Top 10 UK AI Agencies for Enterprise & Large Corporations (2026)
Top-tier AI agencies for UK enterprises. Strategic vision, governance frameworks, regulatory compliance. £1M+ engagements.
Target Budget
£1M+
Agencies Reviewed
10
Last Updated
Feb 2026
Executive Summary
The UK AI agency market for enterprise & large corporations has evolved significantly in 2026. Enterprise clients require strategic partners capable of board-level consulting, sovereign AI deployment, and comprehensive governance frameworks. The market consolidation has elevated agencies with proven track records in mission-critical, regulated environments.
Key focus areas for enterprise & large corporations: Strategic vision, governance frameworks, regulatory compliance, board-level initiatives.
Our Methodology
We evaluated over 30 agencies using a weighted scoring framework tailored to enterprise & large corporations:
Technical Depth
20% - Custom ML, data engineering, R&D capabilities
Strategic Vision
30% - Roadmapping, governance, compliance assurance
Delivery Track Record
20% - Proven case studies, UK client references
UK Market Fit
25% - UK presence, regulatory knowledge, sector expertise
Quick Verdict
Best Overall
Faculty (Accenture)
The Strategic Brain of UK AI
Rating: 5/5.0
Best Value
Kainos
Digital Transformation for the Public Sector
Rating: 4.9/5.0
Best for Integration
PA Consulting
Bringing Ingenuity to Life
Rating: 4.8/5.0
Best Specialist
BJSS
Enterprise Agile Engineering
Rating: 4.8/5.0
Quick Comparison
| Rank | Agency | Focus | Starting From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Faculty (Accenture) | The Strategic Brain of UK AI | £1,500 | ★★★★★ 5 |
| #2 | Kainos | Digital Transformation for the Public Sector | £495 | ★★★★ 4.9 |
| #3 | PA Consulting | Bringing Ingenuity to Life | £950 | ★★★★ 4.8 |
| #4 | BJSS | Enterprise Agile Engineering | £350 | ★★★★ 4.8 |
| #5 | Deloitte | Governance, Risk, and Scale | £600 | ★★★★ 4.7 |
| #6 | Endava | Digital Evolution for Payments | £600 | ★★★★ 4.7 |
| #7 | Cambridge Consultants (Capgemini) | Deep Tech Innovation | Custom | ★★★★ 4.7 |
| #8 | Reply (Group) | Network of Specialised Boutiques | Custom | ★★★★ 4.6 |
| #9 | Sopra Steria | Digital Ethics & Government Services | £300 | ★★★★ 4.5 |
| #10 | IBM Consulting | Hybrid Cloud & Enterprise AI | £490 | ★★★★ 4.5 |
Detailed Agency Profiles
Faculty (Accenture)
The Strategic Brain of UK AI
Visit Faculty Website✨ BEST FOR
The undisputed leader in high-stakes AI strategy and safety. Best for board-level initiatives where failure is not an option.
Company Profile
Founded as ASI Data Science, Faculty is the UK's preeminent AI consultancy. Known for its critical work with the NHS during COVID-19 and its partnership with OpenAI on safety, it was acquired by Accenture in January 2026. It operates as a distinct center of excellence, combining boutique intellect with global scale.3
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: Premium Enterprise Rates.
Rates: Senior staff command £1,500 - £2,500+ per day.
Engagements: Multi-million pound programs.
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: AI Strategy, "Frontier" Decision Intelligence Platform, AI Safety & Governance.
Specialised Capabilities: Bayesian hierarchical modelling, Causal inference (understanding *why*), Red Teaming.
Delivery: Strategic partnerships and long-term transformation.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: Central Government, NHS, FTSE 100.
UK Case Study: NHS AI Early Warning System for bed capacity.
Partnership: OpenAI technical safety partner.60
✓ Strengths
- • Unmatched strategic capability
- • safety focus
- • proven track record.
⚠ Considerations
- • Very expensive
- • selective about clients.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: The "Gold Standard" for UK Government and sensitive sectors.
Kainos
Digital Transformation for the Public Sector
Visit Kainos Website✨ BEST FOR
The engineering powerhouse behind Gov.uk. Best for massive-scale public sector and enterprise digital transformation.
Company Profile
A FTSE 250 company HQ'd in Belfast, Kainos is a titan of UK digital services. They have a pragmatic, engineering-led Data & AI practice that is heavily trusted by the UK government. They focus on secure, scalable delivery rather than experimental R&D.61
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: G-Cloud Rate Card.
Rates: £495 - £1,200+ per day.6
Value: Scale and reliability.
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: Generative AI for document processing, Fraud detection, Predictive analytics.
Specialised Capabilities: Workday AI integration, Azure/AWS Cloud engineering.
Delivery: Large-scale Agile delivery.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: UK Government Depts (DEFRA, MoJ, DVSA), Commercial Enterprise.
UK Case Study (DVSA): AI for MOT fraud detection to improve road safety.62
UK Case Study (HM Courts): Digital transformation.
✓ Strengths
- • Massive scale
- • public sector trust
- • Workday expertise.
⚠ Considerations
- • Large consultancy feel
- • less "boutique" agility.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: deeply embedded in UK public infrastructure.
PA Consulting
Bringing Ingenuity to Life
Visit PA Consulting Website✨ BEST FOR
The innovators. Best for defence, security, and manufacturing sectors where digital meets physical hardware.
Company Profile
PA Consulting is an innovation and transformation consultancy. Their AI practice is unique because it sits alongside deep engineering and design capabilities. They excel in "Edge AI"—putting intelligence into devices and infrastructure.63
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: Day rates.
Rates: £950 - £1,800+ per day.63
Engagement: Strategic advisory to prototype to scale.
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: End-to-end innovation, AI Strategy, Cyber Security.
Specialised Capabilities: Defence & Security (AI at the Edge), Manufacturing intelligence.
Delivery: Consultancy-led innovation.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: MoD, Defence contractors, Manufacturers, Health.
UK Case Study (Sellafield): AI to transform safety processes in nuclear decommissioning.64
✓ Strengths
- • Innovation capabilities
- • defence/security clearance
- • hardware engineering.
⚠ Considerations
- • Premium pricing.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: Strong heritage in UK innovation and defence.
BJSS
Enterprise Agile Engineering
Visit BJSS Website✨ BEST FOR
Best for scalable engineering delivery. If you need to rebuild your core banking platform or NHS service to be AI-ready, BJSS is the choice.
Company Profile
Now part of CGI, BJSS retains its distinct culture and reputation for "Enterprise Agile." They are engineering-heavy, focusing on building robust, scalable platforms. Winners of the Queen's Award for Enterprise.65
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: Competitive G-Cloud rates.
Rates: £350 (Junior) - £1,760 (Director) per day.67
Value: Cost-effective delivery compared to Big 4.
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: Software Engineering, Cloud & Platform, Data & AI.
Specialised Capabilities: NHS Spine modernisation, Predictive maintenance, Computer Vision.
Delivery: Enterprise Agile.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: NHS, Retail Banks, Retailers.
UK Case Study: NHS Spine (core infrastructure).
UK Case Study: Low latency FX trading systems.68
✓ Strengths
- • Engineering depth
- • proven scale
- • cost-efficiency.
⚠ Considerations
- • Focus is delivery
- • not pure "strategy" consulting.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: Major supplier to UK public and private sectors.
Deloitte
Governance, Risk, and Scale
Visit Deloitte AI Institute Website✨ BEST FOR
Best for multinationals needing a comprehensive AI governance framework that satisfies auditors and regulators.
Company Profile
As a Big 4 firm, Deloitte's strength is combining AI technical delivery with risk, tax, and legal advisory. Their "AI Institute" provides board-level guidance on regulations like the EU AI Act.8
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: Management consulting rates.
Rates: £600 - £2,000+ per day.69
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: AI Strategy, Risk Advisory, Transformation.
Specialised Capabilities: "AI & Data Labs" for prototyping, Governance frameworks.
Delivery: Full-service consulting.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: FTSE 100, Global Banks.
Focus: Large-scale transformation.
✓ Strengths
- • Risk/Compliance mastery
- • global scale
- • holistic advisory.
⚠ Considerations
- • Can be expensive/slow for simple projects.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: Deep ties to UK corporate governance.
Endava
Digital Evolution for Payments
Visit Endava Website✨ BEST FOR
Best for the payments and banking sectors. They build the transaction engines of the future using AI.
Company Profile
Endava creates "digital evolution" with a deep focus on Payments and Finance. They leverage a blended onshore/nearshore model to provide cost-effective engineering scale.70
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: Blended rates.
Rates: UK onshore £600 - £1,300; Nearshore significantly lower.72
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: Fraud detection, Algorithmic trading, Hyper-personalisation.
Specialised Capabilities: Payments integration, Modernisation.
Delivery: Distributed agile teams.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: Banks, Payments Processors, Insurance.
UK Case Study: Global B2B payments platform modernisation.
✓ Strengths
- • Payments domain expertise
- • cost-effective delivery model.
⚠ Considerations
- • Payments/Finance focused.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: Strong in UK FinTech/Payments.
Cambridge Consultants (Capgemini)
Deep Tech Innovation
Visit Cambridge Consultants Website✨ BEST FOR
Best for "First-of-a-kind" innovation involving hardware, bio-tech, or physical AI systems.
Company Profile
Part of Capgemini Invent, Cambridge Consultants is a deep tech powerhouse. They invent new sensors and algorithms rather than just using off-the-shelf tools.16
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: Premium consultancy.
Budget: High - for strategic R&D.
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: Edge AI, Robotics, Bio-inference.
Specialised Capabilities: Hardware/Software integration.
Delivery: R&D projects.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: Pharma, Hardware manufacturers, Energy.
Focus: Breakthrough innovation.
✓ Strengths
- • Unrivalled technical depth in physics/bio/AI.
⚠ Considerations
- • R\&D focus
- • not standard IT integration.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: Cambridge tech cluster heritage.
Reply (Group)
Network of Specialised Boutiques
Visit Reply Website✨ BEST FOR
Best for enterprises wanting "boutique" specialisation (e.g., in automotive or retail) with the scale of a PLC.
Company Profile
Reply operates as a network of specialised companies (e.g., Data Reply, Machine Learning Reply). This allows them to offer deep niche expertise while maintaining group-level scale.74
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: Varied by subsidiary.
Rates: Competitive consultancy rates.
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: Computer Vision, GenAI, Robotics.
Specialised Capabilities: Industry-specific verticals (Auto, Retail).
Delivery: Agile teams.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: Automotive, Retail, Telco.
UK Case Study: Computer vision for manufacturing quality control.
✓ Strengths
- • Niche expertise \+ Scale.
⚠ Considerations
- • Navigating the group structure.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: Strong UK presence.
Sopra Steria
Digital Ethics & Government Services
Visit Sopra Steria Website✨ BEST FOR
Best for large government projects requiring "Responsible AI" and ethical frameworks.
Company Profile
A European leader in digital transformation, Sopra Steria is a key supplier to the UK government. Their "Digital Ethics" practice is market-leading.17
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: G-Cloud.
Rates: £300 - £1,500 per day.75
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: Digital Twins, Responsible AI, Chatbots.
Specialised Capabilities: Ethics frameworks, Public sector service design.
Delivery: Large-scale managed services.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: Home Office, Central Gov.
Focus: Citizen services.
✓ Strengths
- • Ethics focus
- • government scale.
⚠ Considerations
- • Can be bureaucratic.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: Major government supplier.
IBM Consulting
Hybrid Cloud & Enterprise AI
Visit IBM Consulting Website✨ BEST FOR
Best for legacy enterprises with complex hybrid cloud environments (Mainframe + Cloud).
Company Profile
IBM focuses on "Watsonx" – open, trusted, targeted AI. They excel at integrating AI into legacy environments that cannot easily move to the public cloud.76
💰 Pricing & Commercial Model
Pricing Structure: Day rates.
Rates: £490 - £2,000+ per day.77
Service Offerings
AI/ML Services: Hybrid Cloud AI, Watsonx governance, AIOps.
Specialised Capabilities: Mainframe modernisation.
Delivery: Global transformation.
🇬🇧 UK Case Studies
Typical Client: Banks, Airlines, Telcos.
Focus: Legacy modernisation.
✓ Strengths
- • Hybrid cloud
- • legacy integration.
⚠ Considerations
- • IBM ecosystem focus.
🎯 UK Market Fit: * Alignment: Long-standing UK presence.
How to Choose the Right Agency
Step 1: Define Your Objective
- Strategic Transformation: Faculty (Accenture), Kainos
- Integration & Data: PA Consulting, BJSS
- Innovation & R&D: Deloitte
Step 2: Assess Budget Alignment
For enterprise & large corporations, expect typical project budgets in the £1M+ range. Discovery phases typically start at £1M.
Step 3: Evaluate UK Market Fit
Prioritise agencies with proven UK case studies, understanding of UK regulations (GDPR, sector-specific compliance), and local delivery teams.
⚠️ Red Flags to Watch For
- • Vague Pricing: Agencies unwilling to provide rate cards or typical project ranges
- • No UK Case Studies: Lack of verifiable UK client references in your sector
- • Overpromising: Guarantees of specific ROI without discovery phase
- • Lack of Governance: No clear approach to ethics, bias testing, or regulatory compliance
- • Vendor Lock-In: Proprietary platforms with no exit strategy
Final Verdict
The UK AI agency market for enterprise & large corporations offers exceptional depth in 2026. Success requires matching technical capability with cultural fit, sector expertise, and proven delivery in environments similar to yours.
Key Takeaways:
- • Strategic vision and governance are now as important as technical delivery
- • UK market knowledge (regulations, procurement) is a critical differentiator
- • Verified case studies in your sector are essential—demand references
- • Board-level engagement and multi-year transformation capability required
Last updated: 02 February 2026 | Reviewed by UK AI specialists