Anecdotally, when I had a stint in consulting I eventually learned that whenever a client wanted estimates the only way I could get the contract was to bid abou

Anecdotally, when I had a stint in consulting I eventually learned that whenever a client wanted estimates the only way I could get the contract was to bid about 1/2 of what I knew it would actually take, else one of my competitors would do the same and they would get it. These same clients would usually be giving me much praise when we'd eventually deliver 100% over budget, because that was "much better than their last contractor"... A lot of times the buyer isnt even qualified to do that and so the seller has all the power.