PROPOSAL

A plan or suggestion, especially a formal or written one, put forward for

consideration or discussion by others. A proposal is a suggestion, usually in written
form, to get people to support an idea or plan. A well-written proposal can help to secure
a deal.

PURPOSES OF PROPOSALS:

A business, an industrial firm, or an individual that seeks the award of a contract

from another firm or a government agency must submit a proposal (bid) before being
considered. The proposal writer's purpose is to offer help for solving perceived problem
in the reader's organization or government office -in exchange for remuneration. the
purpose of such business proposal is in one way similar to that for memorandum
justification-recommendation reports. Similarly, a researcher who needs a grant before
undertaking a costly project of study culminating in a long, formal report must write a
research proposal to the funding agency.

KINDS OF PROPOSALS:

Basically, Proposals should be factual, objective, logical; they should have all the
qualities of well-written reports. In general, however, we may refer to kinds in tree ways,
according to their purpose, length, and origin. there are Business Proposals and
Research Proposals. In length, proposals may be similar to other reports, short or long
and formal. Also, like reports, proposals may be solicited or unsolicited.

When you write a solicited business proposal, remember you may have many
competitors also bidding for that contract. Follow meticulously the proposal
requirements of the solicitor.

Likewise, when you write an unsolicited proposal, you need to convince the
reader that you understand the organization's problem and that your firm or you are
qualified to solve it successfully. You need to emphasize the benefits to the reader's
organization.

SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR PROPOSAL OUTLINES:

Among the topics listed below are some you will usually consider for your
proposals. They may be for major business proposals on sales of your company's
services, equipment, or extensive installation facilities
 1. The introduction – What it is: Also known as the summary, overview, or
abstract (and because of how difficult it is to write, it also goes by a few other,
not-so-polite pseudonyms). How to do it well: Open with a shocking piece of
data, your unique problem-solving angle, or a thoughtful hook that specifically
addresses your target audience's needs.

2. The problem – What it is: What you plan to solve, why it's important, and any
additional information that provides greater context to the conversation. How to
do it well: Focus on empathizing with your potential client or partner's situation.
If you can, do additional research on the industry or interview them ahead of
time. Include things like comparisons to other solutions that haven't worked for
them in the past or identifying value that they need but might not expect from
your solution at first glance.

3. The solution – What it is: A brilliant idea for how you'd like to crush the
problem, along with details on what your goals are, the steps you'd take to
accomplish them, and what the proposal reviewer would have to do. How to do
it well: Project proposal ideas are most successful when they include things
like a simple yet specific result you actively benchmark, measure, and update
stakeholders on every step of the way.

4. The money – What it is: Your definitive answer to "what's this all going to cost
me?" as well as the nitty-gritty on how project finances will be budgeted. How
to do it well: Every budget line should include a clear description of what it is,
along with a compelling sentence or two about why it is needed to achieve the
desired outcome.

5. The management – What it is: How will you monitor progress along the way?
Are there any success markers you'll use to keep the project on the right path?
How long is this whole thing going to take anyway? How to do it well:
Flowcharts and infographics make great supplementary materials (which, by
the way, can be planned out in Wrike and serve as a little preview for things to
come).

6. The conclusion – What it is: A summary of all the preceding sections along
with an inspiring, time-sensitive call to action that provides a next step for the
reader. How to do it well: Make sure that you plan for your conclusion ahead of
time by discussing an approval date before including it here. Think you've got
everything you need to start writing a stunning project proposal outline? You're
close but not quite there

FORMAT OF PROPOSALS:
 After you have written, in rough draft, your answers to all pertinent topics, and
them in coherent orders. If your discussion under one topic is too brief, you need to
expand on it, or perhaps group the information under another.

The format of the proposal may include some or many of the parts form formal
reports. Here is one possible suggested format for a formal research proposal.

1. Prefatory Part
Title Page
Letter of Transmittal
Table of Contents
List of tables and/or figures (if any)
Executive summary or abstract

2. Body of Proposal
Introduction
Problem
Need
Background
Objectives or purpose
Procedures
Methods and sources
Plan of attack
Sequence of Activities
Equipment, Facilities
Personnel qualifications
3. Supplementary Parts
Agency Forms
Budget justification
References
Tables, maps, or graphs

WRITING STYLE AND APPEARANCE:

In its digest on proposal writing, the Washington State Office of Economics

Opportunity includes the following excellent advice:
First impressions are very critical. None in more so than that first impression your
proposal gives to the reader when submitted to an agency or foundation for
consideration. Many proposals are lost at the first look by the reader. He or she
appraises the proposal immediately in terms of:
 1. General appearance
2. Neatness
3. Specific appearance of:
a. Table of contents
b. List of figures
c. Title page
d. Maps
e. Graphs
f. Charts
4. Consistency of style
5. Title - is it grandiose or does it property describe the project?
6. Completeness
7. Professionalism

Therefore, you cannot afford to skimp on time you spend in "polishing" your
proposal. Each item must be checked and re-checked.

The preceding suggestions on proposal outline, format, writing style and

appearance can be adapted to all kinds of proposals

SHORT PROPOSAL:
Prior considerations
» In addition to this document, we strongly advise that you read the rules for
participation document in full. Proposals that do no comply with the rules for
participation will be rejected
with no right to appeal.

» All applicants are required to comply with the criteria for format, structure and
content
specified in this document.

» The guidelines have been designed to ensure that the most important aspects of
your project are presented in a way that will enable the experts to make an effective
assessment using the evaluation criteria.

» Project evaluators are instructed to assess proposals according to the rules

established in the call documents. This means that only proposals that successfully
address all the required
aspects are likely to be funded.
» At this stage, evaluators will assess three main aspects: novelty, scientific
soundness and social relevance (see assessment of proposals guide). Therefore,
short proposals must be focused on these aspects rather than details of the
methodological or implementation aspects. However, short proposals are expected
to have well-developed and robust conceptual frameworks, methodologies and
research designs. Should your proposal be preselected, bear in mind that full
proposals must build on what is presented in the short proposal. No changes can
be incorporated into the aspects already addressed in the short proposal.

» Short proposals are presented by a project leader and their evaluation is entirely
anonymous. Proposals selected for phase 2 of the evaluation will submit a full
proposal and details of the research team.

Page limit: 3 pages

» If your short proposal exceeds the page limit, your proposal will be rejected.
» This should be a self-contained document; no links or annexes should be
included.
» Short proposals should not include any references or a bibliography.
» Figures images and charts can be used as long as
a) they do not exceed the page limits,
b) they comply with the format criteria (font, text size...).

Format criteria:
Please respect the following formatting constraints:
Font Calibri, size 11, page size A4, 2.5 cm. margins (left, right, top and bottom), 1.5
line spacing, and justified text. Title fonts can be larger. Hyphenation allowed.
Typographic tools such as bold, italics, indentations or underlines are also
permitted.

Do not change the typography, margins, spacing or any other format criteria.
Footnotes (if any) must comply with the same format requirements as the core text.
Proposals that do not
comply with the format criteria will be rejected.

Structure and content:

Your short proposal must have the following structure:

1. Header
» Project acronym
» Title of your proposal

2. Research proposal
 Suggested structure (this order and structure is not obligatory but we recommend
you address these points)
» Introduction: What is the context of this project? Why is it important? Describe
the main ideas, key concepts, models and assumptions.

» Aims and hypotheses: What are the main hypotheses or research questions?

» Innovation: How is your project innovative? Describe the innovation potential

within your project e.g. ground-breaking objectives, novel concepts and
approaches, new methodologies or research topics, cutting edge data
management.

» Expected outcomes and outputs: What unique contribution(s) does your

project make and what does the literature (across disciplines) say about this
problem? Describe how your proposal would improve the state of the art, and
the extent to which the proposed work is ambitious.

» Social relevance: What societal challenge(s) is your research proposal

tackling? What insights will it provide? Explain the scope of your proposal, how it
addresses any specific social challenge(s) in Spain and/or Portugal and why it is
relevant. How your proposal will bring significant benefits for society?

3. Methodology:
Describe the proposed methodology, including: What kind of data will be used to
inform the questions under study? What is your Data Management Plan? Describe
what types of data the project will generate/collect, and how this data will be
exploited and/or shared/made accessible for verification and re-use. If data cannot
be made available, explain why. Define how this data will be curated and preserved.

4. Implementation
Is your project feasible? Describe any critical risks, relating to project
implementation, that the stated project’s objectives may not be achieved and detail
risk mitigation measures.

LONG, FORMAL PROPOSAL:

Many projects require proposals with comprehensive, detailed, elaborate
presentations about various intricate problems.

Solicitation Proposal
Proposal solicitation is a stage of the business buying process in which the buyer invites
qualified suppliers to submit proposals. In response, some suppliers will send only
catalog or a salesperson. However, when the item is complex or expensive, the buyer
will usually require detailed written proposals or formal presentations from each
potential supplier.

Business marketers must be skilled in researching, writing, and presenting proposals in

response to buyer proposal solicitations. Proposals should be marketing documents, not
just technical documents. Presentations should inspire confidence and make the
marketer’s company stand out from the competition.

Chronology of Procedures for Solicited Major Proposals

A complete chronology of the entire process for a major proposal could go the
eight steps
1. the soliciting company publicly announces a project in professional public
newspapers, and newsletters or writes to certain companies asking if
their interested in bidding on the project.
2. Contacted companies, and others reacting to the public announcement,
the preliminary proposals based on initial requested information.
3. the soliciting company reviews all submitted documents, eliminates some
companies on the basis of this preliminary review, and establishes a short
list finalists.
4. The soliciting company (1) asks each of the finalists bidding for the
contract to submit a highly detailed proposal and (2) sets deadlines for
receiving the proposal.
5. Finalist companies select their written and oral presentation teams; writing
their proposal proceeds through several editions: oral rehearsals of
statements based on the proposal occur.
6. Finalist companies submit proposals to the soliciting group; dates are
established for the oral presentation to the soliciting group.
7. Finalist companies make their presentations.
8. Finalist companies wait for response--from one month to as long as half a
year or longer.

Proposal Preparation

Proposal table of contents includes six major parts. Each part is presented by a
title page listing its topics, some with subheads and pertinent pictures following are the
proposal's main topics:
Objectives
Communications problems
Direction benefits
Summary of Direction features
Direction pricing
Current service and costs
Centrex benefits
 Centrex pricing
Optional Services
Explanation of contract
Summary of system features
Appendix

The body of the proposal is neatly, accurately typed with helpful being (second, third,
and fourth-degree).