The Evaluation Premium: Why AI Observability Sets Agency Retainer Pricing

Clients are becoming AI-literate faster than agencies are becoming AI-auditable. Forrester's October 2026 research separates genuine agents from mislabeled automation, and buyers now enter renewal conversations asking for proof rather than demos. Agencies that can trace, score, and show agent behavior in production can price AI work as production-ready infrastructure; those that cannot are selling promises into a skeptical market.