I hear a lot of people discuss whether eDiscovery technology is becoming a commodity…with the implecation that pricing should follow.  Heck, even I have been one of the those people.

The real question, however, is not whether eDiscovery is becoming a commodity (and here’s a spoiler: it is not - 10% will always be bespoke and very custom, thus blowing the whole thing), but rather if eDiscovery technology pricing can be predictable.  Can service providers, law firms or in-house eDiscovery departments offer predictable (or capped) eDiscovery technology services?

In my opinion, the answer is a resounding yes!  eDiscovery pricing can be predicable and capped - especially when dealing with volume.  And isn’t that want clients want?  The ability to say, “I will pay a reasonable fee, even if the case keeps growing, but I don’t want the pricing to get out of control.”

I have been a big proponent for predictable pricing for quite some time and have introduced it to my clients at my day job.  What do you think?  Should we stop talking about commodity pricing and, instead, focus on predictable pricing?