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Chapter 11: Writing Proposals: Mike Markel-Practical Strategies For Technical English 3153: Thursday, March 31, 2016

The document discusses the key components and structure of effective proposals. Proposals are used to request funding, services, or permission for projects. They can be internal or external. Effective proposals clearly identify a problem or opportunity and propose a solution. They demonstrate the qualifications and methodology of the organization and individuals involved. Proposals also include budgets, evaluation plans, and appendices with supplemental materials. The document provides guidance on each of these sections to help writers develop successful funding and partnership proposals.

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173 views24 pages

Chapter 11: Writing Proposals: Mike Markel-Practical Strategies For Technical English 3153: Thursday, March 31, 2016

The document discusses the key components and structure of effective proposals. Proposals are used to request funding, services, or permission for projects. They can be internal or external. Effective proposals clearly identify a problem or opportunity and propose a solution. They demonstrate the qualifications and methodology of the organization and individuals involved. Proposals also include budgets, evaluation plans, and appendices with supplemental materials. The document provides guidance on each of these sections to help writers develop successful funding and partnership proposals.

Uploaded by

Alex
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHAPTER 11: WRITING

PROPOSALS
Mike MarkelPractical Strategies for Technical
Communication
English 3153: Thursday, March 31, 2016

Proposal Overview
Features of Proposals:

Offer services or propose research.

Request funding/permission for


projects or the exchange of
goods/services.

Are either internal or external.

May be solicited or unsolicited.

Internal Proposals
An internal proposal is an argument, submitted
within an organization, for carrying out an activity
that will benefit the organization (Markel, 2013,
275).
Features of Internal Proposals:

Submitted by individuals within the


organization.

Propose policy changes, recommend products,


or request funding for projects/research.

External Proposals
Features of Solicited Proposals:

Offer goods, services, or research requested


(solicited) by other companies or organizations.

Are solicited using IFBs or RFPs.

IFB (Information for Bid): Searches for the lowest bid.


RFP (Request for Proposal): Compares the services and
expertise of possible suppliers with their relative costs.

Unsolicited Proposals:

Offer prospective clients goods and services without


any formal solicitation from the client.

Grant Proposals
Grant and Fellowship Opportunities:

Internal funds from each University department.

OU Office of Undergraduate Research.

OU Center for Research Program Development and


Enrichment.

National Science Foundation (information for undergraduates).

National Institutes of Health and Grants.gov.

Nonprofit organizations (Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Bill


and Melinda Gates Foundation, and William T. Grant
Foundation).

Grant Proposals

Deliverables and Clients


Deliverables will vary for research and project proposals.

Research Proposals: Report the progress, results/data,


and completion of research or experiments.

Goods and Services Proposals: Supply products and


services for the client. Used by the government, nonprofit organizations, and corporations/manufacturers.

Proposals should show potential clients how your


organization can fulfill their stated and unstated needs.

How can proposal-writers address the needs of the client if the


RFP or IFB does not make this information clear?

Persuasion and Proposals


Persuasion Checklist:
1. Understand the needs of the client.
a. What are the primary objectives of the client?
2. Describe how you will meet these needs.
a. How can we offer the best
research/service/price?
3. Explain your qualifications.
a. What expertise, methods, procedures, and
quality-control measures make us competitive?
b. What are our personal and organizational

Tips for International Proposals


Markel connects culture with nationality, but
cultures also vary with region, religion, ethnicity,
etc.

Understand cultural standards for persuasion.

Budget enough time for translation.

Use simple graphics with clear captions.

Write short sentences with simple vocabulary.

Use local conventions regarding punctuation.

Proposal Pre-Writing Stage


Outline how you will answer the solicitation:

Discuss your procedures/methodology, necessary


equipment, and justification (if required).

Identify the employees involved with the proposal.

Consider your credentials:

Is your organization well-suited for this proposal?

Has your organization handled similar requests?

Anticipate technical details such as work schedules,


quality-control measures, and budget.

Structure of Proposals
Assess the requirements of the solicitation.

Government agencies will reject proposals that


do not follow their guidelines exactly.

Most proposals are evaluated using points


sheets (Freedom of Information Act).

Some organizations may not have specific directions.

Proposals usually include: Executive summaries,


introductions, proposed
programs/methodologies, qualifications,

Structure of Proposals

Summaries and Abstracts


Summaries and Abstracts:

Briefly (350-words) summarize the primary


components of the proposal.

Define the problem confronted by the client


and present the solution offered by the
proposal.

State the qualifications of the organization.

May include the completion date and final


budget of the proposed research/project.

Introduction
Explains the context, scope, and structure of the
proposal.
Introductions should describe:

Problem/opportunity addressed by the proposal.

Purpose and scope of the proposal.

Background of the problem/opportunity.

Relevant sources informing the proposal.

Organization proposing research/services.

Sample Literature Review


The field of multiliteracy explores recent evolutions in writing
practices due to rapid technological advancements. The advent of
the Internet and the emergence of social media has altered the
process and demands of writing practices. In response to the
increasing demands being placed on students to communicate in
a variety of mediums, leading experts Cynthia Selfe (2001) and
Jody Shipka (2009) demand a call-to-action for making
multimodal composition part of an academically rigorous FirstYear Composition (FYC) program. However, more quantitative and
qualitative data is needed prior to initiating wide-scale program
changes. For this reason, the University of Oklahoma FYC program
is seeking funding to conduct an interdisciplinary study that
measures the goals and outcomes of a multimodal writing

Proposed Program
Explains the methodology, procedure, and quality-control
of the proposal. This section contains the majority of the
content.
Proposed programs should:

Explain how you will conduct the research or


project from the proposal using relevant source
materials.

Describe the actual steps recommended by the


proposal and the deliverables connected with
these procedures.

Proposed Program

Evaluation Methods
Evaluation methods deserve careful attention from
your proposal (particularly for project proposals).

Connected with quality-control and are


typically assigned high numbers of points.

Should mention who will conduct the


evaluations (team-members, consultants,
etc.).

Should specify whether the evaluation


methods are qualitative or quantitative.

Evaluation Methods

Qualifications and Experience


Describe the qualifications and experience of the
organization, team members, and consultants/advisors.
Qualifications may include:

Specialized technical experience.

Previous experience with funded projects.

Team members with noteworthy credentials.

Rsums, CVs, or biographies of team members.

Motivation and resources of the organization.

Qualifications and Experience

Budget
Often includes short written summary of the
costs of the project followed by line-item
expenses.

Usually includes tables listing expenses.

Should indicate direct and indirect costs.

Will typically consult the finance


department for approval/guidance
(especially when the proposal-writers

Budget

Appendices
Supplemental information that might
overcomplicate the proposal or exceed the page
limit. Appendices include:

Expanded biographies of team members.

Detailed history of the organization.

More detailed information and graphs for


particular concepts/ideas/results (page limits).

Testimonials (depending on the context).

Note: Appendices are not assigned points.

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