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The economic downturn has shown up on my doorstep in the form of requests for greater detail in pitch documents.  In the last week two different clients (one old, one new) have referred project proposals to Purchasing who have then demanded very specific financial breakdowns.  I had to remind myself that purchasing departments usually have a precise mindset that deals more easily with large quantities of tangible low-ticket items (say, widgets) instead of small quantities of intangible high-ticket items (consultancy).

Because Purchasing Officers / Managers are intentionally removed from the project itself I sometimes find it hard to avoid seeming evasive when I can't break down my figures past a certain point.  "I cost what I cost" is obviously an unacceptable response.  

It is vital to work out whether the person you're dealing with is coming from an administrative or negotiating standpoint.  With an administrator it's simply making the numbers add up, but today I made an incorrect assumption and ended up in a negotiation over day rate before I knew it.

I await the outcome.