Q. This is my first experience developing a database. When asking a consultant for an estimate, should I have to pay for this estimate? A. Let's break this down into two parts; 1) an estimate and 2) a spec or needs analysis. For the estimate you should not have to pay anything. It's just that, an estimate based on what it has taken to complete a similar project in the past. An estimate is usually based on an hourly rate and will usually be given in a range such as $10,000 to … [Read more...]