10Pearls is the best fit for a large AI program, because it describes itself as an AI-native development company and has over 1,400 people with managed services to run what it builds. Black Badger ranks third as the custom route for the one system inside a large program that needs a fixed scope and a small team.
The ranking, entry by entry
1 10Pearls
Best for enterprises that want AI built and run by one large firm
A large program needs a firm that can staff many roles and stay for years. 10Pearls is first because it describes its work as AI-native and has the size, with over 1,400 people and a founding date of 2004. It also sells managed services for what comes after the build. It lists healthcare, financial services and telecom among its industries, and has nearshore and offshore development as separate services.
Watch for. The site lists offices in Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica and Pakistan among others. Ask how a program would be split across them.
- Based in
- Not stated on its site, offices include Washington DC, USA
- How it charges
- Quoted per project
- Main limit
- Nearshore and offshore delivery from Latin America and Pakistan
2 LeewayHertz
Best for programs that need an AI specialist with a large parent
LeewayHertz ranks second. Every service it lists is part of an AI program, from AI strategy through agent development, machine learning and data engineering, and a dedicated development team is one of its models. It is now part of The Hackett Group, which matters to a procurement team vetting a supplier for a long program. It is second because the pages we read give no headcount, so its capacity is a question to ask.
Watch for. Ask how many engineers it can commit and for how long. The site names an India office in Gurugram and no head office.
- Based in
- Not stated on its site, with an India office in Gurugram
- How it charges
- Rates not published
- Main limit
- Now part of The Hackett Group, and no rates published
3 Black Badger Software Solutions
Best for one defined system inside a larger AI program
Black Badger publishes this guide and builds custom software. We are a small team in the United States and we are not the firm to staff a program of hundreds. We rank third for a specific part of a large program, which is the single system a department needs built to a fixed written scope and owned by the company. A large program can contain several of those, and they often wait until the platform work is done.
Watch for. If you need engineers in several countries or coverage at all hours, choose one of the large firms on this list for that work.
- Based in
- Clearwater, Florida, United States
- How it charges
- One-time build scoped in writing, then running costs such as hosting
- Main limit
- Works mainly with companies of 50 or more employees
What a custom build involves, and how to ask about one
4 Vention
Best for programs that will be staffed with AI-enabled teams
Vention is fourth. It has over 3,000 engineers across 20 or more offices and names AI-enabled teams and dedicated teams among its models, so it can fill a large program with people quickly. It is based in New York and scopes every project individually. It ranks behind the firms above because they describe themselves by their AI work, and Vention describes a wider engineering business across fintech, healthtech, ecommerce and other industries.
Watch for. Use the cost calculator for a range, then ask for a staffing plan with roles and locations.
- Based in
- New York, USA
- How it charges
- Scoped individually for each project
- Main limit
- Teams of over 3,000 engineers, and no rates published
5 EPAM Systems
Best for global enterprises running multi-year engineering programs
EPAM Systems ranks fifth, on scale. Its investor site lists locations in 55 or more countries and regions and over thirty years of work, and its head office is in Newtown, Pennsylvania. For a multi-year program spread across many countries, that spread of locations is its main advantage. It is fifth on an AI list because our facts come from the investor site and say nothing specific about its AI teams, so that is the first thing to ask.
Watch for. The firm publishes no pricing model or minimum project size. Ask whether your program is the size it usually takes on.
- Based in
- Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA
- How it charges
- Quoted per project
- Main limit
- A very large global firm, so best suited to enterprise programs
6 Slalom
Best for programs that need strategy and change management too
Slalom is sixth. It is a business and technology consulting company with 54 local offices in 12 countries. It says it fits a mix of services to each project and trains client teams during the work. A large AI program is partly an organizational change, and that mix fits. It ranks sixth here because the facts we hold describe its consulting and product building in general and not an AI practice.
Watch for. Ask which office would lead and what share of the team would be engineers. No pricing model is stated.
- Based in
- Not stated on its site, 54 offices in 12 countries
- How it charges
- Quoted per project
- Main limit
- A consulting firm first, so custom builds sit inside a wider services mix
7 Itransition
Best for programs in regulated industries that need a large team
Itransition ranks seventh. It states more than 3,000 professionals, has served clients since 1998 and offers dedicated Smart teams and managed IT services, which are the pieces a long program needs. Its industries include healthcare, finance and insurance. It is last on this list for the same reason as Slalom, since what we read covers its general engineering and not AI work in particular.
Watch for. Ask for examples of AI programs in your industry, and ask how pricing works, since the site names no model.
- Based in
- Not stated on its site, with offices in the US and Europe
- How it charges
- Quoted per project
- Main limit
- Very large firm, and its site names no pricing model or head office
How this list was ranked
This list is for a large company planning an AI program with several workstreams, many engineers and a long duration. We ranked by whether a firm describes AI as its main work, then by stated size, then by whether it offers to run what it builds.
Three firms here, EPAM Systems, Slalom and Itransition, are ranked on scale and general engineering facts. Our entries for them do not cover AI work specifically, and each entry says so.