CHAPTER#08MANAGEMENT OF TECHNICAL PROPOSALS AND SPECIFICATIONS

Lecture No. 08

Course: Engineering Management

19 april 2013 MED DEPARTMENT, U.E.T TAXILA

COURSE INSTRUCTOR : PROF. DR. SHAHAB KHUSHNOOD

INTRODUCTION• The proposal is used by the engineering

organization to bring in new business which will ultimately make profit for company.

• It is document comprising an offer from the contractor to the customer to carry out a certain task by a specified time at the defined level of quality for a certain amount of money with the aid of his manpower and facilities.

• The specification are used to convey clearly and accurately the information regarding the work to be performed.

Technical Proposals

• In engineering business the proposals are used regularly to bid for contracts.

• Therefore an organization must organize itself properly to prepare effective proposals in order to secure contracts in the competitive market.

• For that reason, we presents the important aspects of technical proposals.

Types Of Technical Proposals

1. Solicited Technical Proposal• This type of proposal is submitted by the contractor

to customer for the work to be done after receiving request for proposal from the customer.

• The request for proposal contains the information on work to be accomplished.

• Usually the customer requires information from the contractor such as follows

Solicited Technical Proposal (Cont.…)

Plans of the contractor to attack the work in question

Contractor’s qualificationsPrice of the contractor’s effort Work schedule

Types Of Technical Proposals (cont.…)

2. Unsolicited Technical Proposal• The proposal which is initiated by the contractor

without a formal request for proposal from the customer is known as unsolicited proposal.

• This type of proposal is used in situation, for example, when the contractor’s organization feels that there is a definite need for the specific work or a study and such work or study needs financing from an outside body.

Types Of Technical Proposals (cont.…)

3. Technical Brochure• It is also called “General Proposal”.• Technical brochure is used to explain

contractor’s capabilities to potential customers so they can make use of services offered by the contractor.

Upper Management Considerations In The Development Of A Proposal

• Profit• Competition• Is the work involved in the proposal

compatible with company policy• Price of the contract• If the firm’s bid is unsuccessful, will it effect

the company image• What are the requirements for resources• What are the risks involved with the project

Upper Management Considerations In The Development Of A Proposal (Cont.…)

• What will be preparation cost of the proposal• Should the company bid low to win the

contract• What will be the duration of this contract• Where is the importance of this project to

company

A Procedure For Preparing Effective Engineering

Proposal

Procedure for preparing effective proposal composed of eight steps

A Procedure For Preparing Effective Engineering Proposal (Cont.…)

Step 1• This step involves the investigation of a

proposal request or the study of the content of a proposed unsolicited proposal

• The objective of this investigation is to thoroughly understand what is really required in the proposed project and to summarize it into a single sentence if possible

A Procedure For Preparing Effective Engineering Proposal (Cont.…)

Step 2• This step is concerned with preparing the

proposal outline• It is always wise to prepare the outline the

proposal first• The contents of the outline include topics such

as summary, problem under consideration, manpower and facilities

A Procedure For Preparing Effective Engineering Proposal (Cont.…)

Step 3• In this step, the outline of the proposal is

circulated to concerned bodies for their suggestions and comments

• Once all the comments and suggestions are received, they are reviewed

• Finally the outline is revised to incorporate the useful comments and suggestions

A Procedure For Preparing Effective Engineering Proposal (Cont.…)

Step 4• In this step the proposal writing or

preparing duties are assign to groups or persons

• Special care must be given when assigning the duties of writing the summary and the problem requiring solution

A Procedure For Preparing Effective Engineering Proposal (Cont.…)

Step 5• This step is concerned with reviewing the already

written portions of the proposal• This way one will have effective control of the work in

progress• If there is any departure from the correct path, it will

be detected and corrected immediately before too much time is wasted on the incorrect path

• When reviewing the written material the attention must be given to pints such as clarity, technical accuracy and sequence of the already written material

A Procedure For Preparing Effective Engineering Proposal (Cont.…)

Step 6• This step is concerned with getting the

written proposal document typed• Proper care must be given when getting

such as document typed, otherwise it may reflect on the company’s image

A Procedure For Preparing Effective Engineering Proposal (Cont.…)

Step 7• In this step the proposed document is reviewed

very carefully to identify any error or weakness• In addition, review the cost figure used in the

proposal to see their competitiveness with other bidders, the accuracy and so on

Step 8• Submit the necessary copies of the proposal to

concerned bodies

Pertinent Items For Inclusion In Proposals

• Proposed, scope and the problem definition• Problem history, need for solution and solution

benefits• Techniques or procedures for solving the problem• Time required to accomplish the project• Breakdown of project tasks• Price of the project• Earlier association reference

Pertinent Items For Inclusion In Proposals

• Project manpower• Qualifications of the involved manpower• References• Proposal specifications

Typical Format Of A Proposal

• Actual format of the proposal documen-tation may differ from one project to another

• However the basic format for all the proposals is the same.

Role Of Customer Relations In Proposal Preparation

Following points are helpful in promoting good relations with the customer• Always remember when writing an engineering proposal

that it is being written for people who have a technical background

• Write the proposal well. It must be logical, concise, clear and specific

• Have enthusiasm when preparing a proposal• Have respect for your customer• Have associated with the proposal only those people who

are compatible with their counterparts in the customer’s organization

Engineering Specifications

• Specifications are used when developing new engineering products

• The quality of the specification will directly effect the product it specifies.

1.Engineering specifications classifications

Various aspects of engineering specifications are described as:a) Specifications type 1

These specifications are concerned with performance and are used to describe the final product requirements.

b) Specifications type 2These specifications are concerned with design and contain information on how the final product requirements are to be fulfilled.

Engineering specifications classifications (cont.…)

C) Specifications type 3• These are known as construction

specifications.• They describe requirements for items such

as materials, legality and techniques needed in actual manufacturing of an engineering product.

2. Specification Writing Hints

Engineering Specification LayoutThe general format of specifications is as followsTitle Sheet• This sheet is used to present information such

as the title, name and address of the organization in question, date, etc.

Table Of ContentsIntroduction To Specification• This section describe the background

information associated with the specification under consideration.

Engineering Specification Layout (Cont.…)

Scope• This provides precise information on the product

under consideration and its role.Other documents associated with associationTechnical specification• This is the backbone of overall specification document• It covers the necessary information useful for

obtaining effective control of items such as construction, performance and process.

• Examples are materials, spares, performance, reliability, maintenance and so on.

Engineering Specification Layout (Cont.…)

Particulars Of Other Necessary Information• This section covers information on documentary

material.• Examples of such documentary material are

product maintenance drawings, test reports and operation handbooks.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Engineering Specification

Advantages• Help standardization• Help to produce better quality product• Help to better understand the exact needs of

customerDisadvantages• Time consuming• May restrict innovation

Advantages Of Standard Specification For Materials

• Helpful in comparing bids• Due to mass production of standardized items, the cost

decreases• They can be included by reference• Reasonably available materials in the market can be

chosen by the designer• A customer can make use of a specification which is

already tried• Helpful in comparing results of testing carried out by

different organizations• Helpful in reducing the manufacturer’s varieties