Contractor Proposal Template Checklist

Use this template to guide you when you are submitting a contractor proposal.

Introduction:

Enter your details

Enter client details

Pre-Proposal Tasks:

Study the RFP criteria

Define the problem/need

Establish if any licenses or permits are needed

Plan your proposal

Choose a title

Writing the Proposal:

Write your introduction

Write your need/problem statement

Write a detailed project description

Confirm resources needed

Confirm the budget

Establish the time schedule for payments

Include your experience

Clarify your terms & conditions

Send terms & conditions to lawyer

Include a key CTA

Pre-Submission Tasks:

Check the aesthetics

Check the structure

Check the language

Send your proposal to a "cold reader" to review

Implement their feedback

Check the proposal against the RFP

Send for internal approval

Submit the proposal

Sources:

Related Checklists:

Introduction:

A contractor proposal is a written outline of the project that’s to be completed by the contractor.

The goal for any contractor proposal is to introduce yourself, highlight your services, describe the costs, and convince the client that you are the right one to trust for the job.

This 'Contractor Proposal Template' checklist covers the high-level items that every general contractor proposal should include. Use it alongside the proposal document you plan to submit to make sure you include information such as resources needed, estimated costs, past experience, and payment schedules.

Process Street is super-powered checklists. It’s the easiest way to manage your recurring tasks, procedures, and workflows.

Create a checklist template and run individual checklists for each member of your team. You can check tasks off as you work through them, set deadlines, add approvals, assign tasks, and track each team member's progress.

You can also connect to thousands of Apps through Zapier and automate your workflows even more.

Enter your details

Enter your details in the fields below.

Contact Telephone Number

Federal ID Number

Contractor Registration Number

Project Name

Contract Start Date

Project Start Date

Project Completion Date

Enter client details

Enter details about the client who will be reviewing your proposal in the fields below.

Client Name

Client Job Title

Client Company Name

Pre-Proposal Tasks:

Study the RFP criteria

Upload the request for proposal guidelines, study them carefully, and list out the key RFP requirements in the field below.

They may specify evaluation criteria and allocate a certain number of points to specific sections or components.

Missing or incomplete items often result in outright rejection or at least a lower score, which will limit your chances of success.

If there are many new requirements, in addition to those included in this checklist, consider updating this checklist with each requirement as a new task.

Read this to find out how.

Upload the RFP

List Key RFP Requirements

Proposal Submission Deadline

Define the problem/need

Think about the purpose of your proposal.

Answer the following questions to get your thoughts together so you can begin writing your proposal with some clear direction.

What do you want to accomplish?

Why do you want to accomplish this?

How are you are going to accomplish this?

Establish if any licenses or permits are needed

List the licenses or permits that you might need to acquire before the work is started.

Make sure you make the proposal reviewer aware of any permits or licenses that they might need to acquire before the work is started.

Permits

Licences

Does the client need to procure any licences or permits before the work can begin?

Plan your proposal

Proposals are often organized into distinct sections. These sections can have different titles depending on the guidelines specified by the organization, but they frequently serve the same purposes.

Review the guidelines to see if they have specified a structure to follow.

If they have asked you to follow a specific structure, make sure you have a plan for each section they have requested.

If they haven’t specified a structure, list out what you might include in the following sections:

Introduction

Problem/Need Statement

Project Description

Resources Needed

Budget

Time Schedule for Payments

Experience

Choose a title

Your proposal title needs to be catchy, descriptive, informative and pre-dispose the reader favorably towards the proposal.

Brainstorm potential title ideas and record them below.

Title Ideas

Run each title option through the below criteria and choose the final title by selecting the title which best meets the criteria.

Record your final title in the field below.

1

Is it concise?
2

Is it descriptive?
3

Is it informative?
4

Is it catchy?
5

Does it predispose the reader, favorably, towards the proposal?

Final title

Add this to your proposal document cover sheet

Writing the Proposal:

Write your introduction

Your introduction should state exactly why you're sending the proposal and why your solution is the best for the prospective client.

After reading your introduction, even if they don't read the full proposal, the client should have a clear idea of how you can help them.

This is where you should present the case for why you are the right person for the job, and give the client the key message of the proposal.

Focus on the conclusions you want the reader to reach after reading it.

This is what you planned to include in your introduction: {{form.Introduction}}

Write your need/problem statement

This section provides you with the opportunity to show the client that you have a clear understanding of their needs.

Develop a clear, concise description of the situation in the need/problem statement section of your proposal document.

You must convince the client that the services you can offer them are essential.

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Problem/Need_Statement}}

Write a detailed project description

In the scope of work section of your proposal document, describe the project they need to hire a contractor for.

What services will you provide the client, based on the RFP and the goals of their company?

Be very specific about what you intend to do for the project. This protects you from the “I assumed you were also going to do X, Y and Z?” or even worse “ I thought that was included.

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Project_Description}}

To make sure your scope of work is detailed, clear, concise and customized to the client's needs, answer the following questions before you write up this section in your proposal document:

Who will do the work, who will oversee the work, and who does the customer call if there is a problem?

What solutions need to be delivered, what will be required to get it done, and what can the customer expect?

Where will the work be done, and where will it be delivered?

When will you begin, when will key milestones be scheduled, when will the project be completed?

How will work be done, how will it be managed, how will you achieve quality assurance and customer satisfaction, how will risks be mitigated, how long will it take, and how will the work benefit the customer?

Why have you chosen the strategies and alternatives you have selected, and why should the customer select you?

Confirm resources needed

List all the resources that will be required to for the project.

Be sure to include services to be provided by you and also any third party/external services.

Provide justification for each service that is required.

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Resources_Needed}}

Confirm the budget

Provide a breakdown of all direct and indirect costs involved in the project in the budget section of your proposal.

Include costs that directly relate to the project including production, materials, and labor costs.

Include indirect costs that are not directly identified with the project benefits, including staffing, insurance, and travel costs.

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Budget}}

Establish the time schedule for payments

Use the information established in task 13 to split the project into key project sprints.

Each sprint should be clearly identified in terms of what the client should expect to receive, when they will receive it, how much it will cost the client, and when the payment for this sprint/deliverable is expected.

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Time_Schedule_for_Payments}}

Use the below as a framework to help you create this section in your proposal document.

Sprint 1 Deliverables

Sprint 1 Cost

Sprint 1 Completion Date

Sprint 1 Payment Date

Sprint 2 Deliverables

Sprint 2 Cost

Sprint 2 Completion Date

Sprint 2 Payment Date

Include your experience

In your proposal document, be sure to highlight certifications, deliver strong customer testimonials, and demonstrate your expertise in the contracting industry. Demonstrate why they can trust you to deliver, and prove why you're the best choice.

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Experience}}

Clarify your terms & conditions

Your terms & conditions are essentially a summary of what you and the client are agreeing to if they accept your event proposal. Make sure you go into specific detail about the event services, pricing, and payment schedules.

Upload your terms & conditions below and make sure you send them to your lawyer before adding them to the proposal.

Terms & Conditions

Send terms & conditions to lawyer

Clarify your terms & conditions

Will be submitted

Include a key CTA

Figure out the appropriate call to action for that particular client and project, and end your proposal with it.

As an example, you could state your desire to take the conversation further. Or request an eSignature to initiate the project.

Pre-Submission Tasks:

Check the aesthetics

Read through your proposal and check for the following aesthetic/formatting errors:

1

Is there a title page with all the necessary information describing this document?
2

Does the organization of the proposal enhance the content and make it easy to find/avoid types of information?
3

Are the margins consistent?
4

Is pagination accurate?
5

Did you use a consistent type-style?
6

Did you use sign-posting and color coding where appropriate?
7

Have you used visual aids such as charts, tables, diagrams where appropriate?

Check the structure

Read through your proposal and check it follows the EXACT structure stated in the guidelines.

If the guidelines do not specify a structure to follow, make check your proposal has the following sections at least:

Title page
Table of contents
Introduction
Problem/need statement
Project description
Resources needed
Budget
Time schedule for payments
Experience
Terms & conditions
Key CTA

Check the language

Read through your proposal again and answer the following questions to make sure your proposal is informative and interesting to read:

1

Is the language uncluttered and concise?
2

Have you avoided using technical terms and jargon wherever possible?
3

Do you use objective language?
4

Have you avoided subjective terms?
5

Is the tone friendly but informative?
6

Is it written in a storytelling style?

Send your proposal to a "cold reader" to review

Upload the first draft of your finished proposal document and send it to a "cold reader" to review. Give them a copy of the proposal guidelines/requirements, but little other information.

Ask them to read the proposal quickly (as this is how the proposal reviewer is likely to view your proposal) and ask them to answer the following two questions: