Proposal

Proposals come under many different guises. They range from casual, one-page memos to multiple-volumes that are
hundreds of pages long. Usually, a proposal is a document written by a person, business, or agency who wishes to
perform a job or solve a problem for another person, business, or agency and receive funding or money for the
proposed task, despite the differences, though, all proposals have one thing in common; they all offer to perform a
particular task or project to solve a technical problem in a particular way, under a specified plan of management, for
a specified compensation.

A proposal is a technical report, which is persuasive in character. The solution offered is discussed in detail, and
supported by designs or plans with alternative plans and designs. Such a proposal is known as technical proposal.
Another kind of proposal comes from the management, which explains the prospective client the way a project is to
be carried out, the person or persons who will direct it, and the time schedule for the different phases of project.
Such a proposal is called management proposal.

Proposals may be simple or complex. They may originate from an individual, who sees a need for change in the
present system. Proposals may advocate an alternative for the management of society or of the economy.

Therefore, the degree of formality of a proposal is in direct proportion to the situation that gives rise to it. If the
proposal is just within the organization ( a business, a government agency, etc), it may not include some of the
sections of it like qualification, etc. But if it is external, a proposal written for other company or agency, it must be
complete.

When writing a proposal, you must be very careful to write as formal and complete a proposal as the situation calls
for. Proposals differ from most other business and technical writing in one important way- they deal with the future.
It must convince the reader that there is a situation or problem and that the proposal writer is the best person to solve
the problem or repair the situation. A final issue that proposal must face is the idea that, more often than not,
proposals are legally binding offers.

Proposals are commonly referred to as solicited (invited) or unsolicited (uninvited). The former are submitted in
response to an invitation to bid by big companies or the government agencies. When the government agency makes
an invitation to bid, it means that the agency is giving exact specifications for project or service it is seeking.

Unsolicited proposals are prepared by a company in the hope that the excellence of the idea or plan they are
proposing will persuade the potential client of the need for the service or product being proposed. Sometimes, the
unsolicited proposal is precede by an informal proposal results in what is often called a “”sole-source” procurement.
Such noncompetitive proposals are commonly restricted to those rare circumstances in which it is believed the
proposing organization possesses a unique capability.

How can a proposal be made effective? According to John A. Walter of the University of Texas, a good proposal
consists of the following stages: preliminary study, drafting a plan or outline; writing a rough draft; planning
illustrations and lay-out; and review and revision.

Proposals have the following characteristics:

 Proposals deal with the future.
 Proposals must convince the reader that there is a problem and the writer can do something about it.
 Proposals must convince the reader that the writer is best person to fix the problem.
 Proposals vary in length and formality.
 Proposals are often legally binding offers.
You can improve your proposal by carefully answering the following questions:
 What do I propose to do?
 Can I do it?
 How do I propose to do it?
 Is this possible or feasible?
 What evidence can I introduce to demonstrate that what I propose to do will actually get the desired
results?
 What evidence can I use to convince my reader that my way is the best way to obtain the desired results?
 How can I show my ability to do what I propose to do?
 How much will it cost me to do the task?
 How much shall I charge to perform the task?
 What evidence must I show to convince the reader that this cost is acceptable?
 Is my time schedule appropriate?
 What evidence must I include to convince the reader that the time schedule is satisfactory?

There is no fix format or form of the proposal but most of them have the following parts.

1. Introduction. Indicate the purpose and contents of the proposal. Mention prior contact with the recipient,
or how you found out about the project. Give an overview of the contents of the proposal.
2. Background. Discuss the background of the project—the problem or opportunity that has brought about
this proposal.
3. Proposal. State what you propose to do about the problem, how you plan to help the readers take advantage
of the opportunity, how you intend to help them with the situation.
4. Benefits. Discuss the benefits of doing the proposed project, the advantages that come from approving it.
5. Procedure. Describe exactly what the completed project would consist of, what it would look like, how it
would work- describe the results of the project.
6. Results. Discuss or describe what the finished product will look like, how it will work (in the case of the
report project, describe the report in terms of page count, graphics, audience, contents, etc.)
7. Feasibility. Either here or in the benefits section discuss the likelihood of the full benefits of the projects-
particularly if it’s a business venture.
8. Schedule. Provide a schedule, including major milestones or checkpoints in the project.
9. Qualifications. Briefly list your qualifications for the project; provide a mini-resume of the background
you have that makes you right for the project.
10. Costs and Fees. List the costs of the project, the resources you’ll need to do the project.
11. Conclusion. Create a closing for the proposal, in which you urge the reader to contact you, possibly review
the benefits of doing the project and having your organization do the work.

Consider the following example of proposal. In this proposal, the writer is bidding on a contact to develop a user
guide for an Army rifle. This is a fairly common situation: a manufacturer does not have publication staff on hand to
write the manuals for its new and updated products. The manufacturer sends out a request for proposals (RFP) to its
customary vendors, receives proposals, and selects the best one.

The first part is the cover letter. This cover letter refers to previous contact with the potential client, the purpose of
the attached document, and an overview of its contents. This proposal uses the report format, which means it’s
separate document with headings and all the other elements of formal report. Notice that the introduction to the
proposal repeats some of the content in the cover letter. That’s because the cover letter could be detached from the
proposal as it is circulated around the potential client’s organization.

The italicized words are not included in the original script. It is written there for the students to see how the proposal
is organized.
Technical Writers Inc.
1234 Center Lane, Suite 301
Austin, TX 78758

Febrary 28, 2010

John Jackson, Marketing V.P.

Colt Manufacturing
456 Altimont Road
Vicksburg, TN 66780

SUBJ: Proposal to Write the Operation and Maintenance Handbook for Purchasers of the M-16A2 Rifle.

Dear Mr. Jackson:

The following proposal outlines the details discussed in our prior conversation on the proposal. It also gives
information deadlines, our bid, the graphics, and a tentative outline of the handbook. This report also includes our
sources for information on the rifle. Thank you for your time and you may contact me during business hours at the
following number: 512-259-3930.

Sincerely,

Elena Stokes, Vice President

Technical Writers, Inc.

Attached: proposal

PROPOSAL: HANDBOOK FOR THE M-16A2 RIFLE

Introduction The following is a proposal to develop a handbook that will cover the operation and
maintenance of the M-16A2 rifle. This proposal contains information on the contents
of the proposed manual, the audience level we are assuming, our schedule to
complete this project, our costs and charges, and our qualifications to produce a high-
quality finished handbook.

Audience and Purpose

The handbook will be written primarily to purchasers but may also be used by
Background gunsmiths, gun enthusiast, the military, gun clubs, and anyone else wishing to train
people in operation and maintenance of this rifle. No technical knowledge about
firearms on the reader’s part will be assumed. It will assume that readers have never
used any firearm previously. Also, we will develop the handbook at the standard 8 th-
grade reading level.
 Description of the Handbook
Proposals, benefits, This handbook should enable any person with a high school diploma to operate and
procedure, and result perform preventive maintenance on the M-16A2. This handbook will contain
graphics; technical background; firing techniques; and information on how to clean,
disassemble, and reassemble the rifle. We project the length of the handbook to be 98
pages in standard8-inch by 5-inch format.

Graphics. The graphics used in this report will consist of tables, drawings, and
pictures. The tables will show the reader technical characteristics such as bullet size,
chamber pressure, muzzle velocity, types of ammunition, and information on the
sighting of the weapon for different distances such as 200 m, 300 m, and 500 m. Also,
many pictures or drawings will be used to illustrate the various stages of disassembly,
and cleaning of the rifle.

Technical Background. The handbook will give technical background on the rifle in
the form of all the information involving the firing of the weapon, such as muzzle
velocity, maximum effective range and different size target and other technical
information that is of value to an owner, operator, or collector. This handbook will
have information on how to clean and do preventive maintenance on the weapon but
will not contain any information on major maintenance such as bent barrels, bent
sights, and worn-out firing pins. For all major repairs, the owner will be directed to
take the rifle to an authorized dealer.

Handbook outline. The instruction in the handbook will focus mainly on

disassembly, reassembly, and cleaning instructions. These instructions will be in
detail so as to give first time gun buyer enough instructions to clean the rifle properly.
Following is a working outline describing how the handbook will be produced and
laid out. This outline will include enough detail to explain the major sections and any
minor sections that may not be obvious.

I. Introduction: will contain information on the history of the rifle and its
manufacturer. It also will have illustrations of rife parts.
A. Technical characteristics: will contain information on the technical
characteristics of the rifle and this information will be backed up
with charts.
B. Ammunition: will contain information on different types of
ammunition that can be used with this weapon and their technical
characteristics.
II. Operation
A. Loading: procedure to load the weapon and safety warnings will be
included.
B. Firing. Will include what to do in case of a misfire or jamming.
Safety warning and how to adjust sights will also be included.
III. Maintenance.
A. Cleaning the weapon. Will include disassembly and assembly.
1. Disassembly
2. Cleaning
3. Assembly
 IV. Proper Storage: how to store rifle for long periods
V. Repairs and Warranty: where to get rifle repaired whether or not
warranty is in effect.

Qualifications
Technical Writers, Inc. (TWI) qualifications for this handbook are as follows:
Qualifications  The corporation has eighty years combined experience among six partners.
 TWI has won ten other contracts for weapons handbooks from Colt
Manufacturing.
 Experienced typesetters and artists who can do drawings and charts.
 Five of six partners are experienced with this weapon through military
experience.
Detailed resumes of our staff are available upon request.

Cost
We calculate the cost to develop this 98-page manual assuming 4 hours of writing
Cost and Fees time per page at P50.00 per hour. Editing, graphics, and supervision we calculate at 1
hour per 10 pages at P25.00 per hour:

Writing (4 hrs/pg @ P50.00/hr) 18,800

Editing, graphics, supervision (1hr/10pgs@P25.00/h) 245

TOTAL P19,045

Our company will write, edit, and correct any errors found in the initial draft or in
later drafts. This includes correcting technical errors or improving comprehension as
requested by your technical staff and developers.

Information Sources
The bibliography will consist of many military pamphlets. The partners of our
corporation have written to friends, who are still in the military, for the latest
information and pamphlets. Following are some books we have found to use for
research:

1. Ezell, Edward Clinton. The Great Rifle Controversy. Harrisburg: Halsted

Press, 2004.
2. Ezell, Edward Clinton. Small Arms Today. Harrisburg: Halsted Press, 2004.
3. Ferber, Steve, ed. All About Rifle Hunting and Shooting in America. New
York: Winchester Press, 2007.
4. O’Neill, Richard, ed. An Illustrated Guide to US Army. New York: Arco,
2004.

More books will be obtained for this research.

Project Checkpoint Dates

The time schedule for this project will be as follows:

Schedule March 5 Proposal returned, begin work.
March 12 Outline section on Introduction completed. Sent to Mr. Jackson for
review.
March 19 Outline section on Operation completed. Sent to Mr. Jackson for
review. Correct problems in Introduction section.
March 26 Outline section on Maintenance completed. Sent to Mr. Jackson for
review. Correct problems in other sections.
April 9 Completed copy sent to Mr. Jackson
April 12 Meeting with Mr. Jackson to review possible corrections.
April 16 Meeting with Mr. Jackson for final review.
April 23 First order sent to Mr. Jackson.

These dates are not set, but are tentative around Mr. Cook’s and Mr. Jackson’s
schedules.

Sample Proposal 2: Proposal to Organize a Barangay Cooperative

April 15, 2011

To the Barangay Council

Canlubang, Calamba City
Laguna

Subject: Putting Up a Barangay Cooperative

A cooperative is an organization of men and women in a community with the primary objective of pooling and
sharing their resources to meet a common need. Cooperatives have uplifted the financial standing of individuals and
communities and fostered cooperation and unity. The operation of loan sharks has been eliminated and individual
savings are encouraged. In the country today, many cooperatives that started with a few thousand pesos chipped in
by a few members have grown to multimillion cooperatives.

Proposal
Our barangay needs a cooperative to lift our people from poverty, and to enable them to have a small capital for
some economic venture without resorting to borrowing from loan sharks. I have invited a group of students to
conduct a survey. Of the 500 households included in the survey, 90% agreed to the establishment of a multi-purpose
cooperative. Fifty men and women have agreed to be incorporators and to subscribe to at least P1,000.00 each as
share capital. The following steps have to be taken to start the cooperative:

Requirements for Registration

A two-day pre-membership seminar will be held, to be attended by the incorporators.

The Articles of Cooperation and By-Laws have to be drawn up by the incorporators.

The incorporators will elect 11 Board of Directors who will elect from among themselves a chairman, a vice-
chairman, and a secretary. A treasurer will be appointed outside the Board.

How to Register the Cooperative

In order to acquire a legal personality, the cooperative has to be registered with the National Capital Region of the
Cooperative Development Authority. Four copies (original) of each of the following wil be submitted:

1. Economic survey;
2. Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws duly notarized;
3. Fidelity bonds of the Treasurer and the Manager; and
4. Sworn statement of the Treasurer duly notarized showing that 25% of the authorized share capital has been
subscribed and at least 25% of the total subscription has been paid.

Operation of the Cooperative

Within 90 days upon receipt of the Certificates of Registration, Cooperatives are mandated to call a Special General
Assembly meeting to prepare a Development Plan and formulate Policies on Membership, Loan, Capital Build-up,
Depository Banks, etc. Two incorporators who have had experience in cooperativism will serve as guide.

Barangay Endorsement
The organizers of this project believe that when established, the cooperative can contribute to productive endeavours
in the community, help eradicate poverty, and foster values that will enhance self-reliance, initiative, cooperation,
and unity.

The endorsement of this proposal by the Barangay Council will be the first step towards the realization of this
project.

(Sgd.) Eric Q. Manaig

Proponent