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>
> Michael, your pointers on creating a proposal were really great
Glad they were helpful.
>
> The RFP is usually initiated by the client, am I right?
Yes; it's usually a formal document with detailed instructions
regarding the format in which you are expected to submit. It is
very important to follow the instructions to the letter, because
often the recipient of your proposal is spending a miserable several
days going through the responses, and they are not inclined to
look favorably on bidders who can't do things as they were told.
> If we assume that
> the client has not given a formal RFP and has just indicated (verbally or
> thru' a memo) that he would like a brief proposal for buying decisions, then
> how do we go about it? In the same way that you indicated?
Pretty much, yes. If they said brief, then keep it brief. No padding,
just the important details. Bullet points are fine. No fancy language
needed. They're looking for specifications and costs.
> Should the proposal contain a High-Level overview of the product? What it
> will do and wont do?
Yes
> Will it include deliverables and delivery date? (at
> least, time needed to complete proposed project?)
Yes. A schedule or Gantt chart is a good idea.
> How about the pricing of
> the product? WIll that need to be addressed in a Technical Proposal?
Yes. Keep the different info -- overview, specs, schedule, costs -- in
different sections, clearly labelled.
> Again
> the key here is a "Technical Proposal" as opposed to just a proposal? Is
> there a difference, anyway?
Without further information I'd guess that there is no
real difference, except that a technical proposal would
focus on the technical details of the product *as well as*
its real and potential benefits to the customer's business.
The 'technical' word is a cue that your proposal will be vetted by
technical people, who will be looking for sufficient detail
to compare your proposed solution against alternatives.
They want performance specs, hardware & software
requirements, maintenance and support details.
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