PROPOSAL and PROPOSAL
WRITING
Proposals and progress reports are some of the most common types of
reports you will likely find yourself writing in the workplace. These
reports are persuasive in nature:
proposals attempt to persuade the reader to accept the writer’s
proposed idea.
AND
progress reports assure the reader that the project is on time and on
budget or explain rationally why things might not be going according
to the initial plan.
A proposal, in the technical sense, is a document that tries to persuade
the reader to implement a proposed plan or approve a proposed project.
Most businesses rely on effective proposal writing to ensure the
successful continuation of their business and to get new contracts. The
writer tries to convince the reader that the proposed plan or project is
worth doing (worth the time, energy, and expense necessary to
implement or see-through), that the author represents the best candidate
for implementing the idea, and that it will result in tangible benefits.
Proposals
are
often
written
in
response
to
a Request
For
Proposals (RFP) by a government agency, organization, or company. The
requesting body receives multiple proposals responding to their request,
reviews the submitted proposals, and chooses the best one(s) to go
forward. Their evaluation of the submitted proposals is often based on
procedures that result from various elements of the proposals. Thus, your
proposal must persuade the reader that your idea is the one most worth
pursuing. Proposals are persuasive documents intended to initiate a
project and get the reader to authorize a course of action proposed in the
document. These might include proposals to

Perform a task (such as conducting a feasibility study, a research
project, etc.)

Provide a product.

Provide a service.
Proposals can have various purposes and thus take many forms. They may
include sections such as the following:

Introduction and/or background

Problem statement

Purpose/motivation/goal/objectives

Definition of scope and approach

Review of the state of the art
o
Project description

Schedule of work/timeline

Budget

Qualifications

Conclusion
Four Kinds of Proposals
There are 4 kinds of proposals, categorized in terms of whether they were
requested, and whether they are meant to solve a problem within your own
organization or someone else’s.
1. Solicited Proposals: an organization identifies a situation or
problem that it wants to improve or solve and issues an RFP
(Request for Proposals) asking for proposals on how to address it.
The requesting organization will vet proposals and choose the most
convincing one, often using a detailed scoring rubric or weighted
objectives chart to determine which proposal best responds to the
request.
2. Unsolicited Proposals: a writer perceives a problem or an
opportunity and takes the initiative to propose a way to solve the
problem or take advantage of the opportunity (without being
requested to do so). This can often be the most difficult kind of
proposal to get approved.
3. Internal Proposals: these are written by and for someone within
the same organization. Since both the writer and reader share the
same workplace context, these proposals are generally shorter than
external proposals and usually address some way to improve a workrelated situation (productivity, efficiency, profit, etc.). As internal
documents, they are often sent as memos, or introduced with a
memo if the proposal is lengthy.
4. External Proposals: these are sent outside of the writer’s
organization to a separate entity (usually to solicit business). Since
these are external documents, they are usually sent as a formal report
(if long), introduced by a cover letter (letter of transmittal). External
proposals are usually sent in response to a Request for Proposals,
but not always.
Proposals written as an assignment in Technical Writing
classes generally do the following:
1. Identify and define the problem that needs to be solved or the
opportunity that can be taken advantage of. You must show that you
clearly understand the problem/situation if you are to convince the
reader that you can solve it. Rubrics that assess proposals generally
place a significant weight (~20%) on the clarity and accuracy of the
problem definition.
2. Describe your proposed project, clearly defining the scope of what
you propose to do. Often, it is best to give a general overview of
your idea, and then break it down into more detailed sub-sections.
3. Indicate how your proposed solution will solve the problem and
provide tangible benefits. Specifically, indicate how it will meet the
objectives and abide by the constraints outlined in the problem
definition. Give specific examples. Show the specific differences
between “how things are now” and “how they could be.” Be as
empirical as possible, but appeal to all appropriate persuasive
strategies. Emphasize the results, benefits, and feasibility of your
proposed idea.
4. Include the practical details: propose a budget and a timeline for
completing your project. Represent these graphically (budget table
etc.). Your timeline should include the major milestones or
deliverables of the project, as well as dates or time frames for
completion of each step.
5. Conclude with a final pitch that summarizes and emphasizes the
benefits of implementing your proposed idea – but without sounding
like an advertisement.
Additional Proposal Elements to Consider
1. Describe your qualifications to take on and/or lead this project;
persuade the reader that you have the required skills, experience, and
expertise to complete this job.
2. Decide what graphics to use to illustrate your ideas, present data,
and enhance your ground.
3. Include secondary research to enhance your credibility and the
strength of your proposal.
4. Choose format; is this a memo to an internal audience or a formal
report to an external audience? Does it require a letter of transmittal?
All proposals must be convincing, logical, and credible, and to do this,
they must consider the audience, purpose, and tone of the proposal.
Irish and Weiss urge readers to keep the following in mind:
An engineering proposal is not an advertisement. It must show, with
objective language, clarity, and thoroughness, that the writers know what
they are doing and will complete the project.
Language Considerations
Proposals are fundamentally persuasive documents, so paying attention
to the rhetorical situation—position of the reader (upward, lateral,
downward, or outward communication), the purpose of the proposal, the
form, and the tone—is vital.

Clearly define your purpose and audience before you begin to write.

Be sure you have done the research, so you know what you are
talking about.

Remain positive and constructive: you are seeking to improve the
situation.

Be solution oriented; don’t blame or dwell on the negative

Make your introduction very logical, objective, and practical; don’t
start off sounding like an advertisement or sounding biased; avoid
logical fallacies.

Use primarily logical and ethical appeals; use emotional appeals
sparingly.
As always, adhere to the 7 Cs by making sure that your writing is:

Clear and Coherent: don’t confuse your reader with unclear ideas
or an illogically organized structure.

Concise and Courteous: don’t annoy your reader with clutter,
unnecessary
padding,
inappropriate
tone,
or
hard-to-read
formatting.

Concrete and Complete: avoid vague generalities; give specifics.
Don’t leave out the necessary information.

Correct:
don’t undermine your professional credibility by
neglecting grammar and spelling, or by including inaccurate
information.
What are the Goals of a Research Proposal?
The research proposal has a set of specific goals:
1. To present and justify the need to study a research problem.
2. To present a practical way in which the proposed research study
should be undertaken.
3. To demonstrate that the design elements and procedures being set
forth to study the research problem meet the governed standards
within the predominant discipline in which the problem resides.
Regardless of the research problem being investigated and the methods
chosen to study that problem, all research proposals must address the
following questions:
1. What do you plan to accomplish? Be clear and succinct in defining
the research problem and what it is you are proposing to research.
2. Why do you want to do it? In addition to detailing your research
design, you must also conduct a thorough review of the literature
and provide convincing evidence that the topic is worthy of study.
Be sure you answer the “so what?” question.
3. How are you going to do it? Make sure that what you propose to do
is doable. In other words, make sure you have the time, the
resources, and, most importantly, the stamina to undertake what you
are proposing to do.
BASIC PROPOSAL ISSUES
The following are the common problems we face while trying to write a
proposal:
Confused about the format?
There are as many proposal formats as there are a number of donors and
each donor has a different format. Although the basic information
requested by various donors is generally the same, we often encounter
snags that make the entire process confusing.
Planning problems?
Although a good idea exists, yet when we try to plan it out extensively,
we face many unexpected challenges.
Fear of proposal rejections?
No matter how much of an expert we are in writing proposals, the
underlying fear of proposal rejection hovers over us while writing it.
Tight deadlines?
This is perhaps the most universal problem for all proposal writers. For
some reason or other, we are expected to complete working proposals
under very tight deadlines.
Solicited and unsolicited proposal?
Solicited and unsolicited proposals are quite confusing. Many NGOs
work hard and submit proposals to donors, but soon they get a letter saying
that they had never asked them to send a proposal.