1. A computer system for automatically responding to a virtual job request from a grid client, the computer system comprising: one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to execute a grid service within a grid environment, wherein said grid service facilitates receipt of a job request submitted by a client system for processing a job within said grid environment of a grid provider, wherein said job request specifies at least one criteria required for said grid provider to handle a particular grid job; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to process, by said grid service, said at least one criteria of said job request to determine whether said grid environment comprises a hardware platform class, a software platform class, and a network bandwidth required by said job request; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, responsive to determining that said grid environment comprises said hardware platform class, said software platform class, and said network bandwidth required by said job request, to calculate by said grid service a total required workload for said job request; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to calculate, by said grid service, a total cost for said total required workload for said job request by determining whether said job request describes a type of job request pre-approved for a discount price based on said client system agreeing to submit said type of job request solely to at least one grid provider specified in a grid alliance; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to automatically return, by said grid service, to said client system, a response to said job request comprising an identifier for said grid provider and said total cost for said job request, such that said client system is enabled to determine whether to submit said particular grid job to said grid provider.