AI-First Deal Lab

Smarter. Faster. Future-proof deals for the AI era.

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The HFS AI-First Deal Lab is our bold new advisory service that helps enterprises and providers escape the outdated outsourcing model and build sourcing structures designed for the AI era.

This isn’t about endless RFPs, beauty parades, or box-checking benchmarks. It’s research-led, workshop-driven problem solving that turns sourcing into a lever for innovation, agility, and real outcomes.

Why the AI-First Deal Lab

Rethinking sourcing for the AI era means moving beyond rigid, effort-based deals. The AI-First Deal Lab is built on four principles:

1. Research-led: HFS brings data, benchmarks, and deep market pulse to shape deal constructs around what’s real, not theoretical.

2. Workshop-driven: Fast, collaborative design sprints with business + IT + procurement to co-create deal structures.

3. Problem-solving: Targeted interventions—diagnostics, deal labs, and negotiation accelerators—rather than endless RFP paperwork.

4. Future-ready: Adaptive contracts, built-in innovation clauses, and governance models designed for AI evolution.

What we offer

We designed the AI-First Deal Lab for two audiences: enterprises seeking to escape the outsourcing trap, and providers seeking to differentiate and win in the AI-first era.

For Enterprises

AI-First Readiness Diagnostic

  • Sprint-based review of contracts, AI maturity, and sourcing constraints.
  • Heatmap of where AI-first constructs can unlock value across the business.

AI-First Deal Readiness Labs

  • Workshop-style design sessions with business, IT, and procurement stakeholders.
  • Co-develop consumption-driven pricing, AI outcome metrics, and innovation clauses.

The AI-First Service Showdown

  • Measure provider outcomes and controls head-to-head with your data and scenarios.
  • Use anti-gaming safeguards to ensure providers don’t “train to the test.”

Negotiation Accelerator

  • Live support in negotiation rooms to reshape pricing, KPIs, and risk-sharing into AI-first constructs.
  • Practical guidance to avoid time-wasting pilots or falling into FTE-based traps.

AI-First Governance & Assurance Framework

  • Advisory on monitoring AI KPIs (accuracy, drift, bias, hallucination prevention, retraining cycles).
  • Support for embedding algorithmic accountability and regulatory readiness into contracts and risk registers.
  • Quarterly “AI Value Check-ins” and annual refresh cycles to adapt to evolving AI technologies and regulations.

For Providers

AI-First Deal Playbook

  • Frameworks for structuring outcome-driven commercial models (consumption-based, tiered flat fees, AI performance SLAs).
  • Best practices derived from AI deployment data and services-as-software thought leadership.

Win Room Labs

  • Co-creation workshops with provider deal teams to transform proposals from FTE-driven → outcome-driven.
  • Pressure-test pricing, governance, and T&Cs against real AI-first market scenarios.

AI-First Best Practices & Research Data

  • Insights from 5,000+ enterprise inputs and 250K+ data points on AI deployments.
  • Evidence-based examples of how enterprises are engaging providers in AI-first contracts.

Contract Innovation Clinic

  • Modernize boilerplate contracts to reflect buyer expectations of AI liability, IP rights, explainability, bias audits, and retraining obligations.
  • Advisory for legal + commercial + delivery teams to align on AI-first terms.

GTM Messaging

  • Research-backed positioning on how to pitch AI-first services to boards, CXOs, and procurement.
  • Co-branded thought leadership aligned to HFS’ Services-as-Software narrative.

What makes HFS different?

HFS brings unique assets and collective intelligence that no other advisor can match.

AI First Deal Lab - HFS Research

Meet the leadership of the AI-First Deal Lab

This initiative is led by a team of seasoned industry leaders who’ve shaped some of the most significant enterprise deals of the past two decades:

Recent research from

Phil Fersht CEO and Chief Analyst

Recent research from

Saurabh Gupta President, Research and Advisory Services

Recent research from

Tony Filippone Chief Research Officer

Recent research from

Nigel Edwards Executive Leader for Enterprise Services and Senior Client Partner

Recent research from

Ian Maher Research Fellow & Senior Advisor

Ready to build AI-first deals? Talk to us.

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