There is a different way of thinking about "the business". Perhaps the motivation of a consultant is not hours or money, but reputation. Or perhaps they desire to do what is in the best interest of the company hiring them because it's just the right thing to do.

I don't dispute what you say because I have run into many different attitudes in my day. So what you describe is, unfortunately, common and there seems to be an adversarial air between IT and "the business" in many places. In fact, I have worked in such environments in the past, although desiring to steer clear of the politics and to simply do what I think is best for my client rather than what is best for me. Perhaps a model for extinction.

In all of my years as a consultant, I've learned two things:

1) A good reputation is easy to tarnish, but a bad reputation is very difficult to correct.

2) Two birds in the bush are sometimes better than one in the hand.

The first point is self explanatory, so I won't bother explaining it. The second point is reverse what many others seem to live by: grab what you can now because I may not be there tomorrow. I believe that is an incomplete formula. Sometimes, it may be advantageous to trust in the relationship already established with the client, and to choose to bank on that relationship. Sure, this could lead to an empty hand every once in a while. But more often than not, it leads to a full bush. Proverbial birds in a proverbial bank. Perhaps the birds in the bush will be there next month and the month after, or perhaps they will even fly away.

Perhaps, if our interest is our pocketbook above all else, then distrust is abundant and contracts end up being short lived for some reason. Whereas, if our interest is the best interest of our client, then they are happy and may provide even more work next time. And even if they don't, a solid word-of-mouth reference from a happy customer is difficult to appraise.

Jim