Cognizant bets better design—not just lower prices—will help win AI deals

Cognizant says it is focusing on designing and executing AI projects better than rivals, rather than relying mainly on price cuts to win business.“So this is something that we are very careful when we first review the deal before we submit our bids. We look at very carefully how the need is constructed, and what is the solution because you don't win some of these deals on price point.

I mean, that's one of the factors, but it's also how well made and how well thought through your solution is for customer, makes a big difference,” said Jatin Dalal, chief financial officer, Cognizant, during a fireside chat with James Faucette in the Morgan Stanley Telecom, Media, and Technology Conference on Tuesday evening.Dalal said the company reviews deal requirements rigorously before bidding and tracks performance. “So one is we review it (the deal requirements) very well, and then we track it through a process called bid versus did on a monthly basis, the CEO of the company and I review it every month.”Cognizant’s delivery excellence team also reviews whether the productivity measures anticipated in contracts are being deployed as planned.“There are at least four or five very detailed workshops that we do with customers to decide what is the right answer, from a solutioning standpoint, to very specific customer contacts and therefore there is very little surprise from the customer standpoint on what to expect when we start deploying the solution,” added Dalal.Cognizant’s approach differs from Infosys Ltd, which has leaned on offering productivity benefits to clients.According to a Mint report dated 25 August 2025, the Bengaluru-based company is relying on quick project execution and strong delivery to show AI-led savings early.