Bob wrote:
Contractors are no worse than customers. How'd you like to look at job after
job, spend hours on travel time and estimating, and later find out that the
customer did the job himself, using much of the info you or other
contractors gave him?

/snip/
Unfortunately that's the real world. By the time my company
(technology) responds to an RFP we have told them the solution, the
platform for the solution, the OS, the network required and given them a
high level project plan. We have had a few clients over the years
say "I'll just do it myself".