Hub
AI Utility Lab
A growing toolbox of practical AI utilities for UK organisations. Check your AI readiness, build a board-ready ROI case, or search public procurement opportunities, with each tool available on its own focused page.
How to use the Utility Lab
Choose the tool that matches the decision in front of you. Check whether your organisation is ready for AI, model the return on a specific use case, or search live public procurement opportunities. Each tool opens on its own focused page, and this toolbox is ready to grow as new utilities are added.
No sign-up
Free in-browser tool · no sign-up
AI Readiness Quick Test
Twenty honest yes/no questions across data, people, governance and risk. Three minutes to complete, immediate score, and a tailored next step.
Open the quick test No sign-upFree in-browser tool · live calculation
AI ROI Calculator
Plug in people, hours saved, salary cost, tool cost and one-off setup. Get year-one savings, payback months, 3-year ROI and a board-ready verdict.
Open the calculator Account and API keys requiredFree AI utility · bring your own keys
Consolidated AI
Several LLMs answer, challenge each other and agree a final answer. Read the family debate that started it.
Read the story Invitation requiredAI utility
Tender Watch
Search live public procurement opportunities across official sources, then focus on the tenders that match your market.
Open Tender WatchAfter the tools
Want Simon to walk through your numbers in person?
The tools give an indicative answer. Book a free 30-minute call for an initial diagnosis and next steps.
AI Utility Lab: common questions
Are the AI Readiness Quick Test and AI ROI Calculator really free, with no sign-up?
Yes. Both tools run entirely in your browser - no account, no email required to see a result, and no data is sent anywhere unless you choose to email yourself the output at the end. They take about three minutes each and can be run as many times as you like with different assumptions.
What is the difference between the Readiness Quick Test and the full AI Readiness Audit?
The Quick Test here is a self-service, three-minute directional score across data, people, governance and risk - useful for a fast gut-check before a meeting. The full AI Readiness Audit is a structured, evidence-based engagement with leadership interviews, a technical and data review, and a numerical scorecard delivered as a board-ready report. Most organisations use the Quick Test to decide whether the full audit is worth commissioning.
Can I use the results from these tools in a board presentation?
Yes, that is exactly what they are built for. Both tools are designed to produce screenshot-ready numbers - a readiness score or a three-year ROI case - that hold up to a first pass of board scrutiny. Treat them as a strong starting point rather than a final business case, and validate the key assumptions (particularly hours saved) before relying on them for a funding decision.
Do I need technical knowledge to use the AI Utility Lab tools?
No. Both tools are written in plain English for business leaders, not technologists. The Readiness Quick Test is twenty yes/no questions with plain-language hints. The ROI Calculator asks for numbers you already know - headcount, hourly cost, tool pricing - and does the maths for you.
All tools and resources
54 tools, templates, guides and insights for UK SME and council leaders.
- No sign-upAI readiness quick testScore your organisation's AI readiness across data, people, governance and risk in three minutes. Free, in-browser, no sign-up. Get a board-ready summary you can act on.
- No sign-upAI ROI calculatorModel the saving and revenue impact of an AI initiative across three years. Live numbers, sensitivity, and a chart you can screenshot for your board pack.
- Invitation requiredTenderWatchSearch Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, TED, SAM.gov, CanadaBuys, AusTender and more in one place. Official sources, updated every 6 hours. Invitation access.
- Account and API keys requiredConsolidated AIConsolidated AI compares answers from four AI models and produces a final response. Use your own API keys to assess a business question.
- No sign-upShadow AI surveyFind out how your staff are really using AI and what data they are sharing. Simon Steggles runs an anonymous staff survey and delivers a scored red/amber/green risk report by department.
- No sign-upFree AI readiness checklistDownload Simon's 18-point AI readiness checklist for UK SMEs and councils. Plain-English PDF covering data, people, governance, risk and ROI. Free, no sign-up.
- AI Business Case TemplateBoards reject AI cases built on vendor productivity claims. This template builds the case on your own baseline: a financial model, a risk register, and a governance section the audit committee can scrutinise.
- AI Procurement ChecklistSix areas of due diligence to apply before signing an AI vendor contract: stability, security, model, legal, operations and cost. Built for UK SMEs.
- Quarterly AI Board ReportSimon writes these for UK clients every quarter. Most boards have been receiving AI updates without being asked to decide anything. The distinguishing feature of this format is the board ask that closes every report - something the board is being asked to approve, direct, or formally note. This guide explains the structure.
- AI Governance Policy TemplateWithout a written policy, you can't tell an auditor what's allowed, demonstrate Article 22 oversight, or fairly discipline staff who paste client data into a public chatbot. This template gives UK organisations eight core sections to adapt.
- AI Risk Register StructureA practical AI risk register structure UK leaders can maintain: six categories, seven fields and a minimum viable register that survives audit.
- Minimum AI Policy SetThe five governance documents every UK SME and council needs before scaling AI: acceptable use, data protection, vendor evaluation, incidents, register.
- Staff AI Use PolicyA practical UK Staff AI Acceptable Use Policy template covering permitted uses, prohibited actions, data classifications, verification and reporting.
- Executive Resources hub30-day quick wins, ROI templates, vendor comparison frameworks and board engagement plans for UK SME and council leaders moving on AI now.
- AI Governance and Risk hubAI governance built on digital forensics expertise, ISO 42001 standards, and over 30 years of continuous technology company directorship since 1992.
- AI Utility Lab hubExplore practical AI tools for readiness, ROI modelling and public procurement research, built for UK business and public-sector leaders.
- 30-Day AI Quick WinsFour weeks. One working AI automation inside your own business. The framework breaks it into weekly stages - use case selection, manual proof, build, and live launch with ROI measurement from day one.
- AI Engagement FrameworkThe structured methodology AI-Si.com uses with every client: strategic assessment first, then implementation, then optimisation as internal capability builds. Named deliverables, accountable timelines, no open-ended discovery phase.
- AI Readiness AuditMost organisations that come to Simon with an AI problem didn't know they had one until something went wrong. This audit covers five readiness dimensions. For SMEs the output is a board-ready report within 48 hours, with a prioritised roadmap and ROI projections.
- SME AI Readiness FrameworkBefore any client goes into implementation, Simon runs through this sequence first. Nine readiness checks across data, people, technology and governance. He's looking for the one gap that would surface at month six if it's not found now - and in most SMEs there is one. The output is a 90-day launch plan with the first quarter already costed.
- SME AI Quick AuditSix questions, six areas: strategy, data, people, technology, governance, execution. Takes twenty minutes and tells you whether to scale AI now or start small. No vendor pitch at the end.
- AI ROI MeasurementHow do you actually measure what AI delivered? This framework runs through four steps, gives you a KPI library, and produces a monthly board report that finance directors can interrogate rather than just accept.
- Compare AI Vendors ProperlyA five-step method to compare AI vendors on your data, your cost model and your operational risk - not on demo accuracy percentages designed to be won.
- Sanity-Check Vendor ROIFive questions and a simple formula to test AI vendor ROI claims before you sign. Written for UK directors who keep being quoted suspiciously round numbers.
- Start an AI Pilot ProperlyAn eight-week structure for a UK SME AI pilot: executive sponsor, single use case, baseline measurement, shadow mode, gradual ramp and a defensible go/no-go.
- Why AI Implementations Fail73% of AI projects fail to reach production. Five preventable failure patterns and the success markers that distinguish projects that actually deliver.
- AI Strategy FrameworkThe gap Simon finds most often at the start of a new engagement isn't budget or technology. It's the absence of a written strategy - a document the board has approved and that says what AI is supposed to achieve commercially. This is the framework he uses to produce that document, and it starts with the commercial case.
- AI Training & ChampionsBoard, staff and champion AI training for UK SMEs and councils. Build internal capability that drives adoption - not vendor demos that staff forget by Friday.
- Avoid AI Vendor Lock-InWhat AI vendor lock-in is, how to identify lock-in clauses before you sign, and the contractual and architectural steps that keep your options open.
- Public Sector AI ReadinessA twelve-part AI readiness and governance framework for UK public sector organisations covering strategy, data, procurement, compliance and oversight.
- Council AI StrategyBoard-level AI strategy for UK councils. FOI-defensible governance, PSED compliance, vendor protection and real savings without the Big Four price tag.
- Start Council AI SafelyA three-phase guide for UK councils starting AI: build the governance framework first, run one well-supervised pilot, then scale on evidence.
- Insights hubPractical, UK-focused AI articles for board members, directors and council leaders. Governance, regulation, ROI, procurement and the EU AI Act explained without the jargon.
- Why Finance Directors Reject AI Business CasesPrepare for an AI funding decision. Address finance objections, explain assumptions and ask for a clear approval rather than repeating a template.
- AI Readiness for Public Sector: Where Councils Stand in 2026A candid look at UK council AI readiness in 2026. What 208 councils show, where governance lags, and the checks to run first.
- EU AI Act High-Risk Deadlines Moved: What UK Boards Do NowEU AI Act high-risk deadlines are 2 December 2027 for Annex III and 2 August 2028 for Annex I. Transparency duties were not deferred. What UK boards do now.
- Shadow AI Risk68% of UK organisations have staff using unauthorised AI. The GDPR exposure, why blanket bans fail, and three actions you can take this week.
- 20 AI-Readiness QuestionsMost UK businesses buying AI tools aren't ready for them. The pattern that repeats is not bad technology - it's missing foundations. These twenty questions are what Simon uses before any client commits budget to AI. Score yourself honestly in under fifteen minutes.
- Board-Level AI Policy ContentsThe six elements a board-level AI policy must contain: scope, accountability, permitted use, risk classification, incident response and a real review cycle.
- Council AI Governance NowWhat UK council leaders need in place before any AI deployment: register, policy, accountability, training. Practical guidance from a Fractional AI Director.
- Audit Your AI SuppliersA board-level checklist for auditing AI inside the platforms you already buy. Six questions every UK SME and council should put to suppliers in writing.
- Cost of AI Project FailureWhy most SME AI projects fail and what they cost when they do. Direct costs, indirect costs and the four reasons projects underdeliver. Plain analysis.
- EU AI Act: Board Action NowUK boards often assume they fall outside EU AI Act scope. That assumption is frequently wrong. If you use AI in hiring, credit scoring, or public-sector decisions, you're likely operating a high-risk system - with fines up to 7% of global turnover.
- UK AI Security Institute (AISI)What the UK AI Security Institute does, who runs it, the £66m budget, and the practical implications for any UK organisation now deploying AI.
- AI Safety Report 2026 SummaryThe 2026 International AI Safety Report in plain English: jagged performance, commoditised cyber-attack tools, the evidence dilemma - board actions.
- What Does a Fractional AI Director Do?A Fractional AI Director provides board-level AI leadership on a part-time retained basis. This article explains exactly what the role covers, what it costs, and when it makes sense for a UK SME or council.
- How Much Does AI Implementation Cost for a UK SME?A plain-English breakdown of what AI implementation actually costs for a UK SME in 2026 - tools, governance, training, and ongoing oversight. With real figures from client engagements.
- AI Governance Framework for UK Organisations: What You NeedA plain-English guide to what an AI governance framework covers for UK SMEs and councils in 2026 - what the ICO expects, what ISO 42001 requires, and the ten controls every organisation needs in place.
- ISO 42001: What UK SMEs Need to Know Before Pursuing CertificationISO 42001 is the international standard for AI management systems. This guide explains what it covers, whether UK SMEs need it, what certification costs, and how to approach alignment without over-engineering the process.
- I Submitted a £96,000 Government Tender Without Reading ItA Fractional AI Director built a custom AI pipeline that found, read, wrote, and submitted a £96,000 government tender autonomously. Here is what happened.
- Board-Level AI Risk Reporting: What to Put in Front of Directors Every QuarterWhat UK boards need on AI risk each quarter, and why most reporting packs miss the point entirely.
- Why AI Pilots Stall After Month OneMost AI pilots die in month one. Here's exactly where they stall and how to build one that survives past week four.
- Prompt Injection: The Risk Nobody in the Boardroom Understands YetPrompt injection is now the top-ranked AI security risk. Here's what your board needs to know and put on the risk register this quarter.
- How to Compare AI Vendors Properly Instead of Picking the Loudest OneMost AI buyers pick the vendor with the best demo. Here is a scoring method that compares suppliers on evidence, liability and exit terms instead.
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