Download 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:
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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:
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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:
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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.