When looking for a prospective client, it is common to use a business proposal containing the entire project scope to help with the presentation of the software project. This document is essential in convincing prospects, whether they are individual clients or companies.

These documents can solve problems of software companies from different formats and business operations, like implementation services and custom integration, for example. A well-written project proposal template will be a key decider in the sales process.

In this article, we will show you how to create clear and optimized software development proposals for your business. Follow each step carefully to guarantee the best results out of your documents and directly enhance the development process.

As the name suggests, software proposal templates are documents used by companies to briefly present a software solution to their prospective clients. The document doesn’t necessarily need to be a detailed proposal, as the size of the document may vary depending on the complexity of the proposed solution and the extent to which it needs to be elaborated upon.

The purpose of the document is to provide a comprehensive overview of the software and its benefits, serving as a means to initiate further discussion and ultimately secure a business deal. If your software proposals feature spaces for signatures, they can also be used as a bidding contract between you and the client’s company.

Many reasons justify investing in creating a software proposal template for your company. The first one is to clearly present to your client what will be included in your software products.

This way, they can identify if the new software has everything needed to fulfill the business needs or if they will need a different solution. Doing this ensures that your client will have exactly what was presented to them once agreed.

Moreover, the software documents can describe project steps and deliverables so they can better understand the steps involved. This makes this document perfect for answering technical questions.

There are different types of software proposal templates, and each one serves a different purpose. Before creating the document for your company, you must understand these differences to choose the best type of template for you.

Here are the most common ones:

SaaS Software Proposal

These software documents usually only refer to software access. They typically feature a much simpler software proposal template and won’t present any custom services.

Most of the content in these proposals is regarding customer support but not involving custom management.

Enterprise Software Proposal

These software proposal documents are typically much larger and feature more detailed descriptions. They are made especially for companies and will usually present custom features.

Its implementation is also more complex and might take extra steps. Those reasons make the business proposal in these cases feature milestones.

It is also important to understand the difference between unsolicited and solicited proposals. Unsolicited ones regard proposals that were sent with the objective of trying to gather a new client, even though they were not searching for a software proposal.

On the other hand, solicited proposals are the ones sent after a request. When dealing with company software proposals, this type is more common.

Now that you know what a software project proposal is and its main types, it is time to see how you can create your own template. Follow each step carefully to ensure your document reflects your needs and objectives.

This way, you will end up with a software proposal that significantly impacts your company. Here are the main items that you must include:

Cover Page

The first item you need to worry about when creating your project proposal is the cover of your document. It can be simple but clear about the software it regards and for which the organization is responsible.

The template can also feature the company’s branding and visual identity for better identification. Your template doesn’t need to be full of colors or elements. The important thing is to create good communication.

Problems and Solution

Your software proposal will also have more credibility and chances of getting approved if it features a section explaining what problems the software solves and how it does it. It can be done either through simple text or even a creative illustration.

The criteria in this field are up to you. This is an important part of convincing the client to acquire your product, so we highly recommend giving this the right amount of attention.

Why the Company

This section is dedicated especially to your company to tell why you are the best option among all competitors. You can use any resource to present this idea, from data to screenshots of reviews.

This also contributes to the decision-making process, giving more credibility to your project proposal and helping in convincing them to accept the software project.

Implementation

Implementation is the next important category you should feature when presenting your project proposal template. This category might be a short paragraph in simple software, but in enterprise projects, this field can take more than a page.

When you have a custom-made software project, some multiple steps and processes might differ from a traditional project. In the implementation section, you must identify these processes and show how they will be done.

Price

Next piece of information that must be specified in your project proposal is the price of the software acquisition. This information should be highlighted and easily identifiable, whether a subscription or a single payment.

You should also add the value in the local currency for a better understanding. This way, the client won’t have any doubts about the final price.

Signature

Lastly, you should add two spaces for signing up the document. The company providing the project proposal will use the first one, while the client will sign the second field. Once both parties agree with the software project proposal, the document is considered a bidding document that can be used for legal purposes.

There are many options for creating a software proposal, and each one has its own tools and features. Among all the options available, we highly recommend using Microsoft Word for the task.

MS Word not only has one of the best tool sets available, but it is also an industry standard. This means that you won’t need extra programs for the task.

If you don’t have a Microsoft Office activation key, you can find Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus Key Retail Global at RoyalCDKeys. This way, you save money and still have access to the entire software collection.

If you don’t want to create your template from scratch, there is no problem. Here are some examples that you can download and use.

Don’t forget to edit information using Microsoft Word to fit your needs best. This way, you will have a document that helps to save time and convince customers to buy your product.

Template #1

Simple project proposal form from Wise. Any kind of business can use it for presenting a software project.

Get this template

Template #2

Minimalistic proposal. Proposal for a software project containing only text with all the necessary information for signing the contract.

Get this template

Template #3

Extensive project proposal template for software products. Features multiple pages for complex projects that need extensive descriptions.

Get this template

Making a business proposal for your client is a common practice in all kinds of businesses. For software projects, this is no different. It is an important document that goes far beyond just a brief description of what will be done.
It can also serve as social proof for legal purposes if correctly made. Moreover, a well-written proposal can be the perfect way to convince your client to sign the project and buy your product.

Now that you know everything you need, it is time to start building your software proposal template. Follow the steps correctly, and you will end up with a form that positively impacts numerous aspects of your business.