PROPOSAL WRITING

MR. AZAN KHALID

PROPOSAL

• A proposal is a document written to persuade readers that what is proposed will benefit them
by solving a problem or fulfilling a need.

• When you write a proposal, therefore, you must convince readers that they need what you
are proposing.

• Hence, it should be practical and appropriate and you are the right person or organization to
provide the proposed product or service.
PROPOSAL CONTEXTS AND STRATEGIES

• In a proposal, support your assertions with relevant facts, statistics, and examples.

• Your supporting evidence must lead logically to your proposed plan of action or solution.

• Cite relevant sources of information that provide strong credibility to your argument.

• Avoid ambiguity, do not wander from your main point, and never make false claims.
AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE

Whether you send a proposal inside or outside your organization, readers will evaluate your
plan on:
• how well you answer their questions about what you are proposing to do?
• how you plan to do it?
• how much it will cost?
• how it will benefit them?
CONT …

• Because proposals often require more than one level of approval, take into account all the
readers in your audience.
• Consider especially their levels of technical knowledge of the subject.
• For example, if your primary reader is an expert on your subject but a supervisor who
must also approve the proposal is not, provide an executive summary written in
nontechnical language for the supervisor.
• You might also include a glossary of terms used in the body of the proposal or an
appendix that explains highly detailed information in nontechnical language.
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• If your primary reader is not an expert but a supervisor is, write the proposal with the
nonexpert in mind and include an appendix that contains the technical details.
• Writing a persuasive and even complex proposal can be simplified by composing a
concise statement of purpose—the exact problem or opportunity that your proposal is
designed to address and how you plan to persuade your readers to accept what you
propose.
• Composing a purpose statement before outlining and writing your proposal will also help
you and any collaborators understand the direction, scope, and goals of your proposal.
SOLICITED AND UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS

• Solicited proposals are prepared in response to a request for goods or services.

• Such proposals usually follow the format prescribed by the procuring organization or
agency, which issues a request for proposals (RFP) or an invitation for bids (IFB).
• An RFP often defines a need or problem and allows those who respond to propose
possible solutions.
• The procuring organization generally distributes an RFP to several predetermined
vendors.
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• The RFP usually outlines the specific requirements for the ideal solution.

• The RFP also may contain specific formatting requirements, such as page length, font type
and size, margin widths, headings, numbering systems, sections, and appendix items.

• When responding to RFPs, you should follow their requirements exactly—proposals that do not
provide the required information or do not follow the required format may be considered
“nonresponsive” and immediately rejected.
UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS

• Unsolicited proposals are submitted to a company or department without a prior request

for a proposal.
• Companies or departments often operate for years with a problem they have never
recognized (unnecessarily high maintenance costs, for example, or poor inventory control
methods).
• Many unsolicited proposals are preceded by an inquiry from a salesperson to determine
potential interest and need.
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• If you receive a positive response, you would conduct a detailed study of the prospective
customer’s needs to determine whether you can be of help and, if so, exactly how.
• You would then prepare your proposal on the basis of your study.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PROPOSALS

• Internal proposals, which can be either solicited or unsolicited, are written by employees
of an organization for decision-makers inside that organization.
• The level of formality of internal proposals often depends on the frequency with which
they are written and the degree of change proposed.
• Routine proposals are typically informal and involve small spending requests, requests
for permission to hire new employees or increase salaries, and requests to attend
conferences or purchase new equipment.
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• Special-purpose proposals are usually more formal and involve requests to commit
relatively large sums of money.
• External proposals are prepared for clients, customers, or other decision-makers outside a
company or an organization.
• They are either solicited or unsolicited.
• External proposals are almost always written as formal proposals.
PROPOSAL FORMS

• Proposals are written within a specific context.

• Understanding the context, as described in that entry, will help you determine the most
appropriate writing strategy as well as the proposal’s length, formality, and structure.
INFORMAL PROPOSAL STRUCTURE

• Informal proposals are relatively short (about five pages or fewer) and typically consist of
an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
• Introduction:
• The introduction should define the purpose and scope of your proposal as well as the
problem you propose to address or solve.
• You may also include any relevant background or context that will help readers
appreciate the benefits of what you will propose in the body.
BODY

The body should offer the details of your plan to address or solve the problem and explain:
1. what service or product you are offering?
2. how you will perform the work and what special materials you may use?
3. the schedule you plan to follow that designates when each phase of the project will be
completed
4. if appropriate, a breakdown of project costs
CONCLUSION

• The conclusion should persuasively resell your proposal by emphasizing the benefits of
your plan, solution, product, or service over any competing ideas or projects.
• You may also need to include details about the time period during which the proposal is
valid.
• Effective conclusions show:
• confidence in your proposal
• your appreciation for the opportunity to submit the proposal
CONT …

• your willingness to provide further information, as well as encouraging your reader to act
on your proposal.
FORMAL PROPOSAL STRUCTURE

• Proposals longer than five pages are often called formal proposals and typically include
front matter and back matter.
• The number of sections in a proposal depends on the audience, the purpose, and the scope
of the proposal, or on the specific requirements outlined in an RFP or IFB.
• If you are responding to an RFP or IFB, follow the proposal organization and format
requirements exactly as stated; otherwise your proposal may be considered noncompliant
and may be rejected without review.
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• If you are not responding to an RFP or IFB, sections of formal proposals can often be
grouped into front matter, body, and back matter.
• Front Matter:
• Cover Letter or Letter of Transmittal:
• In the cover letter, express:
• appreciation for the opportunity to submit your proposal
• any help from the customer (or decision-maker)
CONT …

• any prior positive associations with the customer.

Summarize the proposal’s recommendations and express confidence that they will satisfy
the customer’s or decision-maker’s needs.
• Title Page:
• Include the title of the proposal, the date, the name and logo of the organization to which
it is being submitted, and your company name and logo.
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• Table of Contents:
• Include a table of contents in longer proposals to guide readers to important sections,
which should be listed according to beginning page numbers.
• List of Figures:
• If your proposal has six or more figures, include a list of figures with captions as well as
figure and page numbers.
BODY

• Executive Summary:
• Briefly summarize the proposal’s highlights in persuasive, nontechnical language for decision-
makers.
• Other parts: introduction, body and conclusion.
• Back Matter:
• Appendixes:
• Provide résumés of key personnel or material of interest to some readers, such as statistical
analyses, organizational charts, and workflow diagrams.
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• Bibliography:
• List sources consulted in preparing the proposal, such as research studies, specifications,
and standards.
• Glossary:
• If your proposal contains terms that will be unfamiliar to your intended audience, list and
define them in the glossary.
PROPOSAL TYPES

• Proposals are written for many specific purposes, but the two most common types of
proposals are sales proposals and grant and research proposals.
• Sales Proposal:
• A sales proposal is a company’s offer to provide specific goods or services to a potential
buyer within a specified period of time and for a specified price.
• A sales proposal must demonstrate above all that the prospective customer’s purchase of
the seller’s products or services will: solve a problem, improve operations, or offer other
substantial benefits.
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• Sales proposals vary greatly in size and sophistication—from several pages written by
one person, to dozens of pages written collaboratively by several people, to hundreds of
pages written by a team of professional proposal writers.

• A short sales proposal might bid for the construction of a single home, a moderate-length
proposal might bid for the installation of a computer network, and a large proposal might
bid for the construction of a multimillion-dollar water-purification system or shopping
center
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• Your sales proposal may include some or all of the following sections (keep in mind that formal
sales proposals will also include front matter and back matter):
• Introduction:
• Explain the reasons for the proposal, emphasizing reader benefits.
• Background or Problem:
• Describe the problem or opportunity your proposal addresses.
• To make your proposal more persuasive, your problem statement should illustrate how your
proposal will benefit your client’s organization.
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• Product Description:
• If your proposal offers products as well as services, include a general description of the
products and any technical specifications.
• Detailed Solutions (Rationale):
• Explain in a detailed section that will be read by technical specialists exactly how you
plan to do what you are proposing.
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• Cost Analysis:
• Itemize the estimated costs of all the products and services you are offering.
• Delivery Schedule or Work Plan:
• Outline how you will accomplish the work and show a timetable for each phase of the project.
• Staffing:
• Summarize the expertise (education, experience, and certifications) of key personnel who will
work on the project. Include their résumés in an appendix.
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• Site Preparation:
• If your recommendations include modifying the customer’s physical facilities, include a
site-preparation description that details the required modifications.
• Training Requirements:
• If the products and services you are proposing require training the customer’s employees,
specify the required training and its cost.
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• Statement of Responsibilities:
• To prevent misunderstandings about what you and your customer’s responsibilities will be,
state those responsibilities.
• Organizational Sales Pitch:
• Describe your company, its history, and its present position in the industry.
• An organizational sales pitch is designed to sell your company and its general capability in the
field.
• It promotes the company and concludes the proposal on a positive, persuasive note.
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• Authorization Request and Deadline:

• Close with a request for approval and a deadline that explains how long the proposed
prices are valid.
• Conclusion:
• Include a persuasive conclusion that summarizes the proposal’s key points and stresses
your company’s strong points.
GRANT & RESEARCH PROPOSAL

• Grant proposals request funds or material goods to support a specific project or cause.
• Grants are not loans and usually do not have to be repaid.
• Many government and private agencies solicit and fund research or grant proposals.
• A scientist, for example, may write a grant to the National Institutes of Health to request a
specific sum of money to conduct research on a new cancer drug.
• Research proposals request approval to conduct research to investigate a problem or
possible improvements to a product or an operation.
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• Because their purpose is to gain approval to conduct research, they do not focus on
particular solutions or ultimate results.
• For example, an engineer may submit a research proposal to a manager for permission to
research a new method that improves cement strength for bridges.
• Similarly, students often submit research proposals to request approval of their research
plans for term projects, such as formal reports, or thesis projects.
• Grant and research proposals are persuasive when they clearly define your research goals,
your plan for achieving those goals, and your qualifications to perform the research.
CONT …

• The proposal typically includes the following key components:

• Introduction:
• Explain the reasons for and the benefits of the proposal.
• What can readers expect as a result of the proposed research, and what is the value of your
potential findings?
• Background:
• Describe the problem your research will address so that readers are confident that you
understand the problem completely.
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• Illustrate how both your primary audience and others will benefit from the results of your
proposed research.
• Research Plan:
• Discuss in detail your plan for conducting the research.
• First, focus on your research objectives—what specifically you plan to investigate.
• Then, focus on your research methods—how you plan to achieve your objectives
(through interviewing? on the Web? through other sources?).
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• Work Schedule:
• Outline realistic deadlines for specific research tasks that will help you achieve your
objectives and meet the final deadline.
• Qualifications:
• Summarize the expertise of those who will conduct the research.
• You might also include their résumés in an appendix.
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• Budget:
• Provide a list of projected costs for your research project, as appropriate, including costs of
all resources needed to carry out your research plan.
• Conclusion:
• Remind the reader of the benefits from your research and any specific products that will
result, such as a formal report.
• Close with a request for approval by a specific date and offer to answer any of the readers’
questions.