GoKawiilKPMG consulting chief says AI has erased traditional advisory fee model
KPMG's global head of consulting, Svilena Tzekova, told CNBC that AI now lets clients access advice that once took consultants days or months to produce, making much of the firm's traditional fee-for-advice business obsolete. She said the industry has not yet settled on new pricing models, as clients want to pay for outcomes while procurement teams still judge bids by headcount and hourly rates, even as AI computing and usage costs add new expenses.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The comments suggest large consultancies face pressure to overhaul decades-old billing practices as AI commoditizes knowledge work they once charged premiums for. Smaller AI-native firms may be positioned to undercut traditional players if they can price around outcomes rather than hours, though KPMG's own account indicates the whole industry is still figuring out how.
- KPMG executive says AI has made much of its traditional advisory business 'nonexistent'
- Consultancies are struggling to shift from hourly billing to outcome-based pricing
- AI-native rivals could gain an edge as Big Four firms adapt more slowly
Source: cnbc.com — Lindsay Dodgson, 2026-11-12
Published there as: “AI is coming for consulting’s billable hours — and its graduate pipeline”
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