.
Why is the first step free?
Because most questions are not sharp yet at that point and I want to know myself whether there is a business case. If there is none, I say so and it stops there. That costs us both less than a wrong project.
Can I skip the audit?
Yes. Analysis is included in One process with AI or the AI Operating System; you do not need to buy it separately. The free AI plan helps you choose.
What if the workflow does not work as agreed after handover?
If it does not work as agreed, I fix it or you get your money back. The choice is yours. With the AI Operating System there is also a stop moment after week one: that costs 1,500 euros excluding VAT and the rest of the amount lapses.
About the author
I am Joost, AI specialist and founder of Tamboer AI. I have worked with AI daily since 2022. I tested and developed applications at one of the largest banks in the Netherlands and now build AI workflows for smaller businesses, with a person who checks every outcome. More about me.
