Core Service

The AI Governance
Build

A 3-month engagement that takes your company from no governance to a fully operational AI risk framework — policies, processes, compliance mapping, and trained stakeholders included.

3 monthsEngagement length
6 deliverablesCustom-built assets
3 phasesAssess · Build · Embed
Fixed scopeNo billing surprises

A service of Catalyst Operations Partners

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Trusted by operations leaders in healthcare, fintech, and professional services

You're in the right place if any of these sound familiar.

The AI Governance Build is designed for growth-stage and mid-market companies — typically 50 to 500 employees — that are actively adopting AI tools but haven't formalized how they govern them.

🤷

You don't know what AI tools your team is actually using

Employees have adopted tools on their own. You have no visibility, no approval process, and no way to assess the risk.

📋

You have no AI use policy

Or you have a draft that hasn't been reviewed, approved, or communicated to anyone in the organization.

⚖️

You're unsure which regulations apply to you

The EU AI Act, state-level AI laws, and sector-specific guidance are multiplying. You're not sure where your exposure is.

🔍

You have an M&A process, fundraise, or audit coming up

Investors and acquirers are increasingly asking about AI governance. Not having answers costs you negotiating leverage — or the deal.

Three phases. Ninety days. A framework that actually sticks.

We don't hand you a template and walk away. Each phase is hands-on, custom to your business, and designed to leave your team more capable — not more dependent on us.

Phase 01

Discover & Assess

Weeks 1–4

Before we build anything, we understand where you actually are. This means auditing every AI tool in use across the organization (most clients are surprised by how many there are), interviewing department heads to understand how AI is being used day-to-day, and mapping the regulatory landscape specific to your industry, size, geography, and data types.

Most companies discover two things in this phase: more AI tool exposure than expected, and that the risk is concentrated in a handful of specific use cases. That clarity shapes everything we build next.

AI Landscape Audit Risk Exposure Map Regulatory Applicability Assessment Governance Gap Report
Phase 02

Build the Framework

Weeks 5–10

This is the construction phase. Using the Assessment as our foundation, we build four core documents and processes — each one customized for your specific business, not templated from a generic starter kit.

The AI Use Policy is a plain-language document your employees will actually read. It covers which tools are approved, what data can and can't be used, and how to escalate when something is unclear. The AI Vendor Risk Process gives you a structured intake and evaluation workflow for any new AI tool the company wants to adopt. The Compliance Mapping Document is a living record that maps your specific AI activities to applicable regulatory requirements — with owners and timelines. The AI Incident Response Playbook defines exactly what happens when something goes wrong: a model produces harmful output, a vendor has a breach, an employee misuses a tool.

AI Use Policy Vendor Risk Process Compliance Mapping Document Incident Response Playbook
Phase 03

Embed & Train

Weeks 11–12

The best governance framework is useless if no one follows it. The final phase is about making everything real inside your organization. This includes a leadership briefing so your C-suite understands their obligations and can speak to the framework with confidence; a manager training session so the people closest to day-to-day AI use can answer employee questions and enforce policy; and a governance owner handoff — identifying and equipping one internal person to own this function going forward.

You walk away not just with documents, but with a team that knows what the framework is, why it exists, and what to do with it.

Leadership Briefing Manager Training Session Governance Owner Handoff Training Materials Package

Six custom assets. Yours to own.

Every deliverable is built for your specific company — your tools, your industry, your regulatory exposure. Nothing is a template filled in with your name.

01

AI Governance Assessment Report

A clear-eyed picture of your current state: tools in use, risk exposure, regulatory gaps, and a prioritized roadmap.

02

AI Use Policy

A plain-language internal policy covering approved tools, data handling rules, and escalation procedures. Built to be read and followed — not filed.

03

AI Vendor Risk Process

A structured workflow for evaluating any new AI tool before it's adopted across the business — covering data, model transparency, contractual protection, and vendor stability.

04

Compliance Mapping Document

A living document that maps your AI activities to applicable regulatory requirements with clear owners, status, and timelines. Audit-ready from day one.

05

AI Incident Response Playbook

Step-by-step guidance for what to do when something goes wrong: a harmful output, a vendor breach, a policy violation. Most companies have nothing here.

06

Training Materials Package

Leadership briefing deck, manager training guide, and an employee-facing quick reference — everything needed to roll out the framework internally.

Governance built by operators, not lawyers.

Most AI governance services come from law firms or large consulting houses. You get a legally sound document, a large invoice, and no help making it work inside your actual organization.

ClearpathAI is a service of Catalyst Operations Partners — a fractional COO firm. We know how to build things that work operationally: processes people follow, policies that don't gather dust, frameworks that survive leadership changes.

  • Fixed-scope engagement — no billable-hour surprises
  • Custom-built for your specific business and industry
  • Practical, plain-language deliverables your team will actually use
  • Internal capability transfer — you're not dependent on us forever
  • Operations-first, not compliance-first — built to work, not just to pass an audit
Typical Approach
ClearpathAI Approach
Generic templates with your logo
Custom-built for your business
Documents delivered, no training
Embedded training and handoff
Legal language no one reads
Plain language people actually follow
Hourly billing, scope creep risk
Fixed scope, fixed investment
One deliverable, done
Six assets + internal owner
Compliance checkbox mentality
Operational sustainability

Straightforward pricing. No surprises.

AI Governance Build
$18k–$35k
Fixed-scope · 3-month engagement

Pricing varies based on company size, industry complexity, and number of regulatory frameworks in scope. All engagements are fixed-price — you'll know the full investment before we start.

  • Full Discovery & Assessment — AI landscape audit, risk mapping, regulatory applicability
  • Four Core Framework Documents — Use Policy, Vendor Risk Process, Compliance Map, Incident Playbook
  • Leadership & Manager Training — Live sessions plus take-home materials
  • Governance Owner Handoff — Internal capability transfer so you're not dependent on us
  • 30-Day Post-Delivery Support — Questions, adjustments, and guidance as you roll out
What comes next: Fractional AI Governance Officer

Once your framework is built, many clients retain us monthly to keep it current as regulations evolve and their AI stack grows.

Learn about the retainer →

Ready to get your AI governance in order?

Start with a free 30-minute discovery call. We'll assess where you are, explain what the engagement would look like for your specific business, and give you a clear-eyed recommendation — whether that's working with us or not.

No sales pressure. If you're not the right fit, we'll tell you.