Software Development proposal. Built to win the work.
An editable software development proposal covering discovery, sprints, acceptance, timeline, pricing and next steps, with a filled-in example. No email required.
Harbour Freight Ltd needs a driver scheduling web app. Here’s how we understand the goal.
02
Our approach
Discovery → Build sprints → User acceptance testing → Launch and handover.
03
Investment
$24,620.00 in total, split across 4 phases.
04
Next steps
Sign to accept, pay the deposit and we’ll book the kickoff.
How to write a software development proposal
A good software development proposal is about the client, not you. It shows you understand their situation, proposes a specific way forward and makes the price and next step easy to find. Software work is usually priced by sprint or day rate (time and materials), or as a fixed price for a well-defined scope with a change process for anything new.
Open with their situation, using the words they used on your call.
Make objectives measurable where you can, so success is shared.
Explain your approach by phase — for software developers, typically discovery, build sprints, user acceptance testing, launch and handover.
Break the price down so the client can trade scope rather than question your rate.
Say what’s not included, such as hosting, third-party APIs and licences unless listed.
End with one clear next step and a validity date.
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]
Build sprints: [What happens and what the client sees]
User acceptance testing: [What happens and what the client sees]
Launch and handover: [What happens and what the client sees]
4. Deliverables
[Working software deployed to the client’s environment]
[Source code in the client’s repository]
[Technical documentation and deployment notes]
[Handover session for the client’s team]
5. Timeline
Phase
Dates
Client input needed
Discovery
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Build sprints
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
User acceptance testing
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Launch and handover
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
6. Investment
Item
Description
Fee
Discovery sprint
[Requirements, user flows and estimate]
[Fee]
Development sprint 1
[Two-week sprint: authentication and scheduling]
[Fee]
Development sprint 2
[Two-week sprint: notifications and admin]
[Fee]
QA and user acceptance support
[Test plan, bug fixes during UAT]
[Fee]
Cloud hosting (passed through)
[Hosting for the staging environment]
[Fee]
Total: [Amount, excluding tax]
Payment schedule: [e.g. 40% to start, 30% at milestone, 30% on completion]
7. Not included
[Hosting, third-party APIs and licences unless listed]
[Features not listed in the agreed backlog]
[Support after the warranty period]
[Data migration from legacy systems]
8. What we need from you
[A product owner available for sprint reviews]
[Access to existing systems and test data]
[Decisions on priorities within agreed timeframes]
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 “Working software deployed to the client’s environment”.
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: Keel Labs’s proposal for Harbour Freight Ltd
Key sections from a proposal for a driver scheduling web app. Both companies are fictional.
Your situation
Harbour Freight Ltd wants a driver scheduling web app. You told us the priority is getting it right first time, with clear approvals and no surprises on cost.
Our approach
Discovery: Working software deployed to the client’s environment
Build sprints: Source code in the client’s repository
User acceptance testing: Technical documentation and deployment notes
Launch and handover: Handover session for the client’s team
Investment
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Discovery sprint
Requirements, user flows and estimate
5 days
$900.00
$4,500.00
Development sprint 1
Two-week sprint: authentication and scheduling
10 days
$850.00
$8,500.00
Development sprint 2
Two-week sprint: notifications and admin
10 days
$850.00
$8,500.00
QA and user acceptance support
Test plan, bug fixes during UAT
4 days
$750.00
$3,000.00
Cloud hosting (passed through)
Hosting for the staging environment
1 month
$120.00
$120.00
Total: $24,620.00 excluding tax
What we need from you
A product owner available for sprint reviews
Access to existing systems and test data
Decisions on priorities within agreed timeframes
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 driver scheduling web app, 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 software developers, the usual disputes start with hosting, third-party APIs and licences unless listed.
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.
Fixed price or time and materials for a software proposal?+
Fixed price suits a small, well-defined scope. Time and materials suits products where requirements will change. Many proposals combine them: a fixed-price discovery, then sprints at a day rate.
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.