Sentinel — fixed fee, fixed scope, closed when Citadel is live

Find your AI estate.
Quantify the risk.
Fixed fee. Closed when Citadel is live.

A structured methodology mapping your entire AI estate, scoring every risk in monetary terms, and delivering a complete board-ready governance programme on engagement close.

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12
Days fixed
34
AI systems found avg — incl. shadow AI
37×
Year 1 ROI avg — anonymised engagements
£3,500
Diagnostic from

Figures shown are based on completed anonymised engagements. ROI and exposure calculations use the Sentinel Capital Allocation Engine. Methodology available on request.

Engagement tiers

All fees are fixed and agreed before engagement begins.

The right tier depends on the size and complexity of your AI estate. We confirm the tier and fix the fee at kick-off — there are no open-ended day rates or scope adjustments.

Tier Typical estate Duration Fee Notes
Sentinel Diagnostic Preliminary review, up to 10 systems 1 day From £3,500 Credited in full on upgrade to full Activation
Standard Activation Up to 30 governed systems 8–10 working days £18k–£22k Fixed fee agreed before engagement begins
Complex Activation 30+ systems, agentic AI, multi-entity 12–15 working days £24k–£32k Fixed fee agreed before engagement begins
Sentinel Annual Full estate re-score and review 3–5 working days On application Refreshed ROGS, new board pack, cadence review

All fees are fixed and agreed before engagement begins. Duration reflects working days from kick-off to Citadel go-live. Diagnostic fee credited in full on upgrade to Standard or Complex Activation.

Who Sentinel is for

Built for leaders who are accountable for AI.

Sentinel is for CEOs, COOs, and risk leaders at regulated UK financial services organisations who need to establish a defensible AI governance position — and cannot afford the six-month timeline or six-figure fee of a Big 4 engagement.

You are personally accountable to your board for AI risk. You know your current governance position is not fully defensible. You need a complete, independently validated programme — fast.

Who Sentinel is not for

Not every organisation needs this.

Sentinel is not the right starting point if your organisation already has a complete, independently validated AI inventory and an established governance programme that satisfies your board and regulators.

If that's you, Citadel as a standalone subscription may be the right fit.

Why it exists

Most AI audits answer the wrong question.

The standard approach to AI governance is a workshop, a questionnaire, and a PowerPoint. A consultant asks stakeholders what AI they use. Stakeholders name the tools they remember. The consultant produces a list. The list goes stale in three months.

Sentinel was built around a different question:

What does the AI you're not thinking about cost you?

AutoDiscover scans your estate before the first interview. Shadow AI is included by default. From there, every system is scored for regulatory exposure and modelled for financial value. The output is a capital allocation recommendation your CFO can take to an investment committee.

Two ways to start

Start with a single day. Or go straight to the full programme.

Most clients begin with the Diagnostic. The fee is credited in full if you proceed.

Entry point

Sentinel Diagnostic

£3,500 – £5,000 · one day · credited on upgrade

AutoDiscover configured 48 hours before arrival. By end of day you have a preliminary risk score, your top 3 AI risks identified, and an automation opportunity shortlist with estimated ROI. A Diagnostic Report is delivered the same day.

  • AutoDiscover pre-scan (read-only, no agents)
  • Preliminary risk score across your estate
  • Top 3 automation opportunities with ROI estimate
  • Diagnostic Report delivered same day
  • Full fee credited on upgrade to full engagement
Book Diagnostic →
Most popular

Sentinel Engagement

£18,000 – £28,000 · Fixed fee · Diagnostic fee credited

The complete programme. Full AI inventory, regulatory assessment, financial modelling, board delivery, and Citadel Platform go-live at close. Everything your board needs. Everything your CFO can act on.

  • Full AutoDiscover scan
  • Complete AI risk register with monetary exposure
  • EU AI Act + NIST AI RMF + ISO 42001 assessment
  • Capital allocation model (NPV, IRR, payback)
  • Board-ready presentation deck (customised)
  • 12-month governance roadmap
  • Citadel Platform go-live at engagement close
  • 3-month post-engagement support
Discuss the engagement →

Not sure where you stand before booking? Take the 8-minute AI Governance Scorecard →

What you receive

Nine named deliverables. Every engagement.

These are not categories or themes. They are specific, named outputs produced during the engagement and handed over at Citadel go-live.

01

AI System Inventory

Every AI system in your organisation — sanctioned, shadow, embedded in vendor tools, and operational. Categorised by risk tier, business unit, and ownership.

02

Use Case Register

Each system mapped to its use cases — what decision it influences, what process it automates, what data it touches, and what oversight currently exists.

03

Ownership & Accountability Map

Named owners, approval records, and accountability lines for every system — the structure your board programme needs to be defensible under SM&CR and Consumer Duty.

04

Risk & Exposure Register

Operational, regulatory and reputational risk scored by system. Exposure quantified in monetary terms using the Sentinel Capital Allocation Engine.

05

Quantified Opportunity Model

Automation and efficiency opportunities sized in monetary terms — projected savings, cost avoidance, and revenue impact. The CFO's question answered with numbers.

06

Board Presentation Pack

A structured, board-ready presentation covering material findings, risk posture, opportunity model, and governance recommendations. Ready to present without editing.

07

Control Recommendations

Specific, prioritised control actions for each material finding. Not generic best practice — recommendations shaped to your estate, your regulatory context, and your risk appetite.

08

12-Month Governance Roadmap

A sequenced action plan covering control implementation, system remediation, compliance milestones, and governance cadence for the year ahead.

09

Citadel — Configured & Live

The engagement closes when Citadel goes live — pre-populated with your full inventory, risk scores, ownership structure, and board reporting baseline. Not a handoff. An operating start.

All engagements are subject to NDA. Deliverable scope confirmed at kick-off. Methodology available on request.

What we need from you

Light-touch access. Senior sponsor. That's it.

Sentinel is designed to place minimal burden on your team. We do not need months of preparation, extensive documentation packages, or dedicated project management resource from your side.

We do need a named senior sponsor who can open doors, a short NDA process before detailed discussion begins, and read-only access to relevant systems and documentation where appropriate.

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Named senior sponsor

CEO, COO, CRO or equivalent — someone who can confirm scope and facilitate stakeholder access.

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Short stakeholder interviews

30–45 minutes each across key functions — IT, risk, compliance, operations. Scheduled by us, run by us.

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Read-only document access

Existing policies, vendor contracts, IT asset registers — whatever exists. We work with what you have, not what you wish you had.

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NDA before detailed discussion

Standard NDA available before any detailed commercial or technical discussion. We treat every engagement as confidential from first contact.

The methodology

Six structured phases. Every engagement.

The same six phases apply across all engagement tiers — Diagnostic, Standard, and Complex. Duration scales with estate size; the methodology does not change. Every phase produces structured, auditable output with a downstream use.

What you receive at engagement close

  • Complete AI system inventory (all tools, all risk scores)
  • Regulatory exposure assessment (EU AI Act, NIST, sector)
  • Capital allocation recommendation (NPV, IRR, risk-adjusted)
  • Board-ready presentation deck (customised)
  • 12-month governance roadmap
  • Citadel Platform go-live (populated with your data)
PRE

Pre-engagement

Pre-engagement

AutoDiscover

Automated scanning of your cloud estate, SSO directory, and SaaS footprint before a single interview takes place. Shadow AI is surfaced automatically. You receive a complete preliminary inventory before structured engagement begins.

1

Stage 1

Phase 1

Discovery & Validation

Structured stakeholder interviews validate and extend the AutoDiscover inventory. Business context, ownership, and deployment intent are captured for each system. The AI register is finalised and agreed.

2

Stage 2

Phase 2

Risk Quantification

Each system is assessed against EU AI Act obligations, NIST AI RMF controls, ISO 42001, and sector-specific frameworks (FCA, PRA, ICO, SRA, CQC). Risk scores assigned. Regulatory exposure quantified in monetary terms.

3

Stage 3

Phase 3

Financial Modelling

Automation opportunities are modelled using the Sentinel Capital Allocation Engine — NPV, IRR, payback period, and risk-adjusted return. Each opportunity benchmarked against sector comparables.

4

Stage 4

Phase 4

Benchmarking

Your AI maturity is benchmarked against sector peers using the EAIC Maturity Model. Gaps are mapped. A prioritised 12-month governance roadmap is produced with ownership and timelines.

5

Stage 5

Engagement close

Board Delivery

A customised board presentation delivers all findings, recommendations, and the capital allocation model. Citadel goes live simultaneously — pre-populated with your complete AI inventory and risk scores.

What happens after Citadel go-live

Citadel goes live. Your governance programme doesn't end at the board presentation. It starts there.

Citadel is pre-populated with everything Sentinel found. Monthly board scorecards, real-time risk scores, compliance tracking — running automatically from Citadel go-live onwards. ~70% of Sentinel clients proceed to a Citadel subscription.

See Citadel →

Frequently asked

Questions about Sentinel.

What does a Sentinel engagement cost?

The Sentinel Diagnostic costs £3,500–£5,000 and is credited in full against a full engagement. Full engagements are priced at £18,000–£28,000 depending on estate complexity and sector. All fees are fixed — no day rates, no scope creep charges.

How does AutoDiscover work?

AutoDiscover uses read-only API connections to your cloud infrastructure, SSO provider (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace), and SaaS tooling. No agents are installed. No write access is requested. IT involvement is typically under four hours.

What if our AI estate is small?

Organisations that believe they have a small AI footprint consistently find the largest discrepancies. The average client expects 8 systems; we find 34. Sentinel finds what stakeholders cannot see — not what they already know about.

How do you quantify regulatory exposure?

Each AI system is assessed against applicable frameworks (EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, FCA/PRA, ICO, SRA). Risk scores are weighted by likelihood and impact, then translated into monetary exposure using sector-specific penalty benchmarks.

Is the ROI figure guaranteed?

No. The 37× average ROI figure is based on completed engagements. Individual results depend on estate complexity. We do not guarantee specific financial outcomes — but we do guarantee the quality and completeness of the methodology.

What is the minimum commitment?

The Sentinel Diagnostic at £3,500–£5,000. One day, no further obligation. The Diagnostic fee is credited in full against any subsequent engagement.

Ready to find out what AI is
actually running in your organisation?

A Sentinel Diagnostic takes one day and starts at £3,500. Most clients find more than 100× that figure in risk exposure and automation opportunity. The fee is credited in full if you proceed.

Talk to us

Book a call

30 minutes with Declan or Austin. No sales deck. No obligation.

Book a call →

Self-assess

Take the scorecard

12 questions. 8 minutes. Instant ROGS score — no registration.

Take the scorecard →

Read first

Advisory paper

From Hidden Use to Defensible Control. Free PDF.

Download free →

Fixed fee · Founder-led · No day-rate surprises · NDA available before detailed discussion