By: Miguel A. Bustillos, owner of Bustillos Consulting, LLC
Writing Proposals!
Business people write proposals all the time. They do it to solve problems, provide services, or sell equipment. Some proposals are internal and they are used as a form of justification and recommendation. However, most reports are external and are critical means of selling equipment and services that generate income for many companies.
There are two types of business proposals, the informal and the formal.
Informal proposals are made up of six parts and consist of about 2-4 page letters or memos:
1) Introduction: Explains the purpose, introduces the author, and captures the reader’s interest
2) Background: identifies problems and goals of project
3) Proposal: discusses the plan and goals of project
4) Staffing: Describes credentials and expertise of the project leaders
5) Budget: Indicates budget cost
6) Authorization Request: ask for approval to proceed
Formal proposals include all the parts of the informal proposals plus 7 more parts.
7) Copy or the request for proposal
8) Letter or memo of transmittal
9) Abstract and/or executive summary
10) Title page
11) Table of contents
12) List of figures
13) Appendix
Formal proposals may range from 5 to 500 or more pages. Formal proposals respond to big projects and require a lot of time for preparation, expertise and countless staff hours.
Miguel A. Bustillos is the owner of Bustillos Consulting LLC.