AI Readiness Appraisal
Find out where AI actually pays in your business, what to do first, and how to fund it. In two days, not two months.
The problem is rarely the technology
Most Irish SMEs have tried AI. A few tools, a subscription or two, a pilot that quietly stalled. Or they have done nothing, because nobody has made a clear case in their language.
Neither is a failure. The gap is knowing where AI fits your processes, what to do first, and whether the work pays back before you commit budget.
AI does not fix a broken process. It makes it faster. So the order matters. You map before you automate. The appraisal is that map.
What the appraisal is
A structured, two day review of how ready your business actually is to put AI to work, scored so you can act on it.
We rate five areas, each Red, Amber or Green.
Data foundation
Is your data clean, structured, and reachable?
Process maturity
Are the processes clear enough to automate, or broken?
People and skills
Can your team adopt and run the change?
Governance and risk
Are you covered, including under the EU AI Act?
Commercial fit
Where does AI return real money, and where is it noise?
A company can own five AI tools and score Red. Another can own none and score Green. The score tells you the truth, not the sales pitch.
What you get
A written appraisal report, usually 15 to 20 pages, delivered within one working week. It contains:
- An executive summary you can hand to your board.
- The five area scorecard, with the evidence behind each rating.
- A shortlist of the projects worth doing, ranked by return.
- A 30, 60, 90 day roadmap. Specific actions, not ambitions.
- The grant funding pathway for the work, matched to your size and agency.
- An EU AI Act risk assessment, so you know where you stand before you build.
No filler. Every page is something you can act on Monday morning.
How the funding works
Much of the appraisal, and the project that follows, can be grant funded. The right route depends on your size and which agency you already work with.
Enterprise Ireland clients
The Strategic Consultancy Assignment Grant can fund up to half of eligible strategy and advisory work, to a maximum grant of €35,000, subject to eligibility and EI approval. Larger digital and process projects can route through Digital Process Innovation.
Smaller and local businesses
Your Local Enterprise Office is the route: mentoring, the Digital for Business programme, and the Grow Digital Voucher for eligible software and training.
We confirm what you qualify for before you commit a cent, and we sequence the work so you never start a project before it is approved. That last point matters: costs incurred before approval are usually not covered, and it is the most common way a good project loses its funding.
The order we work in
Appraisal
We assess readiness and identify the project worth funding.
Application support
We shape that project into a fundable scope and prepare the paperwork with you.
Funded delivery
We build or train after approval, as your named provider where the scheme allows it.
You can stop after step one and take the report to anyone. Most clients do not, because by then the project is already scoped and the funding route is clear.
Grant values and eligibility are set by the funding bodies and change from time to time. We confirm current terms for your business before any application.
Who this is for
Irish SMEs with 10 to 200 employees, typically in manufacturing, food and beverage, engineering services, and professional services.
If your business runs on processes, spreadsheets, and people who are stretched, this is built for you. If you are looking for someone to find free money with no project behind it, it is not.
Time and cost
The standard engagement is two on site days plus one week of report preparation.
A fixed fee, agreed before we start, and often substantially offset by grant funding. No hourly billing. No scope creep. You know the number before you commit.
Why DeBlaca
Twenty years in operations at Intel before I wrote a line of automation. An engineering degree and Lean Six Sigma behind it. When you talk to me about cycle time, yield, or a CAPA process, I do not need it explained.
I came up from the floor. I have seen technology adoption fail from the inside, usually for the same reasons: no clear owner, no training that stuck, no process underneath. The appraisal is built to catch those before they cost you.
I use the tools I recommend. Every day. If I would not put it into my own work, I will not put it into yours.
And I will tell you when you are not ready. Assessment before prescription. Every time. That is the part that saves you money.
Tony Blake, DeBlaca AI
Questions
What is an AI readiness appraisal?
A structured two day review that scores how ready your business is to use AI, across data, process, people, governance, and commercial fit. You get a written report with a ranked project shortlist, a 30, 60, 90 day plan, and the grant route to fund it.
How much does it cost?
A fixed fee, agreed before we start. Much of it can be grant funded depending on your size and agency status, which we confirm on the discovery call. There is no hourly billing and no scope creep.
Can the appraisal be grant funded?
Often, yes. Enterprise Ireland clients may fund eligible advisory work through the Strategic Consultancy Assignment Grant. Smaller businesses route through their Local Enterprise Office. We confirm what you qualify for before you spend anything, and current terms with the funding body before any application.
Do I have to use DeBlaca to deliver the project afterwards?
No. The report is yours to take anywhere. Where you do want us to deliver, and the scheme allows it, we act as your named provider. We never tie our fee to the grant.
How long until I see the report?
Within one working week of the two on site days.
Who is it for?
Irish SMEs with 10 to 200 employees, usually in manufacturing, food and beverage, engineering, and professional services.
What is the EU AI Act part?
A plain assessment of where your current and planned AI use sits against the EU AI Act, so you build on the right side of it from the start.
Start with a conversation, not a commitment
A free discovery call tells you whether an appraisal is worth your time, and what funding route fits your business. No pressure, no jargon.
[email protected] · +353 98 941 7096