MR.

BRIAN MATARA
LECTURER
KISUMU
0716460428

CONSULTING PROPOSAL
 Consulting proposal defined
 Proposal format
 Challenges you must overcome to write every proposal

What Is a Business Consulting Proposal?

 A consulting proposal is a document sent from a consultant to a prospective client

describing a job they wish to take on and the conditions under which they will do so.
Consulting proposals are usually written only after the consultant and prospective client
have discussed the job at length. Knowing how to write a clear, effective proposal can help
land new clients for your practice, so it's an essential skill for all independent consultants.
 A business consulting proposal is a document that offers consulting suggestions for a
business in question. If a business is experiencing issues that require a consulting
perspective, a proposal will be written in order to determine how the issues will be resolved
 A consulting proposal is a document sent from a consultant to a prospective client
describing a job they wish to take on and the conditions under which they will do so. The
process of writing a consulting proposal usually takes place only after the consultant and
 prospective client have discussed the job at length. The steps below will guide you through
how to create a consulting proposal, including details on what needs to be done before you
write a consulting proposal, what information to include and withhold, and how to increase
your prospects of landing the job.
 A document that offers a solution to a problem or a course of action in response to a need

Types of proposals include internal proposals, external proposals, grant proposals, and sales
proposals.

Who Writes It

 A business consulting proposal is written by the consultant wanting to work with the
company/client and solve the issues the company is experiencing. While the business itself
requests the proposals from experienced consultants, it is up to each consultant to research
the business and create a proposal that will cause that consultant to be hired for the job. In
order words, the consulting proposal is used by the consultant as a way of selling himself
and his experience as a consultant to the business executives, who evaluate the proposals
received.

Purpose

 Before any project or idea is launched and implemented, a business will conduct different
types of research in order to determine the best way of completing the project for the least
amount of money. The same concept is required for consultants hired outside the business.
The purpose of the consulting proposal is to determine whether the consultant's idea of how
to solve the company's problem is the correct approach for the business. A business will
often ask for numerous proposals from many consultants in order to get many ideas offered.

Sections

1. Executive Summary/Introduction

· Can be useful in certain larger proposals.

· Include brief discussion of project requirements, technical approach, corporate qualifications,
and staff qualifications, and the major strengths of the proposal.

· Sometimes presented in cover letter, in lieu of chapter. Cover letter should be bound in
proposal.

2. Background and Understanding

· Discuss background, objectives, major products and/or desired results.

· Show client understanding but ensure accuracy.

· On research projects, demonstrate knowledge of literature.

· Don’t criticize client; acknowledge improvements.

3. Technical Approach/Work Plan

· Usually (but not always) the most important section.

· Present task by task description of what you will do and how you will do it.

· Introduce with statement on overall project length.

· Write tasks in terms of purpose, relationship to other tasks, method, and product or result.

· Be precise and client/subject specific.

· Weave in mention of firm’s experience. Sell throughout proposal.

· Provide relevant examples through text or exhibits.

· State all assumptions.

· Sometimes useful to provide schedule of deliverables or state when each task will be
completed.

[Link] and Staffing

· Discuss:

- Required staff skills (brief statement)

- Project organization and staff responsibilities

- Role of any subcontractor(s)

- Project control procedures (brief)

- Brief description of key staff qualifications- If required, est. staff person-loading chart.

· Refer to appendix or other chapter for staff resumes.

5. Corporate Qualifications

· Contents

- Brief statement of firm background, e.g., major services, time in business, location.

- Brief mention of required experience.

- Examples of relevant experience (brief project descriptions).

· Order projects by importance.

6. Staff Qualifications (Resumes)

· May be separate chapter or appendix.

· Tailor and focus resumes to specific project.

· Avoid long description of irrelevant experience.

· Pay special attention to resumes of project manager and key staff.

[Link]/Pricing

· Usually separately bound in Fed. Gov’t proposals.

· Treat as important or nearly so as tech. sections.

· Consider type of billing arrangement.

- Time and materials (T&M)

- Firm fixed price

- Cost reimbursement. If required by RFP.

· Start pricing early in proposal process.

· Person-loading chart (staff hours by task) is often valuable to properly estimate costs.
· Include all ODCs, e.g., travel, communications.

· Include assumptions and terms and conditions.

· Minimize amount of info. included, but follow any RFP instructions.

8. Appendices

· Usually optional.

· Include resumes if not in separate chapter.

· Include other information on technical approach, if applicable.

 A business consulting proposal includes an opening section that discusses the issue in
question. After the problem has been identified, the consultant will offer a section where
she outlines her expertise and qualifications in this specific area or issue. This is often
used as a selling point as to why this particular consultant should get the job. The third
section includes a list of methods the consultant will use to solve the problem. A list of
included features, as well as excluded features, will be included, so the business knows
exactly what is involved in the proposal. A budget and consulting fees will be included
right before the conclusion. The conclusion will simply remind the reader of why this
particular consultant is the right choice for the project in question.

Features

 Some business consulting proposals will include charts and graphs in order to visually
illustrate how the business will improve its sales or income, depending on what the business
wants to do and what goals it wants to reach with the consultant. For example, if the
company brings in a consultant in order to get fresh marketing ideas, the consultant may
use graphs to show how previous projects he has done have resulted in increased sales and
overall profit increase. Other features can include quotes from previous clients as a way of
building up the consultant's expertise as a selling point
Twelve Tips for Writing a Winning Proposal
 Always remember to begin your proposal by addressing the prospective client. Start
your proposal like you would start a letter: with a short paragraph summing up that you
want to do the work for the client and that you are the best candidate for the job.
 Mention the client by name. If you're on friendly names, first names are fine. Otherwise,
use "Mr". or "Mrs." You're trying to show the client that this proposal is specifically
tailored to him or her.
 Describe the job in the first paragraph. Draw from the discussions you have already had
regarding the job to show your client, in a few sentences, that you know what you need to
do. Show that you understand the problem that needs solving, the duties the client expects
you to perform, and the scope of your work (one-time gig, long-term, etc.).Specific about
the job here, but don't dwell on precise details like money, hours, and so on - you'll get to
this later.
 In the second paragraph, describe your qualifications. Here, you're trying to sell
yourself as the best possible person for the job. Draw attention to things like your training,
your experience, and jobs you've done in the past that have gotten positive feedback. You
can also reference your attitude and values, though these should take a back seat to more
concrete [Link] that you may be in competition with other consultants.
Try to paint a picture of how you will provide a measurable benefit to the client in terms
of money or time [Link] way, you can give yourself an edge over a competitor with
similar or better qualifications who doesn't articulate this as well.
 In the next paragraph, describe the work you propose. List, using strict terminology
and specific details, what you will do to solve the client's problem. Pinpoint the exact
results the client will see from you consultation. Be specific regarding your methods and
time frame [Link] avoid problems later, it's also wise to describe what you expect from
the client during your work with regards to personnel, access to work sites, and equipment.
For example, name people that you expect to work with full-time, list the sectors that you
will have access to, etc
 Describe what you will not be doing during your consultation. As a consultant, you
want to avoid the problem of "mission creep" — gradually having your responsibilities
grow without receiving any extra compensation. Isolate the problem you will be addressing
 and indicate very clearly that related issues are not included in this proposal.A good way
to present this is in a bulleted list — this makes it very hard for the client to miss the
relevant information.
 Propose a price for your consultation. This depends on what you are doing and who your
client is. Remember that you may be competing against other consultants, so try to keep
your rate competitive for your industry and your [Link] will also want to describe
any extra costs, such as meals, hotel rooms, transportation, etc., that the prospective client
will have to pay for you. Having an approval process in place is a good idea (for example,
you may specify that you will present your receipts at the end of every month). This makes
it harder for the client to refuse paying you with the reasoning that "they never agreed to
pay this much.
 Close by summarizing your proposal. Like in an academic essay, the goal of the
concluding paragraph is to offer a quick, succinct summary of the rest of the proposal was
about. Reiterate your fitness for the job, your preparations for the consultation, and your
confidence in attaining results. Here, as in the opening paragraph, you can be a little
“warmer” and refer to the client by [Link] you're finished, sign and date the proposal,
leaving a space for the client's signature.

HOW TO MAKE AN EFFECTIVE CONSULTING PROPOSAL

Stay short and sweet. Keep your proposal as short as it needs to be to accurately describe yourself
and the job. Quality is your goal here, not quantity. Any excuse the client has to stop reading your
proposal and pick up another consultant's is something you want to prevent, so make your proposal
a quick read.

 For most jobs, two pages is a fine proposal length. If you refer to lengthy datasets in your proposal,
attach them in appendices to keep the length of the actual proposal down.

 Keep your focus on the client. While you'll always want to devote some space to your
qualifications, the most important person in the proposal isn't you — it's your client. Even
 when you're talking about yourself, frame your discussion in terms of how well you meet
the client's needs (not how great you are).

 Avoid lengthy discussions of your work history (or your firm's, if you're not an independent
consultant).

 Avoid buzzwords. Many clients (corporate clients especially) spend all day hearing
empty, meaningless phrases parroted by people trying to sound important. Spare them this
unnecessary tedium. Instead, write your proposal with clear, succinct language. Don't try
to make your promises sound more exciting than they are with flashy jargon. Instead,
just make exciting promises.

 Examples of buzzwords include things like "best practices," "synergy," "disruptive," "optimized,"
and more — each industry has its own. These words have effectively lost any power they once had
from overuse and vague application.

 Pay attention to spelling and grammar. This may seem nit-picky, but it's essential. Even
if you're not consulting for a position that requires any writing, clean, professional
communication shows that you've taken the time and energy to present your best self.
Mistakes don't mean you're less-qualified for the job, but they do mean that you didn't pay
enough attention to get your proposal exactly right. In a tight competition between two
consultants, this may be the deciding factor.

 After you finish your proposal, be sure to go over it a second time, editing for grammar and
fluency. If you have time, let a friend or family member edit it as well — they're more likely to
see mistakes you've missed since they weren't actually involved in writing it.

1. Create a powerful, but concise executive summary.

Decision makers start with and focus on the executive summary, so create this section with that
fact in mind. When writing the executive summary, assume the reader knows little or nothing about
the proposed project.
2. Quantify the results the client can expect.

Some consultants create proposals that overemphasize their consulting process and methodologies.
Most clients buy results, not tools or methodologies.

3. Be generous with your ideas.

You may fear that revealing your ideas about how to solve a problem during the proposal process
could result in clients taking those ideas and completing the project themselves. In rare cases, that
may happen. But you’ll have more success if you don’t hoard your ideas. Use them to show clients
how your team thinks and approaches problems.

4. Size does matter.

Keep your proposals as short as possible, while meeting the client’s request. Think quality, not
quantity.

5. Focus on the client.

Many proposals begin with a long discussion of the consulting firm, its qualifications, and history.
Focus your proposal on the client’s needs first, and then describe your firm’s capabilities.
Remember, clients only care about how you’ll address their issues, so show them how you’ll do
that.

6. Beware of best practices.

The client may view your liberal use of “best practices” as a convenient crutch. Instead of relying
on answers that worked for someone else, find the blend of outstanding practices and innovative
solutions that fit your client’s needs.

7. Be accurate.

If you are using client data to support aspects of your proposal, double and triple check that
information. It’s easy for ‘facts’ to be misunderstood and misused in a proposal. You’ll risk turning
a winning proposal into a loser if you present inaccurate data to the client.

8. Sweat every detail.

Watch for typos, use high-quality materials, and make sure the right people receive the proposal
on time.

9. Rewrite your resume for every proposal.

Highlight the skills in your resume that demonstrate your qualifications for the project at hand.
Your boilerplate resume is rarely up to the task.
10. Finish early.

Let your proposal sit for a day once you’ve completed the final draft, and then reread it completely
before sending it to the client. You can easily lose perspective when you work on a proposal
continuously. Take a breather from it. You’re likely to come up with some new ideas that enhance
your work and you may find errors that you missed earlier.

11. Let your personality shine through.

Give clients a sense of the culture of your firm and your style of working. The traditional, stilted
language of many consulting proposals doesn’t help clients answer the all-important question:
what will it be like to work with these consultants?

12. Don’t let your claims outdistance your capabilities.

Some proposals tout the expertise of the consulting firm by referring to past successes with similar
projects. These testaments to past achievements are important, but be sure the capabilities of the
proposed consulting team can live up to the firm’s claims.

The proposal is a crucial step in the consulting sales cycle, and that isn’t likely to change. A great
proposal can be decisive in winning a project, while a poor one can cause you to lose a project,
even if everything else in the sales process has gone flawlessly. Use these guidelines to a write a
killer proposal every time.

Challenges you must overcome to write every proposal

To write a proposal, you must overcome eight challenges. You can’t avoid them. You can’t skip
any of them. You just have to face them. To help out, we’ve included links to many other articles
we’ve written that are relevant to the individual challenges:
 Complying with the RFP. First you have to read it and understand it. Then you have to
cross-reference all the requirements across the various sections. Even if your assignment
is for a single section, there may be requirements in other sections that are relevant,
especially the evaluation criteria. Achieving RFP compliance is part using the customer’s
terminology and keywords, part cross-referencing, and part understanding their evaluation
process. Cross-referencing can be tricky and often requires interpretation.
 Figuring out what to write about. Writing is easy. Knowing what to write about is hard. If
you want to win, it’s important to avoid the temptation of starting from another proposal.
Once you know what should go into the proposal, writing it is pretty straightforward. What
 we do is follow a process that quickly guides people through considering everything that
should go into a proposal and sets them up with a plan for writing it.
 Figuring out how to say what you want to say. Some people get stuck in the mechanics of
putting the words together. They are sure how it’s supposed to sound. We usually pay little
attention to style. But we pay a lot of attention to whether it is simply descriptive or whether
it says something that matters from the customer’s point of view. The most important thing
to accomplish in proposal writing is to make it reflect the customer’s point of view. What
the customer sees on the paper should be what they need to get answers to their questions,
complete their evaluation process, and be persuaded that you are the best alternative. You
have goals to accomplish, terminology from the RFP to use, and have to put it in the
reader’s perspective instead of your own. That can be difficult, especially for people new
to proposal writing. But when we review proposals, we often see problems in proposals
written by people with many years of experience as well. We publish lots of guidance on
every aspect of proposal writing to help people find their voice.
 Figuring out what to offer. Whatever you do, don’t figure out what to offer by writing
about it. This is a recipe for proposal disaster. Figuring out what to offer and figuring out
what to write about should be done in parallel. Only after they have both been figured out
and reviewed to ensure they aren’t likely to change should you start writing. Figuring out
what to offer by writing about it does incredible damage to proposals. We have seen it cost
companies hundreds of millions of dollars.
 Articulating your bid strategies. The truth is the bid strategies for the proposal should be
figured out before the writers ever get their assignments. Bid strategies should be just one
of the ingredients that go into what you need to write. If you get your assignment and it
includes figuring out the bid strategies, you need to do that before you start writing or
designing your offering. The proposal should prove the bid strategies. It’s difficult to write
like that if you don’t know what they are.
 Meeting deadlines. Even when you know everything that should go into your proposal,
getting it all down on paper before your deadline can make it a huge challenge. However,
there is a difference between knowing the kinds of things that should go into a proposal
and having a list ready to go for this particular proposal. The best way to accelerate
proposal writing is to accelerate figuring out what to write and to have writers who
 understand how to write from the customer’s perspective. Figuring out what to write can
be done as a part of a process that makes writing go faster, with much less risk than handing
writers a copy of the RFP and telling them to have at it.
 Passing the review. Most companies review their proposals before they finish them. Most
companies do a poor job of conducting these reviews. The instructions to writers should
reflect the same quality criteria that the reviewers will use. If you use a process to figure
out what to write, then the plan it produces can also be used to increase the effectiveness
of the review process. If writers are at the mercy of a completely unpredictable and
subjective review process, the only way good can come from it is by luck.
 Winning. Oh, that’s what we’re supposed to be doing If you start focusing on winning your
proposals when the writing starts, you are too late. You should focus on winning when you
figure out what should go into your proposal, before the writing starts. You should focus
on winning when you figure out your bid strategies and offering, before the writing starts.
When you do, you’ll realize that in order to incorporate what it will take to win into your
plans for the proposal, you’ll need answers to questions that should have been asked before
the RFP even came out. The pre-RFP stage should be driven by what you will need to know
to close the sale in the form of a proposal. That is when you really should have been focused
on winning.

BUSINESS CONSULTANCY PROPOSAL FORMAT

Proposals are the documents consultants use to set out their recommendations for tackling a
project. The document may form a response to a formal Request for Proposal from a government
agency or large organization, or it may summarize the consultant’s recommendations following a
client briefing. It is also a marketing document that aims to make the consultant stand out and
persuade the client to select the proposal from the consultant, rather than competitors’ offerings.

A business proposal must cite the benefits that the client will receive if he signs a contract with
your company. You first need to study and research the client's needs and requirements, and
compare it with the services you are offering. While focusing on the advantages of your services,
you also need to mention the way your organization works, and how the project is to be done. You
need to include all your marketing strategies and plans which would impress the client.
It is a good idea to include all reputed clients whom you have worked with and the awards you
have received in the past. You should make it a point to include appropriate set of words. For
example, if the proposal includes details of all financial records, you need to use appropriate words
which relate to finances. You also need to mention your financial goals and objectives. Provide a
clear understanding as to how their finances and funds will be used.

A consulting proposal is a document sent from a consultant to a prospective client describing a job
they wish to take on and the conditions under which they will do so. The process of writing a
consulting proposal usually takes place only after the consultant and prospective client have
discussed the job at length. The steps below will guide you through how to create a consulting
proposal, including details on what needs to be done before you write a consulting proposal, what
information to include and withhold, and how to increase your prospects of landing the job

Steps

 Learn as much as you can about the job under consideration.

 Identify the role of the consultant in the job.

o Go the prospective client's place of work and speak with the people concerned. If
you are hoping to consult about a dispute between management and employees, for
example, speak to representatives of both parties. Find out exactly what the client
is looking for in a consultant, the time frame of the job, and the desired results.
o Find out whether the prospective client wants a consultant to provide general
advice, to propose and implement a specific solution, or merely observe and report.
Learn details about any other consultant involved.

 Ascertain the commitment of the prospective client, both financially and time-wise,
to the consultant.

o Some clients want a consultant at any cost, while others are willing to sacrifice only
a small sum. The client may want a consultant for an indefinite period of time, or
only for a day or two. Do not write a consulting proposal if the client seems
uncertain about the expectations for a consultant.

 Begin your proposal by addressing it to the prospective client.

  Identify the job under consideration in the first paragraph. Describe the discussions
you have already had regarding the job.
 Indicate why you are especially qualified to consult on this job.
 List, using strict terminology and specific details, the results the client will see from
you consultation.
 Indicate how you will attain these results. Be specific regarding methods, time, and cost.
Do not be afraid to include original ideas and novel practices.
 Describe what you expect from the client during the consultation process with regards
to personnel, access to work sites, and equipment. For example, name people that you
expect to work with full-time, list the sectors that you will have access to, etc.
 List, in detail, what you will not be doing during your consultation. Isolate the problem
you will be addressing and indicate that related issues are not included in this proposal.
 Describe any extra costs, such as meals, hotel rooms, transportation, etc., that the
prospective client will incur for the consultant.
 Propose a price for your consultation.
 Close by reiterating your fitness for the job, your preparation for the consultation,
and your confidence in attaining results.
 Sign and date the proposal, leaving a space for the client's signature.

Further Instructions

[Link] an overview of the work under review. Explain what you know about the work and describe
how a problem facing this business is common among similar businesses. For example, if the
project is company restructuring, mention that businesses often need to do this to merge in new
departments and positions.

[Link] your qualifications, skills and experience pertaining to the project. Share your success
stories and include the names of major companies you have worked with.

[Link] a list of methods or strategies you will use to solve the problems. This section will vary
greatly depending on the issue or what is required on your part. Some companies hire a consultant
to do the job, while others will hire a consultant to work as collaborations. This section is your
opportunity to stand out from other potential consultants.
[Link] the services that are included in the methods or strategies. Create an additional list of
services that are not included. It is important that the business executives reading the proposal
know exactly what they are getting with you. For example, you might offer company restructuring
services and implementation methods but will not supply any training services for new employees.

[Link] a section that shows the fees you will require. Your previous work and consulting
experience should reflect these fees, so charge according to your experience.

[Link] a friendly and warm conclusion. Remind the reader why the company executives should
choose you to complete the project

WBA 4
CONSULTING PROPOSAL
a) Assuming you have been invited to submit the proposal as per an earlier discussion with
the client, Highlight how you can develop one, by clearly discussing all the sections of
the proposal towards winning a contract, and the role of a consultancy proposal (20
marks)
b) Discuss the challenges/dilemmas in writing a wining consultancy proposal and indicate
how to overcome the same (10 marks)