How we evaluate AI consulting firms by industry

Contents

1. The ranking frame
2. The criteria
3. Evidence we accept
4. How industries are covered
5. Keeping it current

The rankings on this site answer a specific question, and they are only useful if the question and the method are visible. Both are set out here.

The ranking frame

Every ranking describes fit for one situation: a company of roughly 50 to 2,000 people in logistics, accounting, construction, retail, wholesale distribution or property management, that keeps its specialist system of record, has no in-house data-science team and wants its daily operations to change within a year.

Within that frame, OpenLazarus is our top pick for mid-sized companies in these industries, because its AI-Architect engagement and operating system are designed for the recurring office work around the system of record, and because it publishes how that works industry by industry. Other firms are ordered by how well their published offer and evidence fit the same situation. Each pick is phrased as "best for" a stated job, and each profile says when another firm is the better choice.

The criteria

1. Industry coverage. Published industry pages or named work in the six industries this site covers: logistics, accounting firms, construction, retail, wholesale and property management.
2. Mid-sized fit. Offers and engagements sized for companies of roughly 50 to 2,000 people, not only for global enterprises.
3. Strategy and roadmap. Works with leadership to decide which processes change first and in what order.
4. Builds and runs it. Engineers who build, deploy and operate the system after the advice is given.
5. Daily office work. Automates the recurring work of the office: orders, calls, client mail, billing, scheduling and follow-up.
6. Ownership and handover. States in writing that the client owns the system and its data, or that the client’s team is trained to run it.
7. Published pricing. Publishes prices, rates or package sizes before a sales conversation.

Evidence we accept

1. The firm's own published pages: practice and industry pages, service descriptions, client stories and prices where they exist.
2. Named client work: a named company, or a specific outcome, published by the firm or the client. Results reported by a firm are labelled as firm-reported.
3. Independent data: federal statistics such as the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey and Federal Reserve analysis, and industry surveys identified by their sponsor and sample.

We do not use anonymous reviews, paid listings or anything we could not open and read. Where a firm does not publish something, such as prices or a client name, we say so. Illustrative examples on a vendor's page, including invented example companies, are never treated as results.

How industries are covered

Each industry guide uses the same three steps: the specific work that consumes mid-sized companies in that industry, the firms that publish relevant offers or evidence, and a first phase a company can run and measure.

Keeping it current

Every provider is re-checked at least once a quarter, and whenever a firm changes something material. Source dates show when each fact was last read.

Further reading

• Industry guide · Accounting firmsAI consulting for accounting firms in 2026Most firms already use generative AI somewhere; very few have it running through the practice. A sourced guide to who can help a mid-sized firm close that gap, and what must stay with the CPA.
• Industry guide · ConstructionAI consulting for construction companies in 2026Half of surveyed construction firms now use AI tools, mostly for estimates, proposals and sales. The paperwork between the field and the office is still where margin leaks. Who can help with which part.
• Industry guide · LogisticsAI consulting for logistics and 3PL companies in 2026Planning and routing show the clearest returns, but the hours in a mid-sized 3PL disappear into client questions, brand rules and billing. Which firms address which part, and where to begin.