Yes, it’s becoming pretty common in large government and commercial work for the client to request digital deliverables in particular formats. This usually has to do with facility management and GIS databases. Even in these cases though, it’s usually a simple conversation with the client to determine what they are trying to accomplish and how you can deliver in an alternative format and still meet there needs. I have had residential clients request Sketchup and Photoshop files. I just charge an additional fee for those deliverables and provide them upon final payment and completion of contract. The majority of the time, the residential clients arrived at this request because they were shopping around and had been told that they would be given these things by a competitor. When they realize they just want a pretty picture of their project and would not be able to use the aforementioned file formats, they drop the request. I frequently have contractors request in progress CAD files. I typically do not do that unless they have a very specific reason for it, sending PDFs or prints instead. Usually, they just want to do take offs or develop some documents that need to show plot boundaries, etc. When I tell them that I can provide the take offs automatically or some of the exhibits they need, they lose interest in the design files and happily pay for additional doc prep. I think you said already, but figuring out the reason for the request usually solves any potential issues. Plus it can lead to additional services 🙂
.
