It is a sound commercial process to use a sample business proposal when answering/completing a request for proposal (RFP). You do however have to keep in mind that the content you’re providing is going to need to answer all of the key questions your customer has raised.

The most important section in any business proposal template is the executive summary. It highlights how your company can deliver the innovative business ideas they have set out in the RFP. It should also answer any questions or critical issues they have identified as part of the RFP. A large number of your customers may make up their mind to decline your offer based on a poorly written executive summary so it is essential to get this part right.

All remaining headings or sections in the document all relate to supporting information. They all backup these claims and statements made in the executive summary. You should include information relating to the production methods you use, action plans, a breakdown the work to be done, costs, management techniques you plan using, outsourcing requirements, reporting, evaluation & monitoring, payment deadlines and major milestones.

These supporting sections in your sample business proposal can start to make your documents seem very large. As result it is worth summarizing the data and providing appendices for customers. These are often not viewed or read though do provide in-depth background data if it should be required by the customer.

The sample business proposal does however also have to promote the benefit of your approach to the customer. You should highlight where the approaches used by your company are going to benefit the customer. Never compare your approaches to that of your competition. You should solely focus on how your company can deliver the solution and resolve all the problems that were raised in the RFP.