PROPOSALS

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PROPOSALS
• A special type of analytical report designed
to get products, plans or projects accepted
by others.
• Proposals are an important job related
writing because its acceptance of
proposals can lead to significant
operational improvements, new business,
additional jobs & safer working conditions.
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PROPOSALS ARE…

 A persuasive message in which a writer

analyzes a problem and recommends a
solution.
 The problem maybe:
 A need for equipment
 Services
 Research
 Plan of action etc…
4  The recommended solution maybe:
 Products
 Personnel
 A business study
 A description of work to be performed
 Other outcomes
 Proposals are common in business.
 They must be clear, concise and meet readers
expectations
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PROPOSALS ARE…
 Gambles.
 They take time to develop and they are often
rejected.
 Proposals developers believe that they are doing
well if they win acceptance of one of every ten
proposals.
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EFFECTIVE PROPOSAL
WRITERS ARE…
 Risk takers.
 They asses the probability of success and
then decide whether to proceed.
 Proposals can be internal or external,
solicited or unsolicited, formal or informal.
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TYPES OF PROPOSALS
External Proposals
 Submitted to decision makers outside of an
organization, such as clients & government
agencies.
 More formal, often compete for a client’s
business, legally binding.
 Form the basis of a contract of approval is
granted, so they are prepared with extreme
care.
 Spells out precisely what your company will
provide under specific T & C
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EXAMPLE………………………

 If you propose to sell a

product at $250 each for 500
units, then you are bound to
deliver at that price.
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INTERNAL PROPOSALS
 submitted to decision makers in one’s own
organization.
 Two primary purposes of a proposal is:
 to seek approval for a project or course of action
(such as revising recruiting procedures, changing
the company’s training programmes, reorganizing a
department, engaging in a special studies or
adopting a more efficient way of doing something)
 To request additional resources (such as new or
upgraded capital assets, human resources or
operating funds.)
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 Most internal proposals advocate

a change,
 Take extra care to determine
whether your audience will feel
threatened by your plan.
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Solicited Proposals
 Prepare in response to a request for proposal.

 RFP includes instructions that specify the exact type

of work to performed with guidelines on how &
when the company wants the work completed.
 Writers must provide all the requested information &
use the specified format.
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 Example:

NASA decides to develop a new satellite. The agency

prepares an RFP that specifies exactly what the
satellite should accomplish and sends it to several
aerospace companies, inviting them to bid on the
job. These companies review the requirements,
define the scope of the work, determine the method
& procedures to be used, personnel requirements
and costs, then put the information in the proposal.
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UNSOLICITED
PROPOSALS

 Initiated by organizations attempting

to obtain business without a specific
invitation from a potential client.
 Writer makes the first move.
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Example:
 An entrepreneur seeking funding for
a new venture might modify a
business plan to create a proposal
that shows potential investors the
return they should expect in
exchange for the use of their funds.
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INFORMAL PROPOSALS

 Generally take the form of letters or memos.

 Some corporations or government agencies
encourage or require proposal writers to
submit preproposals.
 These are to provide a succinct description
of the project.
 The funding agency will then either reject
the proposal or direct the writer to submit a
full proposal.
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QUALITIES OF A
SUCCESSFUL PROPOSALS

 The purpose of the proposal is stated

clearly.
 The problem or need is understood
and defined clearly.
 The solution is innovative and
presented convincingly.
 The benefits outweigh the costs.
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 The personnel implementing the solution are

qualified.
 The solution can be achieved on a timely
basis.
 The proposal is honest, factual, realistic and
objective.
 The presentation is professional and
attractive.
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THE PROPOSAL SHOULD
BE…
 A powerful, persuasive message.
 The receiver are going to look for the
benefits to them, their department,
the company, the community…etc
 Getting the receivers’ attention, show
clearly the benefits of accepting the
proposal, give proof of benefits and
motivate favourable action.
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PLANNING PROPOSALS
Identify the Purpose
 Writer can present strategies to meet the needs,
outline the benefits of these strategies & offer
method to evaluate the results.
 Proposals are submitted to:

 obtain fund,

 solve a problem,

 ask for a approval &

 obtain a project.
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PLANNING PROPOSAL
 3 steps:
 Analyze – Study the situation and
define the problem.
 Investigate – Gather primary and
secondary information.
 Adapt – Establish a good audience
relationship and choose the right
channel.
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ANALYSING THE
SITUATION

 Analyse your particular situation.

 Decide the merits on writing a proposal.
 Decide if the situation would be best handled by
making a phone call, sending and email or
conducting a meeting.
 If writing a proposal is most appropriate, first define
the problem your proposal will address, then state
the purpose.
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DEFINING THE
PROBLEMS

 May be define by you, the writer or the

person who authorises the report.
 Do not confuse a simple topic with a
problem.
 Must convince reader that a problem exists,
especially important to persuade readers of
unsolicited proposals.
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TO DEFINE PROBLEM….
 Answer these questions:
 What needs to be determined?
 Why is this issue important?
 Who is involved in the situation?
 Where is the trouble located?
 How did the situation originate?
 When did it start?
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 Break the problem into a series of logical,

connected questions that try to identify
cause and effect known as problem
factoring.
 Form a hypothesis and a potential
explanation that needs to be tested, this
enable you to tackle even the most
complex situation.
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DEVELOP THE STATEMENT OF
PURPOSE
 Help you keep your report writing on task.
 It defines why you are preparing the
report.
 The more specific your purpose statement,
the more useful it will be as a guide to
planning your report.
 Double-check your statement of purpose
with the person who authorised the
report.
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 Seeing the purpose written down, the

authoriser may decide that the report
needs to go in a different direction.
 Once the statement is confirmed, use
it as your preliminary outline.
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DEVELOPING A PRELIMINARY
OUTLINE
 Gives you a visual diagram of the report – its
important points, order to be discussed, detail to
be included.
 Use it to guide our research efforts and as a
foundation for organising and composing your
report.
 The preliminary outline might differ from the
final outline developed.
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PREPARING THE WORK
PLAN
 A formal work plan might include the following:
 Statement of problem – clarifies the challenge
you face, helps you stay focus on the core
problem, helps to avoid distractions.
 Statement of purpose and scope of
investigation – describes what you plan to
accomplish and your boundaries of work,
state the issues you will cover and those
which you won’t.
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 Discussed task to be accomplished –

indicate your sources of information, the
research necessary and any constraints.
 Description of any products that will result
from your investigation – it is usually the
proposal itself but in some cases you
might produce a new marketing plan or a
tangible product. Schedule enough time
and resources to get the job done.
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 Review of project assignments, schedules

and resource requirements – indicate
individual’s responsibility, task to be
completed and the cost of the investigation.
 Plans for following up after delivering the
proposal – make sure people received the
information or conducting additional
research to evaluate the results of
proposals.
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INVESTIGATING
INFORMATION
 Identify the right questions to understand the
topic and assignments.
 Find and access secondary and primary
information.
 Evaluate and finalise your sources.
 Process your information.
 Analyse your data.
 Interpret your findings.
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ADAPT THE REPORT TO
AUDIENCE
 Establish a good relationship with your audience:
 Use the ‘you’ attitude. Show that you answer
the readers’ questions and solve their
problems.
 Emphasize the positive. State the
recommendations positively.
 Establish your credibility. The proposal
should be thorough and findings are from
credible sources.
 Be polite. Be courteous, kind and tactful.
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 Use bias-free language. Avoid unethical

and embarrassing blunders related to
gender, age, race and disability.
 Project the company’s image – adapt your
style and language to reflect the image of
your organisation.
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SELECT THE APPROPRIATE
CHANNEL AND MEDIUM
 Written reports – complex information that needs to be
presented in logical and structured format, or will be
used for future reference.
 Oral reports – when you want immediate feedback,
when there is an emotional component to your report,
when nonverbal communication is an important
element of your message.
 Electronic reports – cost saving, space saving, faster
distribution.
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TYPICAL
SCENARIOS FOR
THE PROPOSAL
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HERE ARE SOME IDEAS:
 Imagine that a company has some sort of
problem or wants to make some sort of
improvement.
 It sends out a request for proposals; you
receive one and respond with a proposal.
 You offer to come in, investigate,
interview, make recommendations—and
present it all in the form of a report.
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 Some organization wants a seminar

in your expertise. You write a
proposal to give the seminar—
included in the package deal is a
guide or handbook that the people
attending the seminar will receive.
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 Some agency has just started using a

fancy desktop-publishing system, but
the documentation is giving people
fits. You receive a request for
proposals from this agency to write
some sort of simplified guide or
startup guide.
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THE ELEMENTS OF A
FORMAL PROPOSAL
 Cover letter or memo
 Title page or cover
 Reference to authorization
 Table of contents
 List of illustration
 Proposal Summary
 Purpose
 Problem or need
40  Background
 Benefit of the proposal
 Description of the solution
 Evaluation plan
 Qualifications of personnel
 Time schedule
 Cost
 Glossary
 Appendixes
 Reference list
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 The elements stated are important for large proposals.

 But the key elements are
 the purpose,
 problem or need,
 benefits of implementing the solution,
 description of the solution,
 qualification of personnel,
 time schedule and
 cost.
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WRITING PROPOSALS
 Cover Letter or Memo
 It is also known as transmittal message.
 It introduces the proposal to the reader.
 A letter is used for external purposes while a
memo is used for internal proposals.
 It includes the content which provide
coherence for the reader, reviews the
highlights of the proposals and encourages
action.
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 Cover page
 Includes the title of the proposal, name of
proposing organization, contact person’s detail,
name of receiver, date of submission.
 Attractive & concise as it is used to identify the
proposal.
 Eliminate meaningless word and use descriptive
adjective-noun combination.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 Gives brief description of the

proposal, the needs met, the
benefits to the funding source
and a brief description of the
organization presenting the
proposal.
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 Reference to Authorization
 If the proposal is solicited, the request
should be noted in a reference to
authorization-the permission or request
for proposal.
 For informal or short RFP, the reference
could be as simple as listing the RFP
number on the cover.
 For a formal RFP, the reference to
authorization could be more than one
pages.
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 Table of Content
 List the title & page numbers of all the
major sections.
 Serves as an aid to locating specific
information.
 Name and pages of the appendixes are
also included in the table of content
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List of Illustrations
 The titles and page numbers of
any tables, figures, graphs or
other illustration are placed
here.
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 Purpose
 The purpose help the reader to understand
clearly:
 The reason you are making the proposal.
 The nature of the proposal.
 Problem or Need
 Describe the problem being solved or the needs
being met
 Use coherence technique to link it to the section
in which the purpose was stated.
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INTRODUCTION
 Present and summarise the problem you
want to solve and your solutions.
 For solicited proposal, the introduction
should refer to the RFP.
 For unsolicited proposal, the introduction
should mention factors that led you to
submit your proposal.
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TOPICS COVERED IN
INTRODUCTION
 Background or statement of problem
– briefly reviews the reader’s
situation and establishes a need for
action. For unsolicited proposal,
convince them that a problem or
opportunity exists, discuss the
current situation and explain how
things can be better.
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 Solution
 Describe the change you propose,
highlight your key selling point and
their benefits..
 Show how your proposal will solve
the reader’s problem.
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 Scope.
 State the boundaries of the proposal, what
you will cover and what you will not.
 Report Organisation.
 Orient the readers to the remainder of the
proposal.
 Calls attention to the major division of
thoughts.
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BODY
 Gives complete details on the
proposed solution and specifies what
the anticipated results will be.
 Provide facts and evidence to
support your conclusion.
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 Proposed approach.
 Describes what you have to offer, your
concept, product or services.
 To convince readers that your proposal
has merits, focus on the strengths of
your offer in relation to readers’ needs.
 Point out any advantages that you have
over your competitors, for instance
warranties, extended service etc.
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 Work plan.
 Describes how you’ll accomplish what must
be done.
 Explain the steps taken, timing, methods and
resources used and the person who will be
responsible.
 Include when will the work begin, how will it
be divided into stages, when you’ll finish and
whether follow-ups is involved.
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 Statement of qualification.
 Describe your organisation’s
experience, personnel and
facilities.
 Discuss all these aspects in
relation to the readers’ need.
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 Qualifications of Personnel
 Provide biographical information about
each key participant involved in
implementing the proposal.
 The information should include the
education, experience, accomplishments,
success, and evidence of achievement
that relate to the participant’s
involvement in the proposed solution.
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 Time Schedule
 Shows when the activity is to start and when it is
to be completed.
 Cost
 It may be presented in logical parts like
personnel, supplies, equipment and facilities or
by benefits, time phrases and other categories.
 It must cover your expenses.
 It must be reasonable in relation to the benefits,
the products or services provided.
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CONCLUSION
 Summarise the key points of the proposal.
 Emphasise the benefits the readers will realise from
your solution.
 Summarise the merits of your approach.
 Reemphasise why you and your firm are the ones to
do the work.
 Asks for a decision from client.
 Last opportunity to persuade readers to accept your
proposal.
 Should be brief, assertive and confident.
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 Glossary
 Lists alphabetically the unfamiliar terms
used in the proposal and gives their
definitions
 Appendix / Attachments
 Present detail technical information,
questionnaire used for the research, etc.
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 Reference List
 A reference list is an alphabetical listing
of all sources of information in the
proposal, including those items
presented as text citations or footnotes.
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COMPLETING PROPOSAL

 You need to revise, produce and

proofread the document.
 Revising proposals involves evaluating
content, style, organisation and tone,
 Reviewing for readability,
 Editing for clarity and conciseness.
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 The cover includes at least the

proposal’s title and the writer’s name
and the submission date.
 The title page includes the proposal
title, name title and address of the
person or group preparing the
proposal and the date of submission.
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 Letter of authorisation – document

requesting a proposal to be written.
 Letter of acceptance – acknowledges the
assignment, rarely included in proposals.
 Letter of transmittal – conveys the
proposal to the audience and may only
appear in selected copies of proposal.
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 Table of content – lists proposals headings

in form of page numbers.
 List of illustrations – gives the titles and
page numbers of visual aids.
 Synopsis – a brief review of the proposal’s
most important point.
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 Executive summary - a mini version

of the proposal that may contain
headings even visual aids. It could
replace the synopsis, since both
components would never be
included in the same proposal.
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 Synopsis
 A brief overview of the entire proposal
that may highlight the main points so
its simple to tell the reader what the
proposal is about.
 Designed to encourage the readers to
read the proposal.
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 Executive summary
 More comprehensive then a synopsis.
 May contain headings, visual aids and
enough information to help busy
executive make quick decisions.
 It is often the only thing that busy
executive read in the whole proposal.
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ORGANIZATION OF
PROPOSALS
 Introduce the proposal, telling the readers
its purpose and contents.
 Present the background—the problem,
opportunity, or situation that brings about
the proposed project.
 Get the readers’ concerned about the
problem, excited about the opportunity, or
interested in the situation in some way.
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 State what you propose to do about the

problem, how you plan to help the readers
take advantage of the opportunity, how
you intend to help them with the situation.
 Discuss the benefits of doing the proposed
project, the advantages that come from
approving it.
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 Describe exactly what the completed

project would consist of, what it would
look like, how it would work—describe the
results of the project.
 Discuss the method and theory or
approach behind that method—enable
readers to understand how you'll go about
the proposed work.
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 Provide a schedule, including major

milestones or checkpoints in the project.
 Briefly list your qualifications for the
project; provide a mini-resume of the
background you have that makes you right
for the project.
 Now, list the costs of the project, the
resources you'll need to do the project.
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 Conclude with a review of the

benefits of doing the project (in case
the shock from the costs section was
too much), and urge the audience to
get in touch or to accept the
proposal.
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 Notice the overall logic of the movement through

these section:
 Get them concerned about a problem or
interested in an opportunity,
 Get them excited about how you'll fix the
problem or do the project,
 Show them what good qualifications you have—
then hit them with the costs, but then come right
back to the good points about the project.
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PROOFREADING
PROPOSALS
 Checking over Textual Materials
 Check for you typos, spelling errors and mistake in
punctuation.
 Make sure the text is laid out on the page in a clear,
uncluttered fashion.
 Make sure nothing has been left out or overlooked
 Be certain that every word contributes to your
report’s purpose.
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CHECKING OVER VISUAL
AIDS

 Check visuals for mistake such as typographical

errors, inconsistent colour treatment, and
misaligned elements.
 Make sure your visuals are necessary, absolutely
accurate, properly documented and honest.
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 Is the visual necessary?

 Avoid the temptation to overload your reports with
unnecessary tables, graphs and charts.
 Don’t give people information they don’t need simply
because you want to impress them.

 Is the visual accurate?

 Be sure that every bit of information included in a visual is
consistent with what is said in the text.
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 Is the visual properly documented?

 If you use someone else’s data, you need to give credit by
citing the source of any data you use in creating a visual.
 Identify the actual source of data or refer to the nature of
information.
 To avoid cluttering your graphic, you could used a
shortened citation on the graphic itself and include a
complete citation elsewhere in the report.
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 Is the visual honest?

 Don’t leave out data points that don’t fit your needs.
 Don’t omit any outside influences on the data you’re
portraying.
 When portraying graphs, choose a scale that convey a
realistic picture of what's happening
 Maintain the same scale in successive charts comparing
the same factors.
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GETTING FEEDBACKS
FROM PROPOSALS

 Once you complete and send the proposal to

your audience, you will naturally expect a
positive response – but not always it will be.
 You might get half hearted praised or totally
no comments or serious criticisms.
 Learn from these experiences.
 If no comments given, it is advisable that you
politely asked if the report has arrived.
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EXAMPLES OF
PROPOSALS
Work Request Proposal
 Submitted as a request to complete a work project.
 Includes details of work to be completed, description
of facilities & capabilities of proposer, complete
technical information, detailed cost of the project, a
schedule.
 Use graphics to clarify details and relationships
82

Funding Request Proposal

 A proposal for funds.
 Emphasize the credibility & ability of the proposer to complete
the project.
 Include:
◦ Introduction
◦ Reasons supporting request
◦ Explanation of benefits
◦ Specific request for fund
◦ Brief summary
◦ Simple graphics
83
FORMAT OF PROPOSALS
Letter Layout
 Uses business letter layout with 7 basic parts of a business
letter.
 Shorter than a formal proposal.
 Heading introduces major topics.
 Subheadings are useful to help understanding.
 Closing paragraph may express appreciation, ask for early
reply or specify deadlines to be sure work can begin on a
specified date.
 Use an itemized cost sheet as attachment.
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Memorandum Layout
 Standard memorandum layout
 Prepared on preprinted proposal forms that include
sections for specifications for the work procedures, the
costing for labour & materials & the schedule for the
project.
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LANGUAGE & STYLE OF
PROPOSALS
 Aim for clarity
◦ Use simple, non-technical language.
◦ Avoid jargon, define key terms & explain abbreviations.
 Choose a forceful style
◦ Use direct language with positive, forward-looking tone.
 Use appropriate formality
◦ Determine the formality by relationship with the receiver &
requirements for the project.
◦ Long proposal is written in formal style
◦ Internal proposals written in memo format
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SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS
REQUIREMENTS
 Audience:
 Describe the audience of the proposal and
the proposed report (they may be
different) in terms of the organization they
work for, their titles and jobs, their
technical background, their ability to
understand the report you propose to
write.
87

 Situation:
 Describe the intended audience of the
proposal: who they are, what they do,
what their level of knowledge and
background on the proposal topic is.
 Describe the situation in which the
proposal is written and in which the project
is needed: what problems or needs are
there? who has them, where are they
located?
88

 Report type:
 Explain what type of report you intend to
write: is it a technical background report?
a feasibility report? Provide enough
explanation so that your instructor can see
that you understand the type of report.
89

 Information sources:
 List information sources; make sure you
know that there is adequate information
for your topic; list specific books, articles,
reference works, other kinds of sources
that you think will contribute to your
report.
90
TUTORIALS
 You are a senior sales manager in one of the
top international organization. But due to
the recent economy crisis, the monthly sales
figures are dropping drastically. You believe
that by adding commission sales personnel
will make an improvement. Therefore you
are to write a proposal to your CEO. Write
your proposal in detail in the memo format.