What typical AI consultants deliver:
The Protocloud AI CoE approach:
12–24 month strategy phases before delivery 
Operational CoE in 90 days, use cases in 6 months 
AI CoE programmes at Protocloud range from $30,000 (lightweight single business-unit CoE with MLOps platform and talent development) to $250,000+ (full enterprise CoE with governance framework, cross-functional operating model, and first 3 production use cases). Every programme is fixed-price with clear deliverables and timelines. We recommend a free readiness assessment before any investment discussion. FAQ Schema Note: Apply FAQ schema (application/ld+json) for Google rich results.
Our 90-day sprint establishes CoE governance, MLOps platform, operating model, and first use case in active development. The first 3 production use cases are typically delivered within 6 months of programme kickoff. Full enterprise maturity (10+ production use cases, full self-sufficiency) typically takes 18–24 months.
Both. Our programme includes a 12-week ML engineering bootcamp that upskills your existing engineers — often this produces 3–5 qualified ML practitioners from your current team. For senior roles (CoE head, AI architect) we advise on hiring strategy, compensation benchmarking, and talent sourcing. Many of our clients achieve 60–70% of their CoE talent through internal development.
AI governance is built into our CoE framework from day one — not added as an afterthought. We design model risk tiers, bias audit procedures, explainability standards, and incident response processes that align with your specific regulatory context (FCA, SEC, HIPAA, EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF). All governance documentation is yours to own and adapt.
Absolutely. Many of our most successful CoE programmes are with mid-market companies where AI can create disproportionate competitive advantage. We offer a lightweight CoE model — optimised for organisations with 2–5 data science staff and 3–8 active AI use cases — that delivers the governance, tooling, and acceleration of a full CoE without the overhead of an enterprise-scale programme.
You’re self-sufficient by design. Our handover process includes: complete documentation of all frameworks and processes, operating playbooks your team can run without us, a 3-month coaching programme for your CoE leadership, and quarterly check-in options if you want ongoing advisory. Many of our CoE clients return for specific new use case delivery — but that’s a choice, not a requirement.
