Transcript To Propose
Chapter 20
Proposals and
Requests for Proposals
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
“To Propose”
To propose is to put forward an offer, to make a
suggestion that is open for discussion and
consideration.
Proposals solve problems by putting forward
solutions to readers.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Internal Proposals
Offer solutions to problems that the organization
is aware of
Offer solutions to problems that the organization
did not initially recognize as problems
May be subdivided into everyday proposals
(sometimes called “routine proposals”) and
formal proposals
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Goals of
Internal Proposals
To persuade an audience that a problem exists
To make the problem understandable
To argue that the problem should be fixed
To explain if/how the problem will escalate
To persuade an audience that the suggested solution
makes sense
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Everyday Proposals
Are fairly informal
Often take the form of memos or emails
Offer solutions to routine problems
Are written in response to problems that do not
require great effort to define, identify, and solve
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Formal Proposals
Usually contain more information and address
more complex problems
May offer solutions that require greater
monetary commitment
May be addressed to multiple audiences
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
External Proposals
Work to persuade outside readers to accept the
solutions the proposal offers
Are written to secure contracts that solve other
organizations’ problems for a fee
Can be solicited or unsolicited
Can be classified as sales proposals or research
and grant proposals
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Sales Proposals
Persuade other organizations that the writer's
company can best supply a service or product
Persuade through third-party expertise
Show feasibility in terms of money, reliability,
and performance
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Research and
Grant Proposals
Persuade a sponsoring organization to fund
research or a project
Can be prompted by the sponsoring organization
Are common within academia
Also help companies and organizations conduct
research to help develop products and services
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Solicited and
Unsolicited Proposals
External proposals are often solicited through:
Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
Information for Bids (IFBs)
Requests for Quotations (RFQs)
Unsolicited proposals offer a solution to a
problem that may not have been previously
recognized.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Requests for Proposals
Are formal appeals put out by organizations to
request that interested vendors submit proposals
in response to a set of needs
Are sometimes preceded by requests for
information (RFIs)
Promote competitiveness to secure the lowest
price for a service or product
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Writing RFPs
Understanding the form and function of RFPs
also assists you as a proposal writer.
The key elements in RFPs can be categorized as:
Information that RFPs provide
Information that RFPs request
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Information
that RFPs Provide
Title and/or brief description of the RFP
Contact information
Proposal schedule
Background information
Proposal selection process
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Information
that RFPs Provide
Project summary and details
Goals
Budget
Project Personnel
Timeline
Requirements
Relationships and Support
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Information
that RFPs Request
Company/organization information
Proposed solution
Summary
Proposed Process
Task List
Time Line
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Information
that RFPs Request
Details of the proposed solution
Functionality
Options for implementation
Originality
Scale
Technical requirements
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Information
that RFPs Request
Budget estimates
Provisions to be made by the proposers
Personnel to be employed
References
Portfolios
Awards
Certification and Licensing information
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
RFP Ethics
and Professionalism
Understand that ethics are integral for a relationship
to succeed
Never ask for the impossible
Disclose as much about the problem as possible
Provide sufficient time to compose proposals
Do not solicit for proposals that will not legitimately
be reviewed
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Technology and RFPs
Writers should try to reach broad an audience as
possible through:
The World Wide Web
Subscription services
Databases and lists
PDFs
Forms
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Writing Proposals
Offer feasible, realistic, welldefined solutions
Address audience needs
Display the credentials that allow
readers to take the proposal
seriously
To get acceptance, the Plan and
Research phases are crucial
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
RFP Guidance
Consult the RFP to learn the rhetorical context
Carefully read and analyze the RFP during the Plan
phase of the PSA
Determine the problem presented by the RFP
Look for clues as to the proposal’s audience
Frame solutions in response to the problem
Determine what information is available, and what
information will need to be researched
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Components of Proposals
Organization is often similar to reports and
manuals, including front matter, body, and end
matter
Specific choices are driven by their contexts,
purposes, and classifications
Avoid simply rehashing the structure of the RFP
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Front Matter
Title page
Letter of transmittal (cover letter)
Executive summary (abstract)
Table of contents
List of visuals
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Body: Introduction
Proposal introductions inform and persuade
readers by including:
a statement of purpose
a description of the background and/or an
explanation of the problem
an account of the scope of the proposal
an explanation of the proposal’s organization
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Body
The remainder of the proposal body details the
solution(s) to the problem:
Approaches or methods used
Plan of action establishing validity and credibility
Qualifications (experience and references)
Budget estimations
Proposed schedule
Conclusion & Recommendations
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
End Matter
Contains materials that aren’t necessarily crucial
to the success of the proposal but that do provide
further information or clarification, such as:
Bibliographies for citing outside research
Glossaries for audiences with varying levels of
expertise
Appendices for any additional information
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Use of Technology
Using templates can streamline the process
Many templates also include built-in help
Still, no technology is a substitute for solid
rhetorical choices
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Whether you are trying to persuade
readers to fund your research, buy your
product, or hire your service, your writing
is all that proposal readers will have to
evaluate you and often the only chance you
will have to persuade them. Thus, the
writing in your proposal must be flawless.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.