---
name: writing-proposals
description: Writes project and business proposals in a client-first house style — their problem restated first, outcome before activities, explicit scope exclusions, tiered pricing with a recommendation. Use when the user asks to write or improve a proposal, a statement of work, a pitch document, a quote with scope, or a response to an RFP for a client or internal sponsor. Do not use for executive summaries of internal work, contracts or legal terms, or grant applications.
---

<!--
Author: Simon-Pierre Boucher
Contact: contact@spboucher.ai
-->

# Writing Proposals

## When to use / when NOT to use
- **Use for:** client project proposals, statements of work, internal investment pitches, RFP responses, quotes that carry scope.
- **Do NOT use for:** executive summaries of completed internal work (writing-executive-summaries), contracts/legal terms (route to legal), or grant applications (funder-specific formats). Write those normally.

## House rules

1. **Open with THEIR problem, restated in their words.** The first section proves you listened; it contains no mention of you.
   - ✅ "Your support team answers the same 30 questions 400 times a month, and response time slipped past your 4-hour SLA in March."
   - ❌ "Founded in 2019, our agency specializes in cutting-edge automation solutions."

2. **Outcome before activities.** Sell the destination, then the itinerary.
   - ✅ "Outcome: tier-1 tickets resolved in under 5 minutes, without hiring. How we get there: …"
   - ❌ Leading with a 14-row table of tasks, hours, and deliverables.

3. **Scope with explicit exclusions.** What is NOT included prevents every future dispute.
   - ✅ "Not included: content migration from the legacy wiki, training beyond the two included sessions, ongoing maintenance (available separately)."
   - ❌ A scope section that only lists inclusions.

4. **Price in tiers with a recommendation.** Good/better/best beats take-it-or-leave-it; anchor and recommend.
   - ✅ "Essential $18k / **Recommended: Standard $27k** / Premium $41k — Standard because the analytics module pays for itself by month 3."
   - ❌ A single number with no framing: "Total: $27,400."

5. **Risks and assumptions, each one accountable.** State what you assume; each assumption is billable if wrong — say so.
   - ✅ "Assumption: API access granted by day 3. If access slips, timeline shifts day-for-day and re-planning is billed at the day rate."
   - ❌ No assumptions section, or "subject to unforeseen circumstances."

6. **Concrete next step with an expiry date.** A proposal without a deadline negotiates against itself forever.
   - ✅ "To start Sept 2: countersign by Aug 22. Pricing valid until Aug 29."
   - ❌ "We look forward to hearing from you at your convenience."

7. **Social proof after the solution, not before.** Case studies support a claim the reader already understands.
   - ✅ Solution section, then: "We did this for Nordica (case: 62% ticket deflection in 8 weeks)."
   - ❌ Opening page of logos and testimonials before the problem is stated.

## Workflow

1. Extract the client's problem statement from their own words (call notes, RFP, emails); write section 1 from it.
2. Write the outcome section: the measurable after-state, with numbers where defensible.
3. Draft approach/deliverables, then the exclusions list (ask: "what will they assume is included?").
4. Build three price tiers; mark the recommended one and justify the pick in one sentence.
5. List assumptions and risks with owner/consequence; add timeline and next step with expiry.
6. Self-review against the seven rules; check every number appears once and is consistent; then deliver.

## Edge cases
- **RFP with a mandated structure** → follow their structure exactly (compliance beats style), but apply the rules inside each mandated section.
- **No budget signal from the client** → tiers do the discovery; widen the spread (×2–3 between lowest and highest).
- **Internal proposal (no price)** → tiers become effort/scope options; the "price" is headcount-weeks and opportunity cost. All other rules hold.

## References
Extended before/after examples: see [references/examples.md](references/examples.md).