Writing Project Proposals

Prepared by: Andrew Diomampo

Enduring Understandings:
• Effective Project proposals are the result of good research
• Strong project proposals provide the best justification for a solution to a
real need.

Discussion Objectives:
• To identify the unique features of a project proposal and explain what
makes them effective
• To describe the steps in writing a proposal
• To explain how purpose and audience affect the content of a project
proposal
• To organize and format the parts of a project proposal
• To produce a persuasive project proposal
Definition
Project proposals are documents that are written for:
1. Problem solving (solution to a problem)
2. Service provision
3. Event planning
4. Equipment selling

Generally proposals are used to convince the reader to do what the proposal
suggests. Such as:
1. Buying goods or services
2. Funding a project
3. Implementing a program
• Proposals in the professional world are used for internal (within an
organization) and external (from one organization to another)
purposes.
• They are a way of generating income for companies or seeking
funding for projects
Types of Proposals
1. Formally Solicited
2. Informally Solicited
3. Unsolicited

Solicited proposals are written in response to published requirements

contained in a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation
(RFQ), Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Information (RFI)
1. Request for Proposal (RFP)
• RFPs provide detailed specifications of what the customer wants to
buy and sometimes include directions for preparing the proposal, as
well as evaluation criteria the customer will use to evaluate offers.
Customers issue RFPs when their needs cannot be met with generally
available products or services.
• RFIs are issued to qualify the vendors who are interested in providing
service/products for specific requirements. Based on the response to
RFI, detailed RFP is issued to qualified vendors who the organization
believes can provide desired services. Proposals in response to RFPs
are seldom less than 10 pages and sometimes reach 1,000's of pages,
without cost data.
2. Request for Quotation (RFQ)
• Customers issue RFQs when they want to buy large amounts of a
commodity and price is not the only issue—for example, when
availability or delivering or service are considerations. RFQs can be
very detailed, so proposals written to RFQs can be lengthy but are
generally much shorter than an RFP-proposal. RFQ proposals consist
primarily of cost data, with brief narratives addressing customer
issues, such as quality control.
3. Invitation for Bid (IFB)
• Customers issue IFBs when they are buying some service, such as
construction. The requirements are detailed, but the primary
consideration is price. For example, a customer provides architectural
blueprints for contractors to bid on. These proposals can be lengthy
but most of the length comes from cost-estimating data and detailed
schedules.
4. Request for Information (RFI)
• Sometimes before a customer issues an RFP or RFQ or IFB, the
customer will issue a Request for Information (RFI). The purpose of
the RFI is to gain "marketing intelligence" about what products,
services, and vendors are available. RFIs are used to shape final RFPs,
RFQs, and IFBs, so potential vendors take great care in responding to
these requests, hoping to shape the eventual formal solicitation
toward their products or services
Informally Solicited Proposal
• Informally solicited proposals are typically the result of conversations
held between a vendor and a prospective customer. The customer is
interested enough in a product or service to ask for a proposal.
Typically, the customer does not ask for competing proposals from
other vendors. This type of proposal is known as a sole-source
proposal. There are no formal requirements to respond. But they
choose good quality of product.
Unsolicited Proposal
• Unsolicited proposals are marketing brochures. They are always
generic, with no direct connection between customer needs or
specified requirements. Vendors use them to introduce a product or
service to a prospective customer. They are often used as "leave-
behinds" at the end of initial meetings with or customers or "give-
aways" at trade shows or other public meetings. They are not
designed to close a sale, just introduce the possibility of a sale.
What is a Good Proposal?
• A proposal stands out depending on its ability to clearly answer
questions about what is being proposed, how the plan will be carried
out, when it will be implemented, and how much money will be
needed or spent.
In other words, proposals are persuasive documents that need to do
the following:
1. Highlight reader benefits
2. Prove your credibility in carrying out the project
3. Allow the reader to respond easily
4 Basic Parts of a Project Proposal as Used in
the Professional World
1. Executive Summary
• This is the introduction to your proposal, you’ll want details, but not
minor ones. So, you’re going to outline the history, vision, goals and
timeframe for the project. You want to be engaging, really hook the
stakeholders, to fully sell them on the idea at this point.
2. History
• After you wowed them, you want to anchor your project and put it in
context. That means writing about the organization and how your
project fits into its overall strategic objectives.
• Note other projects in the works that might conflict or complement
the one you’re proposing. Here you want to be as thorough as
possible. If you leave anything out that will spark a question from the
stakeholders, then you’re going to have to respond to that, which
means the actual project’s start date will get pushed further out.
3. Requirements
• Here you’re going to address the business problem your project is
addressing and resolving. Maybe it’s an opportunity you see that you
want to exploit.
• Whatever the reason, identify it clearly and detail the reasoning
behind your decision. What is the problem or opportunity, how long
will it take to resolve or exploit this matter? Get the details, which
should support your case for the project.
4. Solution
• Okay, you’ve got the reason, the why, now you must explain the how. Write
out your solution clearly, explain the scope and how you’ll deliver it. Keep it
narrowly focused on the solution to better communicate your idea and
avoid getting sidetracked in work not leading to the reason for your
project.
• Before you start the project, you’ll also want to figure out the risks inherent
in it.
• Even as early as the proposal, you’re going to need to identify what risks
are likely, what you’ll do if they show up in your project. Some of the last
things you’ll need to address when you propose a project is the prospect of
a stakeholder turning it down.
• You should create a sort of rebuttal, where you address the questions and
concerns that they might have before they do. That gives you an
opportunity to prove you’re aware of the risks and how you’re going to
avoid them.
Formatting the Project Proposal
• Proposals are categorized according to their length. An Informal
Proposal is about 2-4 pages long. A Formal Proposal has 5 or more
pages.

A proposal’s standard parts:

1. Introduction – provides the background necessary for
understanding the project, which is done by the following:
• Rationale – identifies the problem to be addressed and shows the need to
solve it.
• Objectives – Reveal what the project intends to achieve in terms of results. It
also gives the reader an idea of the intended solution. Good objectives are
SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, results oriented, and time bound)
• Benefits – Show what the reader or the target audience can gain from the
proposal, which may be improvements in processes or systems, an increase in
revenue, or a change in behavior of the beneficiaries of the proposal
2. Project Description
This provides specific information about the project itself. It indicates
how the project will address the identified problem through the
following parts:
• Methodology – This details the different activities the project will take on,
including the manpower (the people involved and their duties) and resources
to be utilized, and the expected output.
• Schedule – Discusses the task duration and expected start and end dates of
each activity in the project.
• Budget – This presents an analysis of all the costs anticipated in the project,
which can be itemized or shown as a whole, depending on the needs of the
project.

Organizations usually provide interested parties with a require format for

project proposals, so make sure that you follow the prescribed format.
Some Guidelines
1. Gathering data – one of the characteristics of an effective proposal is
being well researched. It needs concrete data to back up its claims so it
can become more credible. You can gather data from primary and
secondary sources.
2. Organizing data – A proposal becomes more effective if the information
on it is clearly organized. You can use the parts of the proposal to guide
you in your organization, or use an outline to structure your discussion
more effectively.
3. Writing the proposal – Once you have gathered and organized the data,
draft your proposal by filling out the parts of the proposal with the
relevant data.
4. Revising the proposal – make sure to review your proposal for accuracy
and organization before you send it out. A good proposal will be
comprehensive and will put your organization in the best light.