Table of Contents
13+ IT Proposal Templates
The necessity of technology in the modern industry has led to the burgeoning demand for projects in information technology or IT. These IT projects are submitted to clients in the form of project proposals, or what is aptly called IT proposals. IT proposals are core documents that help a system, website, or any other form of software technology pull in a funding from interested stakeholders. You may also see Proposal Samples.
Proposal Template Bundle
Writing an IT proposal is not easy, and relying on cold memory alone will not be enough especially with some of its complex parts. Fortunately, this article packs all the proposal essentials you need to have as well as the various IT proposal templates and samples to act as your helpful walkthrough.
Elements of a Good IT Proposal
1. Project Information: This is a short summary that offers an overview of your IT proposal. It is brief, direct, and details the advantages of the IT project you are offering.
2. Project Timeline: The project timeline of your IT proposal is the series of steps you plan to take to create your proposed technology along with their respective dates of completion. This almost always includes a flowchart of your processes.
3. Project Cost: This is the amount that you will be asking your client for your IT project. It provides a detailed denomination of the cost of each task so the client will be able to gauge the level of skill that it takes to accomplish your system.
4. Profile: The profile of your IT proposal is a compilation of all your previous works to establish a reputation for your prospective client. These can be links or documentation of your past projects. Including a profile will help the client gauge your suitability for the job.
13+ IT Proposal Templates
Simple IT Proposal Template
Technology Proposal Template
IT Project Proposal Example
Free Project Proposal Template
IT Project Proposal
IT Practices Draft Proposal Sample
IT Project Proposal Form Sample
IT Services Proposal Request Example
IT Solicitation Proposal Request Example
IT Grant Proposal Sample
IT Project Review Sample
IT System Proposal Sample
Information Technology Proposal Request Sample
IT Solutions Proposal Request
Steps to Make a Great IT Proposal
1. Identify what your client really needs: Before delving into writing your proposal, list down all the things that the client’s needs. This is a part that many project heads overlook, but it actually greatly helps in tracking the progress of the project. Take some time in understanding what the client needs to be done, and this will make your project seem like it is personally tailored for them and will set you apart from your competitors.
2. Give an exposition with your project information: The first part of your IT proposal is an introduction that entails a short summary of your project. It contains important details and highlights the essential processes. Hook your clients in with this primer while keeping in mind its brevity of around one hundred to three hundred words.
3. State the problem and offer a solution: The problem in the IT proposal is basically what the client is asking you to solve. Expound on what you know about the matter and offer statistics if necessary. This does not have to be detailed, but showing you know something means that you have done an effort to research on what the client wants. Meanwhile, the solution in your IT proposal is a brief description of the technology that you are offering. This can be as short as two to three sentences long.
4. Provide your project flow chart and time frame: Expound on your solution and enumerate the specific processes to develop your technology through a flow chart. This includes the deadlines of each process and your target date of completion. Just be honest in laying out your plan and don’t try to shorten it just to make your project appealing as this will compromise the quality in the end.
5. List down all estimated expenses on your budget breakdown: Now that you have identified the solution that you are going with as well as the timeline of your activities for the project, you can now, more or less, come up with a budget proposal. Project a cost that is a little over what you expect and don’t try to cost-cut what you need for the sake of appeal. A cheaper proposal does not always equate to quality ones, and clients, in the end, just want a high-quality technology with a justified cost.
6. Mention your indicators of success: In the next part of your proposal, develop ways on how you can track the progress of your project and set thresholds to determine its success rate. Provide a systematic methodology of your project monitoring so you can easily troubleshoot complications whenever one arises.
7. Seal your proposal with an assurance: In the last part of your IT proposal, you are going to convince your client that you are perfect for the job, and this is done by assuring them that you have the best team and the right experience. Attach the profile of the people you plan to be working with and list their accomplishments. After the profiles, you can then append samples of your previous works. If it is a website, then you can provide a QR code that will redirect them to the landing page of the site you made.
Tips for a Great IT Proposal
- Do a research on the status quo of the client’s problem: Researching about the problem will benefit you in two ways. First is that you will be able to gain a wider perspective on coming up with the solution as you will be exposed to the various research of the said problem. Second is that this will leave a good impression to your client that will increase the chance that your proposal will get chosen.
- Create an outline before making your time frame: It is hard to come up with a nice project time frame in one go. Create a draft of your timeline first through an outline. The outline does not have to be really detailed, you just have to focus on the core elements of your project and then start building the required steps from there.
Types of IT Proposal
- Formally Solicited: This type of project proposal is made in response to a request for an IT system or project. This is said to be the easiest one to make as you will know what the client needs because they will submit to you a formal proposal request. Formally solicited IT proposal follow a more structured approach, directly following the format that the client outlines in their request document.
- Informally Solicited: Informally solicited IT proposals are just like formally solicited ones but without the client submitting a formal document of proposal solicitation to you. Instead, the client may have conveyed his or her request for an IT project through an informal conversation. This type of proposal does not have a specific set of goals and deliverable, thus, more research is required to fully analyze the problem.
- Unsolicited Proposal: Unlike in the previous two types, an unsolicited proposal is made without any formal or informal request to make one. These proposals are made out of the project manager’s will to develop a certain type of technology. Unsolicited proposals are the hardest one to make as you also have to convince prospective clients to support your IT project.
- Proposal for Renewal: These are proposals made to request for a continued support for an IT project that is about to reach its termination. The contents of these proposals delve in more into convincing the client the value in continuing the project.
- Supplemental Proposal: This type of proposal is made when a project manager needs to request additional resources for an ongoing project. Supplemental proposals focus on the justification of the additional project expenses as well as the reasons on why the need for these has not been realized sooner or not seen in advance.
IT Proposal Template Sizes
IT proposal, like other project proposals, are formal documents printed on standard paper sizes. Three of these sizes are:
- US Legal Size: 8.5 inches by 14 inches
- US Letter Size: 8.5 inches by 11 inches
- A4 Size: 8.27 inches by 11.69 inches
IT Proposal FAQs
Should I make another proposal for proceeding to another phase of a previously-approved project?
Most IT projects involve a system that requires annual maintenance or improvement. If you are ever involved in such a project, then you have to furnish a continuation proposal every time you move on to another phase or year. Continuation proposals work like a financial report that consists of the progress of your system, budget request, technological yield, and other relevant data you accrued in the span of your IT project so far.
Do I need to submit a pre-proposal for my IT project?
When your client is the one sending you a request to propose an IT project, then you do not need to submit a pre-proposal. However, if you are making an unsolicited proposal for prospective clients, then you have to prepare one. A pre-proposal is a short primer of your proposed project to incite interest from a potential client.
Before actually writing your IT proposal, remember these three things: make sure that you have determined the type of proposal you are making, identified the scope of work, and have come up with a definitive operational plan. Creating a proposal may not be a walk in the park, but, hopefully, the guide and discussions in this article have helped you figure out all of it, or at least the most important parts.