A consulting proposal describes the problem a client has, the advisory work you will do to address it, what is included and excluded, what the client must provide and what it costs. It wins approval when the scope is specific enough that both sides can tell whether it has been delivered, so the scope boundaries and the client's own problem statement deserve the most care.
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The problem as the client described it in discovery, with the facts you confirmed. Name the decision the client has to make, so the proposal reads as a response to their situation.
Two or three outcomes the client will recognise, each with the measure you will use to check it. Avoid promises about results you do not control.
The work you will do, listed by deliverable, with the exclusions beside each one. Exclusions help prevent disputes about work the client assumed was included.
The sequence of work in two to four phases, what happens in each one, and the point where the client reviews progress before the next phase starts.
Each deliverable with its format and the test the client applies to accept it, such as a review meeting or a written sign-off within a stated number of working days.
Start date, the duration of each phase and any step that depends on the client supplying information or approvals first.
The access, decisions and information the client must provide, with a named person and a response time. If a delay moves the timeline, say how.
The price basis for each part of the work: fixed, time-based or a capped estimate. Keep the basis consistent throughout, and have counsel review the payment wording.
Who will do the work and what they have done that is relevant. Reference a past client only with their permission.
How long the proposal stands, what the client signs or confirms to start, and the date by which you need an answer.
Total: 1470 words
Sample section for a fictional consultancy, Tessel Works, proposing to a fictional catering client, Bramble and Nye. All names and details are invented. Scope: included We will review the three channels Bramble and Nye use to take bookings (phone, the website enquiry form and a shared spreadsheet) and map how each enquiry moves from first contact to a confirmed event. We will deliver a single enquiry-to-invoice process, a one-page checklist for the events team and a two-hour working session for the four people who take bookings. Scope: excluded We will not select, configure or migrate any booking software, and we will not negotiate supplier contracts. If the review shows that a tool is needed, we will write the requirements and leave the choice to you. Client responsibilities Bramble and Nye will name one decision-maker, provide the spreadsheet and the last twelve months of enquiries, and confirm each draft within five working days. If a review runs past that point, the timeline moves by the same number of days, and we will tell you the new dates in writing.
Restate the problem using the terms the client used in discovery rather than your service category. A proposal that opens with a category reads as a template, and the client may not recognise their own situation in it.
A scope that lists only what you will do invites arguments about what you did not promise. Next to each deliverable, state what is not included, and any work the client may want that would need a separate agreement.
Say whether each fee is fixed, based on time or capped as an estimate, and keep that basis consistent across the proposal. Mixing bases in one table makes it hard for the client to compare options.
State how long the proposal stands and what the client must confirm to begin. An undated proposal can be accepted months later on assumptions that no longer hold.
Share a draft with your own partners or reviewers by team link before it goes to the client. Keep the internal notes on pricing and margin in a separate working document, not on the client-facing page.
Never publish a proposal for a named client as a public page. It contains their problem, their figures and your pricing. Publish a sample scope from a fictional case instead, if you need public material.
Download the HTML file of the version the client received, and file it with the client name, date and version number. If the client later disputes the scope, the archived copy shows exactly what was offered.
A template gives you the headings. The sections that decide a proposal are the scope boundaries and the client's own problem statement, which no template can write for you. Use the outline above and draft those two sections from your discovery notes.
A consulting proposal offers a defined piece of advisory work with a scope, phases and fees. A business proposal is a broader term for a pitch to a company, a funder or a partner, and it can cover products or joint ventures. If the buyer is already your client, a consulting proposal is the more specific document.
Neither format comes out of Content Creator, which returns a single HTML page for sharing by link or as an HTML download. Keep the signed contract and the fee schedule in the agreement your counsel has approved.
It can, depending on its wording and how the client accepts it, so have counsel review the acceptance language before you send it. A proposal that asks the client to request a formal agreement has different effects from one that is written as an offer.
Follow the eight-step wizard: type, assets and description, images, branding, contact and call to action, Atty Suggestions, blueprint, and generate. Atty generates one HTML page in the background. Review it, then publish and share the page link or download the HTML file.
