So you are saying it’s too expensive to hire those specialists but you need those specialists to setup a working search solution? Is your stance that only companies that can afford a bespoke solution should implement search?
You do know that paying for these kinds of services from consultants is much more expensive than hiring in-house, right? Consulting is purchased either because you only need the specialization for a short time and can pay the mark up for the flexibility, or because you need some external virtue signalling of prestige or authority to overcome in-house political blockers. Consulting is absolutely not the cost-effective option for a specialization you’ll need frequently.