Front Matter /
- Title page
- Letter of transmittal,
- Table of contents,
- List of figures/illustrations.
Executive Summary / Summarize what you are proposing, why, how you’ll go about it, and what the benefits will be. Don’t repeat the TOC. Use key discriminators – short phrases that communicate your competencies. Don’t use technical terms. Consider writing this last.
Introduction / Explain the problem via a problem statement or proposal rationale. Define the problem, why is it significant, and argue needs and strategies for solving the problem. List proposal objectives clearly and specifically, preview the rest of the proposal. Use key discriminators.
Management Approach / Explain how you will solve the problem; explain your plan, the schedule, the facilities, and the personnel. Basically, clearly write why your team has the background, facilities, and plan to do the job. Personnel – describe your key personnel; provide 1 paragraph of narrative description. You may not have space to provide a resume for each of your key personnel, so a short narrative per person may be best. Stress your collective qualifications. Include proof of organizational support – how will the rest of your company help you? Resources: be specific about what you have. Project Schedule: compose a GANNT chart; include both tasks and work timeline. Use key discriminators.
Technical Approach / In the TA you establish your technical competence and credibility. Begin this with a summary of its contents; tell how your solutions match guidelines and requirements, attach your solution to a larger corporate objective or policy, use subheadingss, include lots of detail on solving the problem, and relate procedures to objectives, etc. List step-by-step explanations of your solution. Use key discriminators.
Costing/Budget / The budget is often the most important segment of the proposal. It should follow logically from the narrative; allocations should match objectives and procedures. Is your project cost-effective? Can you do the same job with less money? Be realistic; accompany figures with words. Use spreadsheets or a table in MS Word. List major tasks; group tasks into costing categories, such as Equipment, Furniture, Labor, etc. Provide alternatives, like one cost schedule that provides all services, another than provides a portion with Mercer doing the labor, for example.
Appendices / The appendices are separate from the 20 page requirement, so include any extra data in the this section, like vendor profiles for equipment purchases, surveys (site or of people), and detailed cost breakdowns.
Updated November 1, 2006 TCO 341