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Four questions before you shortlist vendors
1
Do you need strategy or activation?
If the board wants a multi-year AI narrative and budget cover, Big Three and Big Four firms fit. If you already bought Copilot or Azure AI and need workflows to change, prioritize firms that sell fixed-scope discovery and activation sprints.
2
Does governance gate your rollout?
Banks, insurers, agencies, and federal contractors need labels, DLP, and approved use cases before tenant-wide Copilot. Copilot-only boutiques may undersell compliance; pure strategy firms may stop at policy decks.
3
What is your first engagement?
Strong partners offer a bounded entry: readiness assessment, opportunity register, and 90-day roadmap — not an open-ended retainer. Ask for deliverables, timeline, and price range before the first SOW.
4
Who does the work?
Pyramid staffing is common at large SIs. Ask for named senior leads and whether discovery interviews are sample-based or cover the teams that actually do the work.
