Dooder vs. Enterprise Consultants
A detailed comparison with Big Four consultants (McKinsey, Deloitte, Accenture, BCG) for mid-market AI implementation. Spoiler: enterprise consulting is built for enterprises, not you.
90 days
vs. 18 months
Time to production
$60-300K
vs. $500K-$2M
Typical project cost
Senior
vs. junior associates
Who does the work
320%
average first-year ROI
Documented results
Category by Category
Detailed Comparison
Project Costs
Big Four Consultants
Expensive- Typical AI engagements: $500K - $2M+
- Strategy phase alone: $150K - $300K
- Hourly rates: $400 - $800 for senior consultants
- Change orders and scope creep common
- Travel and expenses often 15-25% additional
Dooder Digital
Best Value- Full implementations: $60K - $300K
- Strategy + implementation included
- Transparent tiered pricing published
- Fixed-scope or value-based pricing available
- Chicago-local: minimal travel costs
Timeline
Big Four Consultants
Slow- Typical AI projects: 12-18 months
- 3-6 months for strategy phase alone
- Extensive governance and approval processes
- Large team coordination overhead
- Value realization often 18-24 months out
Dooder Digital
Fast- Production deployment in 90 days
- Strategy + implementation combined
- Agile delivery with weekly progress
- Lean team = less coordination overhead
- First ROI typically within 90-180 days
Team & Expertise
Big Four Consultants
Variable- Partner sells, junior associates deliver
- High consultant turnover mid-project
- Broad expertise, not always deep AI
- Standardized methodologies may not fit
- Limited accountability for outcomes
Dooder Digital
Strong- Senior consultants on every engagement
- Same team from start to finish
- Deep AI implementation specialization
- Flexible methodology adapted to your needs
- Performance-tied compensation available
Engagement Model
Big Four Consultants
Fragmented- Strategy and implementation often separate
- Hand-off between phases loses context
- Implementation may be subcontracted
- Client expected to drive adoption
- Support phases as separate contracts
Dooder Digital
End-to-End- End-to-end: strategy through production
- Single team maintains full context
- All implementation in-house
- Change management included
- Ongoing support in all packages
Fit for Mid-Market
Big Four Consultants
Poor Fit- Built for Fortune 500 scale
- Minimum engagement sizes often $500K+
- Processes designed for large enterprises
- May assign B-team to smaller clients
- Cookie-cutter frameworks not always fit
Dooder Digital
Perfect Fit- Purpose-built for $100M-$500M companies
- Pricing scaled to mid-market budgets
- Lean processes fit leaner organizations
- Every client gets senior attention
- Flexible approach adapted to your reality
Honest Assessment
When Each Option Makes Sense
Consider Big Four If...
- •You need Big Four brand for board/investor credibility
- •Your organization requires large, globally distributed teams
- •You have $1M+ budget and 18+ month timeline
- •Complex regulatory environment requiring specific certifications
- •Multi-continent simultaneous rollout required
- •Internal politics require external authority
Choose Dooder If...
- You need results in months, not years
- Budget is $50K-$300K, not $500K+
- You want the same senior team throughout
- Implementation is as important as strategy
- You prefer transparent, predictable pricing
- Local, relationship-based partnership matters
- You want accountability tied to outcomes
Case Study
Manufacturing Company Switches from Big Four
Situation
A $200M Chicago manufacturer spent $350K on Big Four AI strategy but stalled at implementation. 9 months in, no production systems deployed.
Dooder Approach
We picked up the engagement, validated the core strategy in 2 weeks, then implemented 3 priority automations in 90 days.
Results
- $500K annual savings documented
- 320% ROI in first year
- From stalled to production in 90 days
See the Difference for Yourself
Schedule a discovery call to discuss your AI goals. We'll provide an honest assessment of whether Dooder, or someone else, is the right fit for your needs.