The construction world is highly competitive, and constructing a winning proposal for a project is much more than downloading and filling out forms that have been sent over by a potential client. With that being said, there could be many reasons why your proposal might not be successful, and didn’t make it to the next selection stage. Some of the reasons could be the writing style that as used, poor timing, focusing on the wrong clients, and many more.

Recognizing these issues, Engineering Solutions have put together some strategies to implement when you are attempting to submit a successful proposal, we hope these help!

Work With A Writing Firm

This might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you are trying to improve your success rate for proposals, but as we mentioned earlier one of the reasons you might not be as successful as you want is the writing style or quality of writing. That is why it could be a good idea to work with a writing service in order to ensure that your proposals are of the highest quality.

These writing firms can help you draft up a proposal that will be sure to attract the attention of the prospective client. An experienced writing service will understand what the client is looking for and they will then be able to put across your ideas in the best style possible.

The tone of voice that is used in the proposal is also extremely important when it comes to being successful. In addition to tone of voice, you might want to ensure that the writing service you are using also provides proofreading services. One definite way to make sure a proposal will not be accepted is to have multiple spelling and grammar mistakes.

Understand What The Client Wants

This could be classes as a strategy but it is also part of doing your due diligence when approaching a new project. Understanding what the client wants should be one of the first things you do when even considering the project. Why, how, when, the client wants this done is extremely important to whether you will be able to take on the job in the first place, and then will majorly contribute to your ability to submit a comprehensive proposal.

Understanding the outcome of the project that the client wants to see is imperative to their overall satisfaction when the project is completed.

Know Your Budget

The title of this section pretty much speaks for itself. You have to know your limitations when submitting a proposal to a client. You need to analyze the project and anticipate whether you have enough capital to finance the project, and not run out of money if the project is delayed, or if there are any mistakes made. Cutting a project too close to your limits is a bad idea, as everyone who has worked in construction before knows that pretty much every project takes longer than it is expected to!

*Money is the reason why you’re doing this, so make sure not to overstretch and put yourself in jeopardy! Source: Pexels*

If you do not have the sufficient capital to take on the project, one way to work around this is to outline where you plan to get the money from, for instance taking on a partner for the job, or providing proof of approval for a loan of some sort. Again this is at your own discretion, as it is not an uncommon situation where a company goes under from just one project going bad.

Understand Your Workers Capabilities

We hope that you understand your workers’ capabilities anyway, but especially when submitting a proposal for a new project. You must know how much work they have on their plate, when they will able to free up time to take on the new project, and if they will be able to complete the job in the appropriate timeline. You must also take the time to decide whether you have the right personnel on your team that can complete the project proficiently, they must have the education ,experience, and qualifications to complete it properly.

It is a good idea to include you and your team’s experience and qualification in your proposal, as that will build some trust with the client. This will in turn increase your chances of winning the project.

Include Testimonials In Your Proposal

Similar to what we mentioned in the last section, in order to build trust with the client and ensure they are fully aware of your quality of work and credentials, you can include some testimonials from previous clients in your proposal. Clients will want to work with a company that has a proven track record of delivering what they say they will, and on time.

Testimonials are the easiest way to prove to your new prospective client that you do what you say you will, and that they will be satisfied at the end of the project. Remember to include testimonials that show the difference between you and other engineering companies!

Define Your Payment Structure

Most engineering companies get paid on a percentage of the project than they have completed, or when certain milestones are hit. That basically means that you will be getting paid once the work is completed, and not in advance.

It is a good idea to make sure that you are on the same page as your client, and lay out the payment structure in your proposal. If you want to be paid a certain amount once 20% of the project is completed, then make sure that is made known to the client.

What do you think of these strategies for successful proposal writing? Do you have anything to add to this list, or will you be utilizing any of these strategies in your next proposal? Engineering Solutions would love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments below, and as always don’t hesitate to call us regarding your next engineering project!