# How consulting and advisory firms can sell data to AI companies

URL: https://sellmydatatoai.net/sell-your-data/consulting-firms

Consulting and advisory firms can license their methodologies, frameworks, proposal libraries, templates and de-identified engagement records to AI companies. Mercor's published listing puts consulting firm payouts at $150,000 to $300,000 for firms with 10 to 500 staff. Engagement contracts often give clients the deliverables, so the firm's own know-how is usually the licensable core.

## Key takeaways

- AI buyers most want these records from consulting and advisory firms: (1) methodologies, frameworks and toolkits your staff developed, (2) proposal and pitch libraries with scoping and pricing rationale and (3) templates, models and analysis workbooks.
- Published buyer range for consulting and advisory firms: $150,000 to $300,000 per company.
- Source: Mercor's published listing for consulting firms, recorded by ddiy.co, checked October 2026.
- Size buyers look for: 10 to 500 staff (Mercor).
- The first rights issue to clear: Deal work may hold material nonpublic information, and SEC Rule 10b5-2 treats a confidentiality agreement as a duty of trust. This page covers 5 more.
- Sellers pay nothing to be assessed. We charge a success fee only when a deal completes, and the fee is agreed in writing before we introduce you to any buyer.

## At a glance

- Records buyers ask for: Methodologies, frameworks and toolkits your staff developed; Proposal and pitch libraries with scoping and pricing rationale; Templates, models and analysis workbooks; Internal knowledge base and training materials; Engagement plans, workstream trackers and lessons-learned reviews; De-identified deliverables where the contract leaves rights with you
- Why buyers want them: Consulting records show structured reasoning applied to business problems. micro1's brief asks for SOPs, knowledge bases, templates and project histories, and a consulting firm's library contains all four.
- Published buyer range: $150,000 to $300,000 per company (Mercor's published listing for consulting firms, recorded by ddiy.co, checked October 2026)
- Size buyers look for: 10 to 500 staff (Mercor)
- Rights issues: Deal work may hold material nonpublic information, and SEC Rule 10b5-2 treats a confidentiality agreement as a duty of trust; Associates' and subcontractors' work needs a signed written assignment under 17 U.S.C. section 204(a); Engagement contracts often assign deliverable IP to the client; Client facts and data are confidential under engagement letters and NDAs; Expert interview transcripts hold third parties' views given in confidence; UK and EU: UK MAR Article 10 unlawful disclosure of inside information for UK deal work

Mercor's published range for consulting firms is the narrowest of the 11 Mercor industry listings ddiy.co recorded in October 2026: $150,000 to $300,000 per company, for firms with 10 to 500 staff. It also has the highest floor of the 11.

## How much do AI companies pay for consulting firm data?

AI companies pay consulting firms $150,000 to $300,000 per company, according to Mercor's published listing. The $150,000 floor compares with $50,000 for law firms and software companies and $115,000 for construction companies in the same set of listings.

Other buyers publish general terms. micro1's tiers start at $100,000 to $500,000 for a qualified partnership, and it asks for 30 or more full-time staff. Our guide to [what your data is worth](https://sellmydatatoai.net/guides/how-much-is-your-data-worth-to-ai) explains the factors that move a price within a range.

## What consulting data do AI companies buy?

AI companies buy consulting data that shows how a problem is framed, analyzed and answered. Methodologies, proposal libraries and engagement reviews do that without exposing a client, which makes them the natural core of a consulting license.

| Record | Usually owned by | Licensing position |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Methodologies and frameworks | The firm | Licensable if staff and associates assigned IP |
| Proposal and pitch library | The firm | Licensable once client names and prices are removed |
| Templates and models | The firm | Licensable, check for embedded client data |
| Final deliverables | Often the client, by contract | Check each engagement contract |
| Client data and interview notes | The client or the interviewee | Exclude |
| Deal and transaction files | The client | Exclude, may hold material nonpublic information |

## Do you own your client deliverables?

You own client deliverables only if the engagement contract leaves the rights with you. Under 17 U.S.C. section 201, copyright vests initially in the author, and the employer is treated as the author of work employees prepare within the scope of their employment, but many consulting contracts assign deliverable IP to the client and leave only pre-existing materials and know-how with the firm.

Even where you keep the copyright, the facts inside a deliverable are usually confidential to the client. Daniel Goldberg of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein and Selz notes that email and chat contain other companies' confidential information, often covered by NDAs and commercial agreements, and holding data does not give you the right to sell it.

## Can consulting firms license transaction and deal files?

Consulting firms should leave transaction and capital markets files out of any data license. Those files hold client information you agreed to keep confidential, and [SEC Rule 10b5-2(b)(1)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/240.10b5-2) says a duty of trust or confidence exists whenever a person agrees to maintain information in confidence, which matters under the misappropriation theory of insider trading.

Older deal files may no longer hold material nonpublic information, but checking that file by file costs more than excluding them. Take independent securities advice if transaction work is a large part of your archive.

## What else should consulting firms check?

- Associates and subcontractors: confirm a signed written assignment covers methodologies and templates they helped build, as 17 U.S.C. section 204(a) requires
- Expert interviews: transcripts carry the views of third parties who spoke in confidence
- Client logos and case studies: marketing permissions are unlikely to cover data licensing
- Staff names and resumes in proposals: remove or de-identify them

> **Know-how versus client facts** Your method is yours to license. Your client's numbers, people and plans are not. Separate the two before you assemble a [representative sample](https://sellmydatatoai.net/glossary/representative-sample).

## If you hold UK or EU data

UK deal work falls under UK MAR. The [FCA explains](https://www.fca.org.uk/markets/market-abuse/inside-information-how-to-identify-control-disclose) that Article 10 sets out what amounts to unlawful disclosure of inside information, and that disclosure is permitted only where necessary in the normal exercise of employment, a profession or duties. UK copyright in deliverables follows section 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

## How do you sell consulting data through Sell My Data To AI?

We start with a consultation, then a rights pre-check against your engagement contracts. Every seller passes our eight-point vetting standard before a buyer sees anything, including ownership and chain of title and contract restrictions.

Sellers pay nothing to be assessed, and our success fee is agreed in writing before any introduction. Read the [licensing agreement checklist](https://sellmydatatoai.net/guides/ai-data-licensing-agreement-checklist), or [book a consultation](https://sellmydatatoai.net/book-a-consultation?side=seller).

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does Mercor pay consulting firms for data?

Mercor's published listing puts consulting firm payouts at $150,000 to $300,000 per company, for firms with 10 to 500 staff, as recorded by ddiy.co in October 2026. Its $150,000 floor is the highest of the 11 Mercor industry ranges ddiy.co reported. Rights clarity and the depth of your methodology library affect where you land.

### Can we license de-identified client reports?

You can license de-identified client reports only where the engagement contract leaves you the rights and the client's confidential facts are removed. De-identifying a report does not override a confidentiality clause. Check each contract, and expect to rely more on your methodologies and templates than on finished deliverables.

### Will clients find out we licensed our data?

Clients may find out, and your engagement contracts may require you to tell them about new uses of material connected to their work. Planning the conversation early avoids surprises. Our guide to [telling staff and clients about a data license](https://sellmydatatoai.net/guides/telling-staff-and-clients-about-a-data-sale) covers what to say and when.

### Do we need our associates' permission?

You need your associates' permission, or an existing signed IP assignment, for any material they created. Copyright belongs to the author unless the work is a work made for hire, such as an employee's work within the scope of employment, and a transfer must be in a signed writing under 17 U.S.C. section 204(a). Our vetting checks chain of title.

## Sources

- [How to sell company data to AI companies (2026 guide)](https://ddiy.co/sell-company-data-to-ai/), ddiy.co, accessed November 2026
- [Monetize your company's operational data](https://www.micro1.ai/data), micro1, accessed November 2026
- [17 U.S. Code section 201: ownership of copyright](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/201), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, accessed November 2026
- [17 U.S. Code section 204: execution of transfers of copyright ownership](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/204), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, accessed November 2026
- [17 CFR 240.10b5-2: duties of trust or confidence in misappropriation insider trading cases](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/240.10b5-2), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, accessed November 2026
- [Selling company data for AI training: what to know before you say yes](https://technologylaw.fkks.com/post/102o455/selling-company-data-for-ai-training-what-to-know-before-you-say-yes), Frankfurt Kurnit Klein and Selz (Daniel Goldberg), accessed November 2026
- [Inside information: how to identify, control and disclose](https://www.fca.org.uk/markets/market-abuse/inside-information-how-to-identify-control-disclose), Financial Conduct Authority, accessed November 2026
- [Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 11: first ownership of copyright](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/11), legislation.gov.uk, accessed November 2026

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