Assignment:
Choose a proposal type and select a specific budget that aligns with the proposal type.
Write a paper describing how the two align. In addition, compare and contrast the four principles of design and discuss which principle would be most applicable for your proposal style and budget.
Budgeting and Putting a Proposal Together
- Detail the different elements in budget proposals.
- Compare and Contrast four principles of design used in effective page layouts.
- Discuss the importance of revising the proposal and/or rethinking the problem or opportunity.
Content
I) Elements of budget proposals
a. Itemized budgets
A breakdown of proposal expenses
b. Non-itemized budgets
1) Used when readers do not need to know where every dollar is spent.
2) Usually consolidate smaller costs into larger categories
c. Fixed Budgets
d. Flexible Budgets
1) Fixed costs
2) Variable costs
3) Semi-variable costs
e. Budget Invention
1) Salaried labor
2) Direct labor
3) Indirect labor - support for Direct labor
4) Facilities and Equipment
5) Direct Materials
6) Indirect Materials
7) Travel
8) Communication
9) Profit
II) Principles of Proposal design
Four principles of design
a. Balance
b. Alignment
c. Grouping
d. Consistency
III) Building and revising a final Proposal
a. Front Matter
1) Letter of Transmittal
2) Cover page
3) Executive Summary
4) Table of Contents
b. Back Matter
1) Budget and budget rationale
2) Key personnel resumes
3) Terms and Symbols glossary
4) Formulas and Calculations
5) Other Reports or Proposals
c. Final Revision of the Proposal
IV) Develop and present a proposal based on a Request for Proposal
a. How the proposal will benefit the sales presentation.
b. How the proposal solves the needs of the customer.
c. How marketing strategies affect the success of the proposal
d. The Beta machine was put out of business by the VHS videocassette recorder
e. Microsoft is number one in their business.
f. Attention-Getting Covers
g. The Strategy of the Introduction
h. Important Differences Between Government and Private-Sector Bids
i. Proposal Formats
j. The Hook
k. The Client's General Concerns
l. Quality Begins with Problem Definition
m. Getting to the Table
n. The Matter of Intelligence
V) Identify and discuss the concepts of market intelligence
a. Persuading a client to want and buy what you offer
b. Satisfying the want by buying from you, rather than one of your competitors.
c. Examine the process of intelligence gathering and the keys to strategy development
1) One or more of a client's worry items, or keys to finding them
2) Answers to questions you would like to have been able to ask the client privately (Draw up set of questions beforehand)
3) The history behind the development of the requirement or other information connected with it in any way, such as earlier contracts or projects on which the current RFP was based.
4) Prior contracts awarded by the client that appear to be related to or similar nature
5) Information relative to any apparent gap in information offered in RFP
6) Any information that you think ought logically to have been in the RFP but wasn't (It is most useful to have prepared a written list of these items)
7) Information you believe the client deliberately held from the RFP
8) Guides for pricing
9) Identities of competitors
10) Competitors' products and contracting histories
11) Any and all relevant information of any kind, even if you do not know where it fits at first and can be labeled only "miscellaneous"