Advice for writing a technical proposal

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have an opportunity to be a consultant (I’ve never been one before) doing a really cool job for this guy. The job would involve writing some custom software and creating a database, as well as setting up some managed hosting. They’ll be paying for the hosting themselves, but I need to include the configuration and costs in my proposal. (This is not a simple web-app though, it will be a fairly complex system.)

I’ve never written a proposal for contract work before, though, so I’m unsure of what should go in it and what the format should be. Your advice and opinions would be most helpful.

(I told him I’d give him a discount off my “normal rate” because it’s a non-profit. Am I smoove or what? :cool: )

2

First of all, congratulations, I hope this is a pleasant experience for both of you.

Now, back to reality. :slight_smile:

You can look up “software contracts” on the web and learn about all the legal and technical issues involved. I have been involved with contracts that are over 20 pages long, but I have also worked on a hand-shake and a promise. Most of the contracts I worked under were somewhere in between.

I would try to keep things as simple as possible, but cover my butt so I do get paid, and I don’t get sued. I usually do this by stating clearly that I work for an hourly rate and all the estimates I make are nothing more than estimates. I also state that all the software I develop belongs to the client (it’s YOUR problem, not MINE). There are tons of other legal and technical issues involved of course.

Good luck.

3

I found this link at Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0205326897/qid=1116508699/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-3156002-0023965?v=glance&s=books

I spent years as a word processor typing both technical (telecommunications) and government proposals. I can tell you that, depending on the client, they can get very detailed. A quick scan of this book’s description and rating looks like it would have some valuable info in it. Best of luck! Also, did you get a formal RFP?

4

Thanks for the suggestions so far! There is no formal RFP, and the proposal does not have to be super-crazy detailed. It probably won’t be more than two or three pages. I’m just a little dumbfounded about how to organize and write the thing.

5

As it’s “for this guy” (as opposed to the massive XYZ corp), and it’s a non-profit, I completely concur that it should be short. I wonder how much you can say in 3 pages, as you describe it as a “fairly complex system”. I’m guessing 10 pages is more like it, but you should be able to spit that out fairly quickly, especially if you have any pictures.

Be sure to get as much understanding and commitment (from both sides, you and the guy) about what’s to be done and what’s to be paid, so there are no issues later. Have an understanding of what will happen if changes are to be made later. Either do this as “fixed cost”, where you build something and they pay you $X, or “hourly”, where you get paid $Y/hour no matter how long it takes.

Defining what’s to be done is the easy thing. The hard thing is when things don’t go according to plan, and there always is something that isn’t expected. Make sure that clear expectations are in place for both of you.

Here are some headings to start with in your proposal:

  • Intro: a few sentences about the overall project
  • Requirements: detail about what the system is to do. Include existing systems you’ll interface to, and other mandatory features.
  • Software Design: detail about what you’ll build. include architecture, such as the main components and how they’ll connect. Include mockups of screens if possible, or at least descriptions, so the customer can understand the experience you’re proposing…
  • External: describe what sorts of external things you’ll count on, specifically hosting.
  • Time Table: define what will be done when.
  • Financial: detail cost to two main numbers: building it, and ongoing maintenance.
  • References: pointers to other docs that are relevant.

If you start writing and post a link to it, I’m sure people will be happy to critique further.

6

Thanks, Bill. That’s exactly the kind of tips I need.