[Sigia-l] guidelines for download file size maximums?

[Jackson, Eloise]

I've been asked to specify what the maximum file size should be for file downloads on a large government website for procurement.  I recognize that this depends on:
a) user's bandwidth (no stats available on this but the audience is varied)
b) user interest -- presumably the greater the interest, the longer one is prepared wait!
c) available server space (this is *not* a limitation in this case)

Aside from these variables, are there any guidelines out there for download file-size recommendations?  Do people even practice file-size restrictions for downloads any more now that we're so used to downloading web apps and hefty pdf manuals??  The downloads are mostly pdf, with some excel files.

Thanks for your thoughts!