The potential client

What about the clients who issue RFPs or request proposals with no intention of buying something? They are looking for free consulting,and to the extent you answer all of their questions,you may be giving away the solution. Or the client may solicit bids in an effort to"beat up" the existing vendor. Does this really happen? Yes. Is it ethical? No. If you are selling a product,you have wasted time and energy,because you've prepared a proposal for somebody who never intended to buy anything. But if you're selling a creative solution,an idea, a syestem design,or other intellectual property,you may have lost much more.The potential client may glean enough substance from your proposal that he tries or she tries to do it without you, using your concepts but developing them internally.