Calder Manufacturing needs a operations review and improvement plan. Here’s how we understand the goal.
02
Our approach
Discovery → Analysis → Recommendations → Report and handover.
03
Investment
$13,885.00 in total, split across 4 phases.
04
Next steps
Sign to accept, pay the deposit and we’ll book the kickoff.
What is a business proposal?
A business proposal is a document you send a prospective client to win a piece of work. It explains how you understand their problem, what you’ll do about it, what they’ll get, when, and for how much. Unlike a quote, it makes the case for your approach as well as the price.
Section
What it answers
Situation
Do you understand us?
Objectives
What will success look like?
Approach and deliverables
What exactly will you do and hand over?
Timeline
When, and what do you need from us?
Investment
How much, and how do we pay?
Next steps
How do we say yes?
The template
Cover
Proposal: [Project name] for [Client]
Prepared by: [Your name, business]
Date: [Date]
Valid until: [Date]
1. Your situation
[In the client’s words: where they are now, what they want to achieve and why now.]
2. Objectives
[Objective, ideally measurable]
[Objective]
[Objective]
3. Our approach
Discovery: [What happens and what the client sees]
Analysis: [What happens and what the client sees]
Recommendations: [What happens and what the client sees]
Report and handover: [What happens and what the client sees]
4. Deliverables
[Interview summary]
[Current-state process maps]
[Recommendations workshop]
[Final report with a 90-day implementation plan]
5. Timeline
Phase
Dates
Client input needed
Discovery
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Analysis
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Recommendations
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Report and handover
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
6. Investment
Item
Description
Fee
Discovery interviews
[12 stakeholder interviews and site visit]
[Fee]
Analysis
[Process mapping and data analysis]
[Fee]
Recommendations workshop
[Half-day leadership workshop]
[Fee]
Final report
[Findings, options and 90-day plan]
[Fee]
Travel expenses
[Rail and accommodation, at cost]
[Fee]
Total: [Amount, excluding tax]
Payment schedule: [e.g. 40% to start, 30% at milestone, 30% on completion]
7. Not included
[Implementation of recommendations]
[Software purchases]
[Travel beyond the agreed sites]
8. What we need from you
[A named sponsor and day-to-day contact]
[Access to staff for interviews]
[Operational data in agreed formats]
9. Why us
[Two or three sentences and one relevant example or result. Keep it about the client’s problem.]
10. Next steps
[Sign below or reply to accept]
[Pay the deposit]
[Kickoff on date]
Accepted by: [Name, title]
Signature: [Signature]
Date: [Date]
How to fill it in
Write the client’s situation and goals in their own words, from your discovery call.
Turn goals into two or three objectives you can both recognise as success.
Set out your approach by phase and the deliverables at each step, such as “Interview summary”.
Add a timeline that shows where you need the client’s input or approval.
Price the work by item or phase, with a payment schedule.
List exclusions and what you need from the client, then add a clear way to accept.
Use it in Word, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: Meridian Advisory’s proposal for Calder Manufacturing
Key sections from a proposal for a operations review and improvement plan. Both companies are fictional.
Your situation
Calder Manufacturing wants a operations review and improvement plan. You told us the priority is getting it right first time, with clear approvals and no surprises on cost.
Our approach
Discovery: Interview summary
Analysis: Current-state process maps
Recommendations: Recommendations workshop
Report and handover: Final report with a 90-day implementation plan
Investment
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Discovery interviews
12 stakeholder interviews and site visit
3 days
$1,400.00
$4,200.00
Analysis
Process mapping and data analysis
4 days
$1,400.00
$5,600.00
Recommendations workshop
Half-day leadership workshop
Fixed fee
$1,200.00
$1,200.00
Final report
Findings, options and 90-day plan
Fixed fee
$2,500.00
$2,500.00
Travel expenses
Rail and accommodation, at cost
1 item
$385.00
$385.00
Total: $13,885.00 excluding tax
What we need from you
A named sponsor and day-to-day contact
Access to staff for interviews
Operational data in agreed formats
Proposal mistakes that lose work
Starting with your history. The client cares about their problem first; your credentials belong near the end.
A template that reads like one. Replace every generic sentence with something specific to this client.
Hiding the price. If they can’t find it, they can’t say yes.
Vague deliverables. Specific deliverables make the proposal easier to approve and the project easier to run.
No follow-up. Agree when you’ll check in before you send it.
Angelwood’s proposal software builds proposals and agreements from your own templates, shows when the client has opened them and collects e-signatures, with a countersignature to execute the agreement.
Open with the client’s situation and goal in their own words. For a operations review and improvement plan, that means the outcome they want, not the services you sell. It proves you listened before you start selling.
02
Make scope easy to approve.
List deliverables and exclusions plainly. For consultants, the usual disputes start with implementation of recommendations.
03
One clear next step.
End with how to accept, the deposit and the kickoff date. A proposal that ends with “let us know” waits in an inbox.
The client’s situation and objectives, your approach and phases, deliverables, timeline, team, fees and expenses, assumptions and next steps. Keep the client’s problem at the centre rather than your credentials.
How long should a proposal be?+
As short as it can be while still defining the work. For most service projects, three to eight pages is enough. The client should be able to find the scope, price and next step in under a minute.
Should I put the price in a proposal?+
Yes. A proposal without a price can’t be accepted. Present it after the approach and value, broken into items or phases, and consider offering two or three options.
What’s the difference between a proposal and a contract?+
A proposal sells the work and sets out scope and price. A contract sets the legal terms. Many firms send a proposal that, once signed, incorporates their terms, or follow it with a separate agreement.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.