Consultants work with sensitive information every day. Client files, strategic analyses, policy documents that are not yet public. The temptation to use AI is great — it saves hours per week. But ChatGPT, Copilot, and similar tools are not an option for many consultancies.
The reason is simple: confidential client data must not end up on American servers.
This article shows how consultancies like KWINK Groep and Haute Equipe solved this challenge — and what that concretely means for their daily work.
The problem: AI and confidentiality obligations do not mix
Many consultants use AI anyway, even though it is technically not allowed. They type reports, contracts, and client information into ChatGPT — hoping it "will be fine". But ChatGPT processes that data on OpenAI's servers, an American company. That data leaves the organization. And with it, control over who has access to it.
For consultancies that work in the public sector, healthcare, or legal services, this is a real compliance risk. For firms with competition-sensitive client information, it is simply a business risk.
The question is not whether AI is useful for consulting work. The question is how to do it safely.
How KWINK Groep approached it
KWINK Groep is a consultancy and research firm in the public sector. 25 consultants work daily on complex assignments in domains such as environmental policy, healthcare, mobility, and culture.
The requirement was clear: no data to American servers. No opaque tooling. Full control over their own information.
After an intensive process with soev.ai, three insights emerged:
- Open-source language models in Dutch cloud can increasingly support daily work, especially for knowledge retrieval and research.
- Responsible AI use requires targeted training — not just access to a tool.
- Building iteratively with end users makes the difference. A direct feedback loop with consultants ensures the tool aligns with their workflow.
KWINK now uses soev.ai daily for knowledge retrieval from reports, searching through policy documents, and AI agents for analysis and writing.
How Haute Equipe uses soev.ai
Haute Equipe is a public sector consultancy with over 100 employees and 6 offices. With work in social services, legal affairs, subsidies, and operations, AI use there must truly be safe and controllable.
soev.ai supports Haute Equipe's employees in all their AI use — from knowledge retrieval to AI agents, from research to execution. The first training for the subsidy team focused on AI adoption and responsible use.
Why soev.ai? Three reasons:
- 100% sovereign: soev.ai runs entirely in Dutch cloud.
- Designed for organizations with high requirements for security and privacy.
- Open-source technology prevents vendor lock-in and ensures transparency.
What makes soev.ai suited for consulting work?
Knowledge retrieval is the most-used feature. Consultants ask questions about their report archive — internal research, policy documents, client files — and receive immediate answers with automatic source citations. No more manually searching through hundreds of files.
Firms can configure a separate AI agent per client or project, with access only to that project's documents. Confidentiality is by design, not an afterthought.
And because soev.ai runs on Dutch infrastructure, it does not fall under American legislation. Data never leaves the Netherlands.
Frequently asked questions
Can I connect soev.ai to SharePoint?
Yes. soev.ai integrates via MCP servers with SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. Documents are retrieved and processed within the soev.ai environment of your choice — Dutch cloud, your own cloud, or on-premise.
Is a separate environment per client possible?
Yes. Through role-based access control and separate agents per project, you keep client data fully separated.
Get started
Want to see how soev.ai works for your firm? Schedule a free demo at soev.ai.
- More about soev.ai for consultancies: soev.ai/en/sectors/consultancies
- How knowledge retrieval works: soev.ai/en/solutions/ai-knowledge-base