We've all had those project and consulting gigs that we wanted but that got away from us. Maybe the potential client kept the project in house or went with another vendor. You priced it out accurately, you documented the work, you showed your experience, you wooed the client, you probably even came back with a lower price if you really wanted the project. At the end of the day, the other deal that they were mulling over from another vendor or the implied savings by taking the work inside their own shop was just too good to pass up so they said “no” to you and went with the alternative. It happens.