What an automation engagement costs, before you get on a call.
Fixed-price shapes published as ranges. The exact number depends on the workflow, the exceptions and the systems involved, and it is written into a one-page proposal before any work starts.
A workflow audit is €1,500 to €2,500. One automation build is €3,000 to €6,000. An integration or internal assistant is €3,000 to €8,000. The optional retainer is €750 to €1,500 per month. A 40 to 50 percent deposit reserves the slot.
5 working days
Workflow audit
€1,500 to €2,500 EUR, VAT not applicable at present
Map one workflow, measure the hours and exceptions, and produce a costed automation design with a decision. The audit is the front door; it is credited against the build if you continue.
Process map with owners and systems
Time study from real samples
Exception catalogue with handling cost
Automation design and integration list
Cost model with payback estimate
A decision record and a fixed-price build proposal
Best for: You know a workflow is slow, but not where the hours go.
€3,000 to €6,000 EUR, VAT not applicable at present
One end-to-end workflow connected to your existing tools: trigger, AI step, validation, write-back, human approval and a visible failure path. Measured against the baseline.
Workflow design and integration
AI step with a defined output schema
Validation and confidence thresholds
Human review queue for exceptions
Logs, error handling and a runbook
Before/after measurement and handover
Best for: One workflow needs to run without copy-paste.
€3,000 to €8,000 EUR, VAT not applicable at present
Two related builds: an integration path into your CRM, helpdesk, ERP or internal API, or an internal assistant with citations, permissions and an evaluation set.
Systems and data-flow design
API, webhook or retrieval layer
Authentication, validation and logging
Evaluation set or failure-path tests
Runbook and handover
A security note on what leaves the environment
Best for: The AI step needs to live inside your tools, or answer from your own documents.
Prices are for business clients and are quoted in EUR. A consumer engagement needs a RON
price with all taxes included and the statutory consumer information first — see the
questions further down.
01 / The retainer
Keep it working after launch.
An automation that nobody watches is a future incident. The retainer is optional, but it is how a live workflow keeps earning its place.
Monthly
Automation retainer
€750 to €1,500 / month EUR, VAT not applicable at present
Monitoring, exception review and a small monthly improvement block for a live workflow. Thirty days notice, no 24/7 SLA.
Workflow monitoring and error review
A monthly volume, failure and time-saved report
Exception triage and a prioritised backlog
One agreed improvement block per month
Change log and updated runbook
A quarterly review of whether the workflow should be retired
What the report shows
Volume processed, success rate, manual touches, time saved and the exceptions that
needed a person. It is written for the process owner, not for an engineering
dashboard.
If the workflow is not clear, the audit is the right first buy. It is cheaper than a build and it produces the evidence the build needs anyway.
If this sounds like you
Start with
What you get
“We know the process is slow, but not where the hours go.”
Audit
A process map, time study, exception list, automation design and a build price.
“We know the workflow. We need it built.”
Automation build
One end-to-end workflow, a review queue and a before/after measurement.
“The AI step needs to live inside our CRM or helpdesk.”
Integration or assistant
An API or retrieval layer with validation, auth, logs and a runbook.
“It is live, but nobody is watching it.”
Retainer
Monitoring, exception review and a monthly improvement block.
03 / Terms
The terms that protect both sides.
Written down because the most common automation failure is an unwritten assumption about the exceptions.
One-page scope
Workflow, deliverable, acceptance criteria, price, schedule and explicit exclusions. If it is not in scope, it is a change request.
Deposit and milestones
40 to 50 percent before the start date. Fixed-price work is invoiced at milestones, never as one invoice at the end.
14-day payment terms
Shorter than the market default. A project that pays in 60 days is a loan, not a project.
An exit checkpoint
The proposal names the baseline and the measurement. If the build misses it, either side can stop with paid work settled.
No pure success fee
A bonus on verified savings can sit on top of a fixed base. A success-only fee makes attribution the project.
Change requests in writing
New scope is priced before it starts. Exceptions discovered during the build are scoped, not absorbed silently.
04 / What moves the price
The four things that change the number.
Published ranges are honest only if the variables are visible.
Exception rate
The exceptions are the project
A workflow that is 95% straight-through is cheaper than one that needs a review queue for half the volume. The audit measures this before the build.
System access
An API is cheaper than a screenshot
A documented API or reliable export shortens the integration. A system with no integration path needs a different project.
Volume
Volume decides the business case
The same automation is not worth building at 20 items a month and is obvious at 2,000. The audit puts a number on it.
Human review
The approval path is a deliverable
A review queue, permissions and an audit trail are real work. They are priced, not assumed to be free.
05 / Questions
The commercial questions, answered.
If your question is not here, ask it on the call. The answer will be in the proposal.
How much does an automation project cost?
An audit is €1,500 to €2,500. One automation build is €3,000 to €6,000. An integration or internal assistant is €3,000 to €8,000. The optional retainer is €750 to €1,500 per month. You get a written scope and a fixed price before work starts.
Why pay for an audit before the build?
Because the build should be scoped from measured hours and a real exception list, not a workshop guess. The audit is credited against the build if you continue within 30 days, so you do not pay twice for the discovery.
What is not included?
Third-party API and infrastructure costs, licensed software, a full web application build, legal advice and a 24/7 support SLA. Those are either passed through at cost or quoted separately.
What are the payment terms?
A 40 to 50 percent deposit reserves the calendar slot. Fixed-price work is invoiced at milestones with 14-day payment terms. Invoices are issued in EUR by a Romanian PFA (CUI 55306512). The business is not currently VAT-registered, so no Romanian VAT is added; if that changes, it will be stated in the proposal.
What if the automation does not save the hours?
The audit is designed to catch that before the build. If the build misses the agreed baseline, the proposal includes a checkpoint where either side can stop with paid work settled. I would rather end a project than ship an automation nobody uses.
Do you work with consumers, or only with businesses?
The site and the published prices are aimed at business clients. If you are a consumer, contact me before we start: I will confirm whether I can take the work and, if I can, send the RON price with all taxes included, the statutory consumer information and the withdrawal terms before you confirm anything.
Can we start with a small workflow?
Yes, and that is usually the right first step. One workflow with a clear owner is easier to measure and easier to hand over than a department-wide automation programme.
MB
Written by
Marius Boroica is an independent AI automation engineer in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
He designs AI workflows, document pipelines and internal assistants, and connects them to
the tools a team already uses. NVIDIA Certified Professional: Gen AI LLMs.
A 30-minute call and a short workflow description are enough for a fixed-price proposal. The proposal is free, and so is the advice to leave the process manual.