More and more, over the years, I realize that the typical commercial customer wants to turn the lights on and they come on, and they want to plug a phone charge in and the phone charges and they want a receptacle and a CAT 5 where they have their computer. Engineers on the other hand, want to cover their own butts so they put all kinds of odd things in that mean ZERO to that customer. Things like conduit only, etc. The trick is to walk through the mine field and make sure the customer gets what he wants, the Engineer doesn't get his feelings hurt and the inspector is happy, and we don't charge too much for the level of work (getting a reputation of being greedy) , or get our butts handed too us. As such if I have "cut corners" in one thing like not demo'ing extra conduits above and the customer wants another receptacle over here, I might just throw it in.
I believe it is a very, very, fine line. And that is why we get paid the big bucks.