Crafting a precise project offer is vital for a successfull project collaboration. It sets the stage for customer expectations regarding deliverables and costs.
So, what exactly should a project proposal include? In this blog post, we'll outline the key components to include. While not an exhaustive list, these points are essential to cover.
💡 By the way! Don't miss out on the opportunity to download our free and ready-to-use offer template from Milient.
Start with an introduction to the offer
Before you get into the details of your delivery, you should start with an introduction to the offer. In Milient's offer template, we use the heading "Offer and performance description" for this section.How standardized or personal you want to make the introduction depends on how well you know the customer who will receive the offer. As a minimum, you should refer to previous contact, and write that you provide an offer for the services that have been requested.
Also enter contact information for your business.
Give an overview of the project phases
It is common to give an overview of the phases in the project, and associated activities included in each phase.
How detailed this overview should be is up to what you and the customer want. For example, you can set up the overview like this:
This is an example of some of the phases in the overview. When you have set up all the phases, summarize the number of hours and the total sum at the bottom. See how in this free quote template.
💡Tip! At Milient, we offer a user-friendly quotation tool that simplifies the process of creating quotes and seamlessly converts them into comprehensive project setups. Say goodbye to redundant data entry and enjoy a smooth transition from sales to project execution. Experience firsthand how it streamlines your workflow. Schedule a meeting with one of our experts who will guide you through the functionality of our offer tool.
Conclude with the terms and conditions
At the end of the offer, you should have a closing text containing standard terms. You should include which outlays in the project are to be covered by the customer and which expenses are not included in the offer. Also write what excess hours that have not been added to the offer should cost.
This should also be included:
- Information on how the invoicing will take place.
- Information about regular price adjustments.
Additional tips for the content of the offer: Expenses and discounts
Project expenses:
Be sure to include project costs among the costs in the offer, so it is clear that it is the customer who pays for this. It is a good idea to mention something about this in a text, or show it in other ways in the offer. If not, the customer may come to expect this to be baked into the offer, and be surprised when the costs are suddenly charged to them without warning. By clarifying this, the customer can see how much will be spent on e.g. travel business.
Include information on travel costs, materials, consultants, food, equipment and shipping.
Discounts:
If you carry out activities for which the customer does not have to pay, we recommend highlighting this in the offer. You will then be shown how much time is spent on those activities. A neat way to do it is to enter the activities with a 100% discount.
