22 Proposal Structure
Proposals and the Rhetorical Situation
Like all the other professional documents we’ve worked with, the exact structure of a proposal varies depending on the specifics of the rhetorical situation. In most cases, when a company issues an RFP, there will be certain elements or sections that they will require in any proposal. But those are usually considered as ‘add on’s’ – situationally specific elements that are added on to the typical sections of a proposal.
Some of the sections in this ‘standard’ organization model may be longer/shorter/not included in certain situations. Nevertheless, it’s a good template of sorts to familiarize yourself with.
The ‘Standard’
The following specific sections are the foundation for most proposals.
Summary
Sometimes, you may see this referred to as an ‘Executive Summary’ but whatever the name is, what it does is exactly what the title suggests: it summarizes all of the most important information that’s contained in the body of the proposal. It’s designed to provide a quick reference for any part of the audience who does not have enough time (or the need) to read the whole thing. As a writer, this part of the proposal is also your first chance to convince the audience to read the entire thing.
Think of it like this: an RFP for a massive company like Amazon would likely result in thousands of proposal submissions and, to quote a famous internet scholar: ain’t nobody got time for that. The summary would then be the thing that reviewers would use to weed out the proposals that clearly don’t make the cut. As simple as the summary seems, it could make all of the difference between acceptance and rejection.
Introduction and Background
This section is particularly important in an unsolicited and/or external proposal. It’s used to show the audience specifically what the problem is that your proposal is meant to address and why your solution to it would benefit them.
The most important concept to remember when creating an unsolicited proposal is this: you are trying to convince someone you don’t work for/with that they should hire you (and pay you) to fix something wrong with their company or to allow you to partner with them in some way that will clearly benefit you. If you want to do that, you need to convince them that paying you will, in the end, pay off for them.
This section of the proposal should clearly demonstrate that the audience needs you and that you can benefit them.
Project Description
Here’s where the nuts and bolts come in: what are you actually going to do? In this section, the writer needs to spell out the details of the proposed project and how the project will help solve a problem or bring a significant benefit.
Those details will vary from proposal to proposal, but the description section should always do a few specific things. It will explain the ‘when’, as in how you plan to complete the project within the required timeline or, if there was no timeframe given, within a reasonable time frame. It will clearly provide the benefits of the proposed project (yes, again) and it will also spell out the consequences of not doing it. Additionally, the description needs to include the methods you plan to use and a list of any resources you’re going to need to accomplish the goal.
For example, if you’re proposing something that will require the company to develop an entirely new computer network for you to do the job, they need to know that before accepting the proposal.
Lastly, you need to be proactive and address any anticipated roadblocks. In the example above, the IT Department might object to the proposal, citing the massive workload it would require them to take on. Addressing that in the proposal – and including some counterpoint that outweighs the concerns – will take the steam out of the objections before they’re even voiced.
There’s probably no better example of how effective that can be than the final rap battle from the movie 8 Mile:
Eminem takes away everything his opponent can say about him before the other guy even gets the mic. Anticipating objections and countering them – when you can – demonstrates an awareness of the situation and the company you’re trying to work with. That can go a long way toward getting a proposal to be seriously considered or even accepted.
Timeline
This section may vary slightly depending on whether the proposal is solicited or unsolicited. If the proposal is in response to an RFP, it’s likely that there was already a required timeline established in the original request. In that case, this section of the proposal would need to include details on how you expect to complete the work within the required amount of time.
If the proposal is unsolicited – or there was no required time frame in the RFP – then this section would need to lay out your proposed timeline which needs to be both feasible (doable) for you, as the one proposing the project and acceptable for the audience. For example, if you’re proposing a facilities remodel project that would take one or more of the company’s buildings ‘offline’ for any sort of extended time, you need to provide specifics as to why that’s necessary and how you plan to get the work done in a quick enough fashion to outweigh the inconvenience.
Remember – always be specific and realistic. Don’t overpromise when it comes to time.
Budget
And here’s another section where it’s a very bad idea to overpromise. Your proposed budget needs to be detailed and itemized, accounting for every expense. This is where visuals can be helpful. A graph the illustrates the rise and fall of projected costs over the length of the project would show the audience what to expect in terms of impact on their bottom line. This section will require some specific calculations – no ‘let’s just call it a thousand’ – as your audience is likely to run their own numbers and you’re probably going to be competing against other proposals, so your budget needs to be reasonable and competitive.
Credentials and References
You’re proposing that an company or organization trust you to lead a significant project, likely with a significant budget. You need to ensure that they trust your ability to get the job done. Including specifics as to your qualifications (licenses, certifications), experience (previous similar projects), and evidence (testimonials or contact info from prior clients) can do a lot to assuage any concerns the audience might have.
It’s also vital that you ‘show your work’: there are most likely going to be parts of your proposal that required you to do some level of research, either into the company, the problem, the solution, or even the expenses. Citing the sources you used and documenting the research and/or data that you included in the proposal will demonstrate your willingness to do the hard work and preclude any accusations or allegations of plagiarism or using GenAI in unethical ways.
Conclusion
This is the last thing your audience is going to read – make a good final impression. Summarize the proposal one last time, paying special attention to the benefits it offers. Reminding the audience once more that you can help them is a good method for wrapping up your proposal and leaving them on a high note.
The elements of the proposal will vary from one situation to another. You may need to include other sections or documents – like a cover letter or more visuals – depending on the requirements of the specific proposal. But these sections will, in all likelihood, appear in most proposals in one way or another.
