How To Write A Technical Proposal: 6 Samples Included
FEB 28, 2024 | LAST UPDATED ON JULY 03, 2024 BY VIBHAV SINGH
Ever try to explain some complex idea to someone who has no idea about it? That’s roughly what a technical proposal does. It bridges the gap between the technical solution and those who must understand its value.
Consider a technical proposal as an in-depth dive into how a given product or service solves a problem. It is not a mere list of features. Your clients need to understand that proposal just by reading it.
And that is not all. Marketers catch on, and the process becomes smoother with automation tools such as Super Proposal.
In this guide, let’s walk you through the ins and outs of technical proposals – what they are, why they matter, and how to write one that gets results. By the end, you will be a technical proposal pro ready to wow your clients and grow your business.
What Exactly Is a Technical Proposal?
A technical proposal is a detailed blueprint for some project or solution. It is the time to boast about the technical expertise behind your brilliant idea. But here’s the thing-it’s not all about terminologies. A good technical proposal explains and simplifies those complex terms, showing how a solution will treat a particular problem through clear steps.
A well-structured technical proposal typically covers the following key aspects:
- Executive Summary
- Problem Statement
- Technical Approach
- Implementation Plan
- Budget
- Qualifications
- Conclusion
Here’s the cool part: Technical proposals aren’t just for selling to customers. They can be used internally, too! Say you are an engineer who has a brilliant idea about a new way to make your company’s workflow easier. You could write a technical proposal to present to your boss by explaining the problem and your solution and how that might benefit the company.
Let’s take another example:
For example, your company is a cybersecurity firm that develops state-of-the-art software applications for clients. Your technical proposal explains to the client how there is such a thing as a cybersecurity risk-data breach while pointing out benefits derived from protecting their data and, in the same breath, why your software is the superhero solution they need.
See? It’s all about making certain that everyone understands a problem, a solution, and why your approach is best. Remember, technical proposals don’t have to be the length of a novel, just clear, concise, and full of the right information.
What is Technical Proposal Writing?
Think of technical proposal writing as the jargon equivalent of translation into a universal language. It removes all the complicated technical aspects of a product, service or idea and transforms them into a compelling pitch to appeal to potential clients.
In technical writing, you are not always required to explain everything. Sometimes, it is just part of a small part. The emphasis falls more on how one would execute the said project.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the different types you may encounter:
- Solicited Proposals: These are like responding to an invitation. An organization issues a request for a proposal by saying, “Hey, we need this problem solved!” Your proposal directly responds to that invitation and follows their particular guidelines.
- Unsolicited Proposals: These are more like cold calls. If you observe a potential client who needs a solution, you can sell the idea. Here, because there is no pre-decided format for this, you enjoy more freedom to be creative.
- Continuation Proposals: These are the equivalents of requests for a refill. This type of proposal is a followup to the first stage and says, “If you have already started your project with small cash, having some additional financing in sight can help reinforce what was done since then.”
Supplemental Proposals: These proposals are add-ons; they either modify an existing proposal or focus more on a specific section within the project.
Crafting a Winning Technical Proposal
Scoping and describing what will be performed, and correctly so, forms part of the very foundation of a world-class technical proposal.
This covers what is included in the proposal, what is out of scope, timelines, and discussions on resources and costs. Let us break this down:
1. Define the Boundaries or Project Scope
Think of your project as a road trip. Your scope is the map that defines where you are starting, where you are going, and how you will get there. It defines your work so that detours and unexpected expenses cannot come into play. Here’s what it should include:
- Overall Approach: The following solution describes how this solution solves the problem. What’s your game plan? The subsequent solution offers a structured, phased approach in an effort to meet your needs comprehensively:
- Discovery: You shall get deep into the business to understand the challenges, goals, and pain points through interviews, data analysis, and a detailed review of your systems.
- Design: Here, you will be designing the solution tailored to your very specific needs. You will make use of the latest technology coupled with best practices in industry for an innovative and practical solution.
- Implementation: The solution shall be implemented by your experienced team to make it seamless, hence not disturbing your operations much. You shall provide adequate training and support for smooth transitions.
- Deliverables: Upon project completion, you will receive:
- A fully implemented and tested project.
- Comprehensive documentation, including user manuals and training materials
- A final report summarizing the project’s outcomes and key findings
- Resources and Costs: The project will require the following resources:
- The number of experienced consultants with expertise in the relevant area
- Access to your existing systems and data
- Do mention if any specialized software or hardware is required
- The estimated cost for this project is the total cost, and the attached budget proposal provides a detailed breakdown
- In Scope/Out of Scope: To ensure clarity and avoid misunderstandings, you need to clearly define and talk about what is included in the project scope:
- In Scope: It includes the list of specific tasks and deliverables that will be handled in the projects
- Out of Scope: This includes the list of items not included in the project
For example, while providing training on the new system, you can clarify that you will not be responsible for creating custom integrations with third-party software. These can be addressed in a separate phase or project.
- Your Role: Teamwork and active participation is the key to your success. Your team will provide us with the following:
- Access to relevant data and systems.
- Timely feedback on deliverables and progress.
- Designated point of contact for communications.
- Communication Plan: Maintain open and transparent communication throughout the project. This includes:
- Weekly progress reports via email.
- Bi-weekly status calls via video conferencing.
- Immediate notification of any problems or concerns.
2. Know Who You are Talking To
Consider your target audience. Who will be reading your proposal? Will it be technical experts or people who have no idea about the project’s technicalities? Address your language and the level of detail to the audience.
3. Show Off with Visuals
Remember, a picture speaks a thousand words. In a technical proposal, a well-placed visual can be a lot more. In a technical proposal, just one visual can be worth much more than that. Give it a bit of life by drawing up some flowcharts or diagrams, even recording a short demonstration video to illustrate the ideas you have in mind.
That is where the proposal creation tools such as Super Proposal come into play. Super Proposal lets you add depth and impact to your proposals with great visuals. You can easily add flowcharts, diagrams, and product screenshots or embed an engaging demo video to command attention, explain concepts painlessly, and make a memory.
4. RFPs
If you are responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP), consider it a scavenger hunt. A potential client throws out a Request for Proposal (RFP), and you are one of the contenders. It’s like a challenge; you are bringing your A-game to show that your solution is the best. Your technical proposal really needs to tick all the boxes they are looking for to prove to them that you have the perfect answer.
Why It Matters: RFPs are often evaluated using a tight check-list. By touching on all their points, you prove you are attentive, thorough, and can follow instructions – all good things for a client to notice.
Bonus Tip: Tools like Super Proposal can make your life easier by providing templates and guiding you through writing a proposal.
Structuring Your Technical Proposal
When structuring your technical proposal, a few key elements must be included. Let’s break it down:
1. Executive Summary:
An executive summary is the highlight part of the proposal. Quickly and powerfully summarize the key points, benefits, and goals of the proposal. This is the elevator pitch that captures the reader’s attention from the very beginning.
A good example of an executive summary is, for instance, Enterprise Software Proposal Template by Super Proposal. It indicates what the proposal is about and what the client wants to achieve with the proposal.
“The success of {contact_name} over the past two years is clearly visible. You’ve become the top provider of quirky decorations, unique trinkets, and clever figurines in the country. However, with this growth comes a challenge: your current business systems are no longer able to keep up, and it’s time to upgrade to enterprise software to streamline and coordinate your operations effectively.”
2. Table of Contents (TOC):
The following is a road map of your proposal. Provide a clear and organized Table of Contents that outlines the sections and subsections of your proposal. This helps the reader to find their way through your document to find what they need.
3. Introduction:
Setup the stage for describing your proposed program in this section. Give the background, describe the problem or opportunity, and briefly address how your solution meets the described needs. Draw the reader into your proposal by creating a need to continue reading.
4. Technical Approach:
Outline in technical terms in relation to how the work will be done with respect to Isds methodology, processes, and a fairly innovative technology. Explain why your approach is superior to others and how it will be of added advantage in the completion of this project.
5. Project Timeline:
Illustrate a general timeline of the project with outlined important checkpoints and endpoints. What this does is bring the reader to a specific time so that he or she can set certain expectations.
6. Team and Expertise:
In addition, bring in the main members of your team that would work on this project. Discussing any relevant experience, definable skills and attributes will engender trust in you that your project manager has the background to pull this off.
7. Budget and Cost:
Itemize in some detail the estimated costs for this project, but in a fairly open manner regarding pricing structure, additional costs, and what the budget covers concerning deliverables proposed.
Smoothen your proposals with automated pricing tables in Super Proposal. Our software takes care of complex calculations like multipliers, labor rates, and taxes, removing any human error and saving you so much time. Focus on showcasing your offerings, highlighting key features, and facilitating easy decision-making by your clients.
8. Conclusion:
Conclude your proposal with a strong conclusion that summarizes the salient points and reiterates the benefits of your solution. Close high, showing your enthusiasm and readiness to proceed.
Tip: Make your proposal concise and to the point. Avoid using too much jargon or other technical terms that may be difficult for a person to understand. Use simple, clear language that conveys your message.
For instance, if you use Super Proposal, then you can select the template and insert the sections above. Avail the built-in feature and make the proposal professional and beautiful to look at. You can attach interactive visuals – product demos or case study that complement your proposal and make it memorable.
5+ Technical proposal templates ( Available in PDF)
Your Technical Proposal Toolkit: Super Proposal
Tired of formatting headaches and endless revisions? Let Super Proposal take the pain away! Thanks to an intuitively designed drag-and-drop editor interface combined with customized templates, one can create polished professional proposals in an instant. In addition, our collaboration tools allow you to get input from your team and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Here are some of the major benefits accruable from using Super Proposal:
- Save Time: Learn how you can use specialized software to get access to an extensive list of templates for creating specific technical proposals.
- Keep It Organized: A handy approach of structuring your proposal since it has an interface for that even if you do not know about which sections require to be added to the proposal.
- Easy Collaboration: Discuss it with your team to make necessary corrections in real-time.
- Impress Clients: Perfect ideas to demonstrate your skills, provide all the necessary information, and not look like low-budget projects are designed with this system.
Ready to see how Super Proposal can change the game in your proposal process? Sign up for a free trial today!
Bottom Line
There you have it – your path to writing the winning technical proposal in no time. Yes, it is about minor and technical details, but the way you communicate and approach it, coupled with the help of proposal software such as Super Proposal, you are more than halfway towards the right direction of constructing impressive and powerful proposals that can pave the way to exciting new propositions.
Okay, now go ahead and try it! Your next big idea project in your workplace can be a dream come true with just a good proposal.
FAQS about Technical Proposal Writing
What are the different types of technical proposals?
Technical proposals come in various flavors, like:
- Solicited: This is in response to a particular request, like a Request for Proposal.
- Unsolicited: You initiate this, and it is not requested; you just present your idea.
- Continuation: Request for funds to cover the continuation of an already existing project.
Supplement: These are extensions of previous proposals or provide further details to an aspect that was specific to a project.
How long should a technical proposal be?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer! It really depends on how complex the project is and how much a client or organization needs. Sometimes, a few pages will suffice in a proposal, while at other times proposals have to span dozens of pages. Keep it concise; provide all the relevant information without rambling.
What are the four parts of a technical proposals?
A typical technical proposal consists of the following four parts:
- Technical Approach: This is the elaboration of your solution in as much detail as possible.
- Implementation Plan: Number all the steps you would take to put your plan into action.
- Management Plan: This is to show how you will manage the project and communicate with your client.
- Cost Summary: It breaks down costs so that everyone understands the financial aspect of the project.
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