Chapter 3: Developing project proposals

A proposal is a selling document; it is not a technical report. In the proposal, the contractor must convince the customer that the contractor

·    Understands what the customer is looking for

·    Can carry out the proposed project

·    Will provide the greatest value to the customer

·    Is the best contractor to address the need or solve the problem

·    Will do the work professionally

·    Will achieve the intended results

·    Will complete the project within budget and on schedule

·    Will satisfy the customer

In the proposal, the contractor must highlight the unique factors that differentiate it from competing contractors. The proposal may emphasize the benefits to the customer if the customer selects the contractor to perform the project.

Proposals should be written in a simple, concise manner; they should not be wordy or redundant. They should use terminology with which the customer is familiar and avoid abbreviations, acronyms, jargon, and other words that the customer my not know or understand. Simple illustrations and graphics should be used when possible.

Proposals must specifically address the customer’s requirements as laid out in the RFP. Proposals written in generalities will cause the customer to question whether the contractor really understands what needs to be done and how to do it. For example, suppose one of the requirements in a customer’s RFP is the design of a specialized piece of machinery that will produce 20 parts per minute. A contractor proposal stating that “the machine to be designed will infact produce 20 parts per minute” is more convincing than one stating that “the machinery will be designed to produce the maximum number of parts per minute”, the customer will be doubtful about the latter statement because “maximum” could mean something less than 20 parts per minute.

Proposals must be realistic in terms of the proposed scope, cost, and schedule in the eyes of the customer. Proposals that promise too much or are overly optimistic may seem unbelievable and again raise doubt about whether the contractor understands what needs to be done and how to do it.