The problem is, speaking from my experience as a freelancer, that if these sorts of people (individuals) haven't made a full spec by the time they've found you, it means they don't understand the need for one.
But that's what I mean with the fleshing out of the concept...
It would mean closely working with the client to define their idea and develop detailed specs, then passing these on once the client is pretty happy with the specs/wireframes or whatever has been used. I can see rapid sketchboards / wireframe mock-ups working quite well for developing the specs wit the client, and then to get a more functional prototype you'd pass this on to Chris. Your $Fee should cover this time + some profit, as this is a service you'd provide for both Chris and the client.
Of course I agree with you that what you're saying is what you _should_ do. But will you be able to convince the potential client to pay for that? Not on your life. Either they already know they need a spec, in which case they're not searching for a prototyper, or they "know" they don't need one.
I mean, I suppose you could raise your fee to $7k or whatever to cover the cost to spec it out, and say "prototypes for $7k". But speccing out an arbitrary project is just so vague and has so many dependencies on the client. Will they answer your design questions in an hour? In a day? In a month? How are you going to juggle all the client's delays and that? And by the time you've thought through all that, you're no longer a turnkey prototype delivery service, but more of a traditional design/development firm. Nothing wrong with that of course, just not what the OP had in mind.
