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Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's 1
• Analyze your audience.
• Analyze your purpose.
• Gather information about your subject.
• Choose the appropriate type of proposal.
• Draft the proposal.
• Format the proposal.
• Revise, edit, proofread, and submit the proposal.
Writing a proposal requires seven steps:
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Understand the logistics of proposals
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Solicited and unsolicited proposals respond to different needs:
• Solicited proposals are sent in response to an IFB (information for bid) or an RFP (request for proposals).
• Unsolicited proposals are submitted by a prospective supplier who believes that the customer has a need for goods or services.
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• research
• goods and services
Proposals lead to two kinds of deliverables:
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• Show that you understand the readers’ needs.
• Show that you have decided what you plan to do, and that you are able to do it.
• Show that you are a professional, and that you are committed to fulfilling your promises.
A successful proposal is a persuasive argument
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• Understand that what makes an argument persuasive can differ from one culture to another.
• Budget enough time for translating.
• Use simple graphics, with captions.
• Write short sentences, using common vocabulary.
• Use local conventions regarding punctuation, spelling, and mechanics.
• Ask if the prospective customer will do a read-through.
When writing international proposals, follow these six suggestions:
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• Provide your credentials and work history.
• Provide your work schedule.
• Describe your quality-control measures.
• Include your budget.
Follow these four guidelines in demonstrating your professionalism:
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Avoid these four common dishonest practices:
• saying that certain qualified people will participate in the project, even though they will not
• saying that the project will be finished by a certain date, even though it will not
• saying that the deliverable will have certain characteristics, even though it will not
• saying that the project will be completed under budget, even though it will not
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• to avoid serious legal trouble stemming from breach-of-contract suits
• to avoid acquiring a bad reputation, thus ruining your business
• to do the right thing
There are three reasons to write honest proposals:
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To follow through on a proposal, you need three categories of resources:
• personnel• facilities• equipment
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• summary
• introduction
• proposed program
• qualifications and experience
• budget
• appendices
A typical proposal includes six sections:
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• What is the problem or opportunity?
• What is the purpose of the proposal?
• What is the background of the problem or opportunity?
• What are your sources of information?
• What is the scope of the proposal?
• What is the organization of the proposal?
• What are the key terms that you will use in the proposal?
An introduction answers seven questions:
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Task schedules are presented in one of three formats:
• table• bar chart or Gantt chart• network diagram
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This is a task schedule as a table:
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This is a task schedule as a bar chart:
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This is a task schedule as a network diagram: