Last week, we were asked for the first time to send over a detailed project proposal in response to an initial brief document; for a fairly large client. This was the first time we received this request: normally things flow in the normal sense of client contact – meeting – quote – project.
The first we thing we did was scour the internet which turned up an interesting app called Quote Robot . It is a nifty web application that outputs beautiful quotes and multi-page proposals (in moments). Quote Robot is just about the only proposal tool out there ; As such we decided to include the following main sections in our proposal
Project Objectives and Brief
In this section, we began by quoting a wonderful part from their brief that we felt summarised their project. We then followed this by detailing our interpretation of the brief and the exact objectives and aims of the project.
Research
Following the project objectives and brief, we then detailed the research we would undertake for the project with approximate timescales. A quick explanation of why this is essential before commencing any development on their project. A few lines about how you as a company do this to understand the client and its project fully and how it relates to the final outcome. This section outlined the importance of
– in-depth meetings
– competitor analysis
– storyboards
– further developing the brief
– assessing the projects finer details
– storyboard for the design and feel of a website
– typography treatment experiments
– development of logo concepts
– three initial layouts for a print piece etc
– install a cms
– implement a website
– what paper stock to use for print material
Payment / Budget / Timescales
In this section you provide detailed estimates of how you charge everything going into the project. As well as a breakdown of your rates and fees for further extensions / delays etc.
Timescales; a big part of any project – this is were details of when you plan to complete things by is recorded. As well as importantly, when you expect to receive things by such as content, images, deposits and installments etc. Last but not the least I would suggest you also decide upon a good web host for your web site if the project is online. Cheap web hosting is preferable to many as it can save you a lot.
Is there anything else that should be definitely included in a proposal?
