As some of you may be aware, I'm attempting to eventually start consulting for a living, as I manage a full-time job, while becoming more accustomed to being a father of my 2-month old son.

I've met with a representative at SCORE, who turned out to have a client who is looking for someone like me, to write some data manipulation and analysis utilities. I met with him at his client's location (a cellular phone retailer), and was asked to make a bid on the first utility.

The SCORE rep is interested in helping me get going, while representing his client. He told me that there might be other people in town who, even though they charge more than he knows I do, just might be able to do the job faster.

I don't want to blow this by over-bidding, nor do I want to cheat myself by under-bidding. Therefore, I was wondering if a range were appropriate. This first utility is actually going to take between 5 and 10 hours to complete. And, if this goes well, there will be more work to be done for them.

So, my question is: Is it uncool to submit a bid having a low and high end, mentioning that my intention is to stick to the low end, as close as possible?

I'd really appreciate any feedback!
Michael Reynolds