Some suggest clients should show their good faith by putting an agreed amount in a pot to be distributed among the losing agencies should the incumbent keep the business. A worthy idea in theory. In practice, the fiercely competitive nature of the market makes it unlikely clients will agree. Simply because they don't have to.
Editorial: Will pitches ever have a refund policy?
Talking of morals, it's not surprising that the unusually high number of agency pitches being won by the incumbent is being greeted with cynicism by other contesting shops.