Independent Review · Updated July 3, 2026
By Errin O’Connor, Founder & Chief AI Architect, EPC Group · 29 years of Microsoft consulting · Founded 1997
The AI Deployment Second Opinion is a fixed-fee ($15,000), 10-business-day independent review of any in-flight AI engagement — Microsoft Frontier Company, a Global SI, or any partner. Five review dimensions, one board-ready findings memo, and 100% of the fee credited toward remediation within 90 days.
The AI Deployment Second Opinion is EPC Group's $15,000 fixed-fee, 10-business-day independent review of an in-flight AI engagement — evaluating architecture and model swappability, tenant and IP posture, Purview governance, insurability readiness, and outcome measurement. Delivered as a board-ready findings memo by a senior architect. 100% of the fee credits toward any EPC Group remediation engagement within 90 days.
Key Facts
- Fixed fee: $15,000 · Duration: 10 business days · Deliverable: board-ready findings memo with risk-rated findings per dimension and the three highest-leverage corrections.
- Reviewed against: NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, and your regulatory frame (HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, FINRA, CMMC as applicable).
- Five review dimensions: (1) architecture and model swappability, (2) tenant and IP posture, (3) governance and audit trails, (4) insurability readiness, (5) outcome measurement.
- Independent by design: the firm deploying your AI should not be the only firm grading it. EPC Group reviews the work product, not the people.
- Applies to any vendor — Microsoft Frontier Company, AWS embedded-engineer unit, OpenAI Deployment Company, Anthropic's mid-market venture, Global SI partners (Accenture / Capgemini / EY / KPMG / PwC), or a boutique partner.
- 100% credit: the full $15,000 fee applies toward any EPC Group remediation engagement within 90 days of the memo.
Why a Second Opinion, Why Now
2026 turned embedded AI deployment into an arms race: Microsoft’s $2.5 billion Frontier Company, AWS’s $1 billion unit, and deployment ventures from OpenAI and Anthropic. The engineering is often excellent. The structural problem is unchanged: the party building your AI is also the party reporting on how it’s going. Governance, insurability, and outcome verification are independent functions — and the moment to verify is while the engagement is in flight, not after go-live.
What We Review
- Architecture & model strategy — is model swappability designed in, or are you re-binding to a single family the vendor itself now calls a mistake?
- Tenant & IP posture — is the work performed inside your Microsoft 365 and Fabric tenant, or does “you keep the IP” rest on policy alone?
- Governance — Purview classification coverage, DLP, Conditional Access, audit trails, and alignment to NIST AI RMF and your regulatory frame (HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, FINRA, CMMC as applicable).
- Insurability readiness — whether the deployment’s governance evidence would stand up to carrier and underwriter scrutiny, using EPC Group’s AI Insurance Readiness framework.
- Outcome measurement — are ROI claims instrumented and repeatable, or anecdotal?
What You Get
A board-ready findings memo in 10 business days: risk-rated findings per dimension, the three highest-leverage corrections, and a verification checklist your team can re-run quarterly. Delivered by a senior architect — the same person who does the work presents to your leadership. 100% of the $15,000 fee credits toward any EPC Group remediation engagement within 90 days.
Who This Is For
- Boards and CFOs asked to expand budget on an AI engagement they can’t independently verify
- CIOs mid-engagement with MFC, a Global SI, or a partner who want assurance before the next milestone payment
- CISOs and General Counsel who need governance evidence, not vendor status decks
- Organizations across all industries in the United States preparing AI programs for insurance and audit scrutiny
AI Deployment Second Opinion — Frequently Asked Questions
Will this damage our relationship with our deployment vendor?
It shouldn't — reputable vendors welcome independent verification, and the memo is written to strengthen the engagement, not litigate it. The review evaluates the work product, not the people.
What do you need from us?
Read-only access or exported artifacts: architecture documentation, Purview and tenant configuration evidence, the SOW, and status reporting. No production changes are made during the review.
Is this the same as the Copilot Security Review?
No. The Copilot Security Review is a 47-point technical audit of your tenant. The Second Opinion evaluates an in-flight third-party ENGAGEMENT across architecture, IP posture, governance, insurability, and measurement.
What happens after the memo?
Your call. Many organizations hand the checklist to their existing vendor. If you engage EPC Group for remediation within 90 days, the full $15,000 review fee is credited.
Schedule the Review
EPC Group is a Microsoft consulting firm founded in 1997 — North America's oldest Microsoft Gold Partner until the program's 2022 retirement — today holding all six Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations, serving organizations across all industries in the United States.
contact@epcgroup.net · 888-381-9725 · www.epcgroup.net
EPC Group is a technology consulting firm. EPC Group is not an insurance company, insurance broker, or insurance producer, and does not sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance.