Fractional CIO · AI technology advisory
A fractional CIO for companies too small for a full-time one
Somewhere between five and seventy-five million in revenue, technology decisions stop being obvious and start being expensive. You do not need a $250,000 executive to fix that. You need someone senior who owns the roadmap, keeps the vendors honest, and makes sure the staff actually adopts what you paid for.
What the retainer includes
AI & technology readiness assessment
A scored review of systems, data, workflows, staffing and spend, delivered as a prioritized roadmap rather than a slide deck.
Vendor selection & discipline
We sit on your side of the table. Scope control, real reference checks, contract review and holding the delivery schedule.
Roadmap ownership
A standing quarterly plan with costs, sequencing and expected return, revisited monthly instead of rewritten annually.
Adoption & enablement training
Twenty years of building training and enablement programs. Technology only produces return when the staff actually uses it.
$1,500 per month on 3, 6 or 12 month terms. Custom development performed outside the retainer is billed at $75 per hour.
Fractional CIO vs. full-time hire vs. doing nothing
- · Full-time CIO: $180K–$300K plus benefits, three to six months to hire, and a long ramp before the first decision.
- · Fractional CIO: $1,500 per month, roadmap in the first six weeks, cancellable at the end of the term.
- · Doing nothing: the quiet option, and usually the most expensive. Most owners are already paying for four overlapping tools.
Start with the free spend audit, review our AI consulting services, or bring the CIO-grade readiness questionnaire to your next vendor call.
Fractional CIO questions
- What is a fractional CIO?
- A fractional CIO is a part-time chief information officer who owns your technology strategy, vendor decisions and delivery oversight on a monthly retainer. You get senior judgment at the table without carrying a six-figure executive salary and benefits.
- How much does a fractional CIO cost?
- Tenseconds.ai engagements are $1,500 per month on 3, 6 or 12 month terms. A full-time CIO in most markets runs $180,000 to $300,000 per year before benefits. Custom build work performed outside the retainer is $75 per hour.
- When does a company need a fractional CIO instead of a full-time hire?
- Typically between $5M and $75M in revenue: too big to keep making technology decisions by gut, too small to justify a full-time executive. It is also the right fit when you have a capable IT team but nobody senior setting direction or holding vendors accountable.
- What does the first 90 days look like?
- Weeks 1-3 are an AI and technology readiness assessment: systems, data, workflows, staffing and current spend. Weeks 4-6 produce a prioritized roadmap with costs and expected return. From week 7 we execute the top items, hold the vendors to schedule, and train the people who have to live with it.
- Do you advise on AI specifically or all technology?
- All of it, with an AI emphasis. The retainer covers systems strategy, vendor selection, security posture and staffing questions. AI just happens to be where the largest amount of money is currently being wasted.