Writing Proposals
Course Objectives• Why do we write proposals?
• The proposal genre
• The proposal writing process
• Analyzing problems and opportunities
• Types of proposals
• Describing the current situation
• Developing a project plan
• Describing qualification
• Introduction, costs and benefits
• Developing budgets
• Writing with style
• Designing proposals
• Using graphics
• The final touches
Introduction
Charles, the Director of Zenith Computers reads a bid in a local newspaper.
Hope Business School is looking for vendors who can
supply 45 laptops to be used for staffs and teachers. This request for proposal will focus on the purchasing, setup and service of the
mentioned hardware.
Introduction
Only sealed bids are accepted. Please be sure to put “RESPONSE TO LAPTOP
SALES AND SERVICE SOLUTION” on your bid
package and on the outside of the envelope. Failure to
mark envelope may result in rejection of bid”.
Bids can be sent to:-Mr. Justin
Hope Business SchoolLake view hills
New York.
Introduction
Charles wants to grab this opportunity and asks his assistant
Linda to prepare a business proposal and send it to the school.
Introduction
Linda prepares the business proposal and sends it to the school for
reviewing. Let us look at proposal:-Zenith Computers is interested in the bid and is happy to supply 45 Desktop with following features:-
• I5 processors• 4GB RAM• 500 GM hard drive• 22in monitor• Keyboard• Mouse
Introduction
After preparing the proposal Linda send the proposal in an envelope.
Hope Business SchoolLake view hillsNew York.
Introduction
Two days later Charles learnt that their proposal was rejected by the school. He asked for a copy of proposal and found out that it lacked certain basic
information and had more flaws.
Introduction
The proposal was not sealed and sent
It was not addressed to Mr. Justin as instructed.
Introduction
Hope Business School is looking for vendors who can supply
45 laptops to be used for staffs and teachers. This request for
proposal will focus on the purchasing, setup and service of
the mentioned hardware.
Zenith Computers is interested in the bid and is happy to supply
45 Desktop with following features
Introduction
Linda has not understood the requirements of the school clearly and was not punctilious. They have
asked for supply of laptops and proposal was sent for supplying of
desktops.
Introduction
On top of that Linda’s proposal was incomplete.
It did not mention anything about the
installation and servicing. These careless mistakes
done by Linda made Charles feel like a fish out
of water.
Introduction
If Linda had been meticulous and prepared the proposal with
care Zenith Computers might have made a huge profit.
Introduction
To write a winning business proposal the following
points should be followed:-
• Study the requirements• Understand the client• Outshine your competitors• Explain the time and cost• Describe why your
company is the best
Why do we write proposals?
An old proverb says “The only constant is change”. The world is constantly changing. This creates both new
opportunities and new problems. A proposal is a tool for managing change.
Designing of the proposal genre
The proposal genre is designed to address some fundamental questions:-• What is the current situation?• What is needed to improve the
current situation?• What is a good plan for improving the current situation?• Why is your organization best qualified to do the work?• How much will the work cost?
• What are the tangible benefits of the plan?
Using the 5-W and “How” question
The “5-Ws and “How” questions are:-
Who exactly are the readers, and who else might be involved?
Why is the client or funding source looking for someone to do this project?
What do the readers need?
Where is the work site? Where do we need to submit the proposal?
When is the deadline for the proposal, and when does the project need to be completed?
How should the project be completed?
Defining the problem or opportunity
When you can answer each of these in detail, you will have a clearer notion about how to start the proposal-writing process.
What kind of proposal would solve the problem? (Policy)4
How serious is the problem? (Quality)
Is there a problem? (Fact)
What exactly is the problem? (Definition)
Answer the following 4 stasis question:-
1 2
3
Internal proposals
• Internal proposals are written within a company by divisions, departments, groups, or individual to their top management. For example, a product line manager wanting to automate his assembly process, has to sell the idea to his immediate superior, through a proposal. Internal and external proposal have to follow the same principles.
Internal proposals
Body paragraph
The body of the section is where you provide the majority of the details you mapped out in your cause and effect map. The alternate approaches you can use in the body are:-• The casual approach• The effects approach• The narrative approach2A body
Identify a possible solution to the problem
You know your No. 1 & No. 2 objectives. Now, begin the mapping process. One the first try, you do not need to identify the right solutions. List a few possible solutions. Map them out separately, seeing which one best meets your top rank objectives and secondary objectives.
A “Why” table
In this table, write down one of
your major steps on the top line
and offer a brief answer to the
“why” questions.
Then write down the minor steps that support this major step and provide answer to the “why” questions next to each brief answer.
Finally, looking over the
contents of the Table, ask
yourself whether there are any
deliverables that will result
from these steps.
To boilerplate, or not to boilerplate
Boilerplates are generic descriptions of the organization, which are often pasted into proposals instead of project-specific qualification section. In the rush to push the proposal out the door, some writers simply slap in their organization’s boilerplate rather than write an original description customized for the project and client. They regularly contain information that is outdated or irrelevant to the proposed project.
How readers look at proposals?
A good design should give the readers easy “access points” to enter the text from various points and
process the text at different levels.
The cover page
The cover page typically includes the following items:-• Title of the proposal• Name of the client’s company • Name and logo of the company • Date on which the proposal was submitted
This is a DEMO Course On – Writing Proposals.
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