Published: July 2026 | Updated: July 2026
How to Get a Free AI Assessment in 2026 (AWS Funded)
Most AI consulting firms charge $100K-$300K for an AI readiness assessment. But AWS is quietly funding these assessments through their partner network - up to $30,000 per engagement, $0 out of your pocket. Here's how to get one.
TL;DR:
AWS funds AI agent assessments for qualifying companies through approved partners. AllCode is one of those partners. The assessment costs you $0, takes 2-4 weeks, and delivers a production-ready AI roadmap. Check if you qualify.
Why Are AI Assessments So Expensive?
A typical AI assessment from a Big 4 firm (McKinsey, Deloitte, Accenture, PwC) runs $200,000-$500,000. You get a team of consultants for 3-6 months, a 200-page PDF, and a recommendation to "invest in AI" - which you already knew.
The problem isn't that assessments are inherently expensive. The problem is that traditional consulting firms bill for time, not outcomes. They have no incentive to finish quickly or give you something actionable.
How AWS Is Funding AI Assessments in 2026
AWS runs several partner investment programs that fund customer-facing engagements. The goal is simple: help companies adopt AWS AI services (Bedrock, SageMaker, etc.) by removing the upfront cost barrier.
Here's how it works:
- AWS approves specific partners to deliver funded assessments. Not every consulting firm qualifies - partners need AWS competencies and a track record of AI delivery.
- You engage with an approved partner (like AllCode) for a discovery call to see if your company qualifies.
- If you qualify, AWS funds the assessment - up to $30,000. You pay $0. The partner delivers the work.
- You receive the deliverables - architecture blueprint, ROI analysis, implementation roadmap - in 2-4 weeks.
There's no obligation to buy anything afterward. The assessment is the product. If you want to proceed with implementation, you can - but that's a separate conversation.
What You Actually Get (Deliverables)
This isn't a slide deck that says "AI is important." Here's what a funded assessment delivers:
- Use case discovery - Which of your business processes have the highest ROI for AI agent automation
- Architecture blueprint - Production-ready technical design using Amazon Bedrock, Lambda, and supporting services
- ROI analysis - Conservative, moderate, and aggressive scenarios with payback timelines
- Implementation roadmap - Sprint-by-sprint plan to get from assessment to production
- AWS cost model - What it will cost to run the AI agents in production at your scale
- Executive presentation - Board-ready slides with your actual data
Who Qualifies for a Free AI Assessment?
AWS doesn't fund assessments for everyone. Here's what they look for:
| Criteria | What It Means |
|---|---|
| AWS Usage | You have an active AWS account, or you're committed to running workloads on AWS |
| Company Size | Mid-market to enterprise. Typically 50+ employees or $10M+ revenue |
| Clear Problem | You have a specific business process that AI could improve - not just "exploring AI" |
| Decision Maker | Someone in your org has budget authority to act on the assessment findings |
If you're a startup with 5 people and no AWS account, this probably isn't for you yet. But if you're a mid-size company spending $50K+/year on AWS and wondering where AI fits, you're the exact target.
How to Get Started (3 Steps)
Step 1: Book a Free Discovery Call
30 minutes. No prep required. We'll ask about your business, your AWS usage, and where you think AI could help. We'll tell you honestly if you qualify and if the assessment makes sense for you.
Step 2: Qualification Review
After the call, we confirm your eligibility with AWS. This takes 1-3 business days. If you qualify, we schedule the assessment kickoff.
Step 3: Assessment Delivery (2-4 Weeks)
We interview your team, map your workflows, design the architecture, and deliver the full package: blueprint, ROI model, roadmap, and executive presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this really free?
Yes. AWS funds up to $30,000 for qualifying companies. You pay $0 out of pocket. There's no hidden fee, no obligation to buy implementation services afterward.
What's the catch?
AWS funds these because they want companies to adopt Bedrock and other AI services. If you build what the assessment recommends, you'll be running it on AWS - which is good for AWS. But there's no contractual obligation to do anything.
How is AllCode different from other AWS partners offering this?
AllCode holds the AWS Generative AI Competency and is an Anthropic Claude Code Partner. We don't just assess - we build. Our assessments are production-focused because we're the same team that would implement it. No handoff to a different firm.
What if I don't qualify?
We'll tell you on the discovery call. If you don't qualify for funded assessment, we can still do the free 30-minute strategy call and point you in the right direction.
Can I use this assessment to get internal buy-in?
Absolutely. The executive presentation is specifically designed for this. Many companies use the assessment to justify AI investment to their board or C-suite.
Why Now?
AWS funds a limited number of assessments per quarter through each partner. Once the quarterly allocation is used, you wait until next quarter. If you're considering AI for your business, there's no reason to wait when someone else will pay for the assessment.
Ready to See If You Qualify?
Free 30-minute discovery call. No obligation. We'll tell you in the first 10 minutes if this is a fit.
Book Free Discovery CallAbout AllCode: AllCode is an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner with Generative AI Competency and an Anthropic Claude Code Partner. Based in San Francisco, we build production AI agent systems on Amazon Bedrock for mid-market and enterprise companies.