Not necessarily. The same underlying knowledge and employment records need to be gathered and documented regardless of how the assignment was identified, so preparation costs depend on the state of those records, not on the source of the referral.
Budget based on the records that exist, not the referral
Ask whether the relevant training and project records are already documented or need to be assembled from scratch. A referral through a trusted colleague does not reduce the work needed to build a supportable knowledge claim from primary records.
Government charges per the USCIS fee schedule, professional fees for the eligibility review and petition, staff time to assemble procedure and training records, and the L-2 applications for any family. Record royalties, training, technical document preparation, filing charges and professional services in distinct lines. Paying for a credential does not itself establish the specialized-knowledge claim, and immigration approval should not be represented as a professional licence. Government charges attach to the filing and change from time to time, so confirm the current figures from the official source rather than from an internal estimate.