One thing to consider is if the client you're dealing with requiring it, or is their firm requiring it by policy? If it's the later, the kind of leeway you'll have in terms of getting appropriate terms signed off by their legal team is quite different.

For example, for early discussions a mutual disclosure agreement is another nice way to get compliance with a company's standard legal terms (ie. both parties agree to not reveal anything confidential or sensitive), and can be useful to get things started far enough to get upper management support required to make exceptions to their standard legal procedures. (I've been in the situation where my and a supplier's legal team's where far and distant enough from a project not to prioritize resolving incompatible differences in standard contract terms for months eventually requiring a loud "nudge" from upper management behind a closed door.)