>Reading another post, the question was raised (at least in my mind), "What constitutes due diligence?".
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>If a client comes to me with a certain task, "Create a custom piece of software", is it my job as a consultant to go out and do research to find a third-party tool that does this job? Shouldn't they have done that already before they came to me? If they wanted me to research something for them, then that would be the contracted task not the creation of something new.

I agree if they want you to do research, that time is billable. Normally, it's not something you should do if someone comes to you asking for custom programming. Unless you specialize in a vertical market, there's no way for you to keep up with products available in any given market.

One of the first topics I discuss with a potential new client is how custom programming is more expensive than buying a product, and why. Essentially, I tell them that they should be coming to me once they've determined there is no product out there that will satisfy their need.