Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's1 Analyze your audience. Analyze your purpose. Gather information about your subject. Choose the appropriate type of proposal. Draft the proposal. Format the proposal. Revise, edit, proofread, and submit the proposal. Writing a proposal requires seven steps:
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's2 Understand the logistics of proposals
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's3 Solicited and unsolicited proposals respond to different needs: Solicited proposals are sent in response to an IFB (information for bid) or an RFP (request for proposals). Unsolicited proposals are submitted by a prospective supplier who believes that the customer has a need for goods or services.
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's4 research goods and services Proposals lead to two kinds of deliverables:
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's5 Show that you understand the readers’ needs. Show that you have decided what you plan to do, and that you are able to do it. Show that you are a professional, and that you are committed to fulfilling your promises. A successful proposal is a persuasive argument
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's6 Understand that what makes an argument persuasive can differ from one culture to another. Budget enough time for translating. Use simple graphics, with captions. Write short sentences, using common vocabulary. Use local conventions regarding punctuation, spelling, and mechanics. Ask if the prospective customer will do a read- through. When writing international proposals, follow these six suggestions:
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's7 Provide your credentials and work history. Provide your work schedule. Describe your quality-control measures. Include your budget. Follow these four guidelines in demonstrating your professionalism:
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's8 Avoid these four common dishonest practices: saying that certain qualified people will participate in the project, even though they will not saying that the project will be finished by a certain date, even though it will not saying that the deliverable will have certain characteristics, even though it will not saying that the project will be completed under budget, even though it will not
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's9 to avoid serious legal trouble stemming from breach-of-contract suits to avoid acquiring a bad reputation, thus ruining your business to do the right thing There are three reasons to write honest proposals:
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's10 To follow through on a proposal, you need three categories of resources: personnel facilities equipment
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's11 summary introduction proposed program qualifications and experience budget appendices A typical proposal includes six sections:
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's12 What is the problem or opportunity? What is the purpose of the proposal? What is the background of the problem or opportunity? What are your sources of information? What is the scope of the proposal? What is the organization of the proposal? What are the key terms that you will use in the proposal? An introduction answers seven questions:
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's13 Task schedules are presented in one of three formats: table bar chart or Gantt chart network diagram
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's14 This is a task schedule as a table:
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's15 This is a task schedule as a bar chart:
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's16 This is a task schedule as a network diagram: