Honest Comparison
Open Empower vs Big 4 Consultancies
Big consultancies are great for massive transformation programmes. But if you need AI platform engineering that actually ships — with fixed pricing, senior engineers, and EU compliance built in — there's a better option.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Open Empower
Big 4 Consultancy
Engagement model
Fixed-price per deliverable
Time & materials (open-ended)
Team size on your project
1–3 senior engineers, led by principal
5–20+ mixed seniority, frequent rotation
Who does the work
The person you talk to builds it
Partners sell, juniors deliver
Vendor neutrality
Fully vendor-neutral — best tool wins
Often tied to reseller agreements
Implementation included
Strategy + hands-on delivery
Often strategy-only; implementation extra
Time to first deliverable
2–4 weeks
8–16 weeks
EU regulatory expertise
AI Act, NIS2, DORA, GDPR built-in
Available but often a separate workstream
Typical engagement cost
€25K–€150K for a complete programme
€200K–€2M+ for similar scope
Knowledge transfer
Your team runs it when we leave
Often creates ongoing dependency
Post-engagement support
Included in engagement scope
Separate retainer required
Capability Comparison
Open Empower
Big 4
Kubernetes & cloud-native
AI/ML platform engineering
Hands-on code delivery
Fixed-price engagements
Principal-led delivery
EU compliance built-in
Board-level presentations
200+ person programme management
Global office network
When to Choose What
Choose Open Empower when:
- You need AI infrastructure that actually ships, not just a strategy deck
- Your team is 10–500 people and you need senior engineers, not junior consultants
- You want fixed-price delivery with clear deliverables
- EU regulatory compliance (AI Act, NIS2, DORA) is non-negotiable
- You want your team to own and run the platform after handover
- You're comparing cloud costs and need vendor-neutral guidance
Choose a Big 4 when:
- You need a 200+ person transformation programme across multiple geographies
- Your board specifically requires a Big 4 name on the engagement
- You need staff augmentation at scale (50+ consultants)
- The engagement is primarily strategic advisory with no implementation
- You have budget for open-ended time & materials billing
Why companies choose Open Empower
18+
Years Experience
30%
Avg. Cost Reduction
2–4 wks
First Deliverable
9
Books Published
Ready to See the Difference?
Book a free 30-minute AI platform assessment. Walk away with quick wins, a compliance snapshot, and a next-step roadmap — whether we work together or not.
Book Your Free AI Platform Assessment18+ years experience · Ex-Red Hat & Dell · Speaker at KubeCon EU 2026