Another trick in the HOW MUCH FOR THIS SEARCH? GAME is to get one or more in-country searchers to quote a price, send the bid upstairs for approval, then offshoring the order.

Maybe high-ball the order to deny an irksome client the order (since you'll never see it anyway) or crazy low-bid in the hope that the client gets stung paying an In-house or India-House searcher much more than  what their client is paying.