Ethics... and the lack of it.

[Bill Marriott]

Alejandro,

So let me be sure I have this right:

1) You wrote some software over time
2) The client decides to appraise the value of it, so he puts it out to bid
3) And intends to use the highest bid to "declare" the value of the software

I suppose it all depends on what the meaning and context of "declare" is.

For example: If I pay someone $10,000 to build a deck on my house, but it 
actually increases the value of the house by $50,000 somehow, then that 
would probably be a legitimate thing to do, if I was preparing to sell the 
house or accurately determine the property taxes due. Is he selling his 
business?

Perhaps the client is trying to make a decision about the value of using a 
Rev-based solution (which may have lower development costs, but fewer people 
who know Rev well enough to maintain it) versus one that based on a more 
widely known tool (which may be more expensive to develop, but gives him 
greater flexibility choosing a developer).

Where do you see the ethical dilemma? Is it that he is using the highest bid 
to determine the value, versus the average bid, or the actual amount paid? 
Each method could be appropriate in differing circumstances. Of course it 
could also be mis-used.

Personally, I'd be interested in what he comes up with. This way you could 
market yourself to other clients saying, "I developed a solution for $W in X 
amount of time that could well have cost my client up to $Y and taken Z 
amount of time!"

Bill