First off, when you hire a big company, you are still going to get one engineer (if you are lucky).  They are generally paid on commission - so really they are competing with each other.  Maybe he or she will be very good.  Maybe not.  You don't know.  If you get two, the second one is probably being trained, and you'll foot the bill for that.  The other thing  that you are going to get is a report that was reviewed by some senior person - whose primary purpose is to "soften" the report so that there isn't so much of a chance of being "incorrect" (think "politically") - and you pay for that, too.  That review is mostly for their company's sake, not for you.  

When I worked in a big company, I wrote a report on a fire that was deliberately set.  When the boss reviewed it, he asked me, "did you see a match in his hand?"  Well, I didn't even name the arsonist, so I said, no, I didn't.  He changed my conclusions, and said the fire was "undetermined".  Softens it.  I've seen that happen time and again in big companies.  

It was not "undetermined" - it was a set fire.  The independent fire investigator had also determined "set fire" - but my boss changed my report, and my client had two experts that did not even agree with each other.  

The arsonist got away with it, and got paid besides.  My client was not very happy.

With Alethian, what you are going to get is the unvarnished, truthful opinion to the very best of my ability.  Like it or not.

Second, you can rest assured that you are my most important job.  I don't take on every assignment, I make sure that I can give the time to each job that it deserves.  I'm not in this to get rich - I do this because I love doing it.  It is so much more important to be right - rather than "on-time" to some artificial deadline set by a company (recognizing that some deadlines aren't artificial).

Third, with Alethian, you aren't hiring a lone engineer.  Over the last 23 years that I've been doing forensic engineering, I have met and befriended the best engineers in the business.  That means that whenever I have a question, I have three or four engineers in that field (many retired) that I can discuss theories, ask questions, get arguments and opinions - and I do.  (Not one that is on the same case, of course, and I don't break confidentiality).   Other independents do the same with me, no engineer knows everything.  And I am not limited to those "in my company" who have their own interests - and "important" clients to please - and who are restricted by that terrible engineering enemy - the bottom line.  I know the best engineers and can talk to them.  And they know me.  And, you are my important client.