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A Bid Proposal is a document used by a business that would like to win the contract for a project (ie the bidder). Bid Proposals contain the details relevant to a specific bid (eg cost estimates for labour and materials, scheduling or timing details and the bidder’s contact information). By submitting a Bid Proposal, bidders outline their services and pricing to potential clients to try to win a project.
Use this Bid Proposal:
if your business would like to bid on a project
if you have a project and you want to collect Bid Proposals from bidders (eg contractors or other businesses) using a standard form
only if you are based in England, Wales or Scotland
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| Client name | |
Client address | |
Client telephone number | |
Client email |
Bidder name | |
Bidder address | |
Bidder telephone number | |
Bidder email |
pleased to submit the following proposal for . In this proposal, outline services, estimated timeline and budget. have carefully reviewed your requirements and believe that our expertise and capabilities make the ideal choice.
Please note that this proposal is not a legally binding contract, but an offer to provide services on the terms and conditions outlined within this proposal. The purpose of this proposal is to communicate understanding of your needs and to present proposed approach and associated costs for your evaluation.
a specialising in .
propose to provide the following service:
For the provision of the above service, have developed a comprehensive timeline of events. This timeline is as follows:
propose the following budget for this project: £. This budget is broken down as follows:
Please note that the proposed costs are subject to change based on any modifications or additional requirements requested by you during the project's course. Any changes must be communicated and agreed upon in writing before implementation.
In order to ensure the successful execution of the project, require you to:
believe that this proposal aligns with your objectives and requirements. confident in ability to deliver high-quality results within the timeline and budget set out above. committed to ensuring your satisfaction and hope to have the opportunity to work with you.
Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please feel free to contact at or . more than happy to discuss this proposal in detail or to arrange a meeting at your convenience.
Thank you for considering our bid proposal. appreciate the opportunity and look forward to hearing from you.
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This Bid Proposal template covers:
the bidder’s details
the client’s details
information about the bidder, for example, who they are, what services they provide and what makes them stand out in their industry
a proposal of services to be provided
an estimated timeline for the provision of the services
an overall budget for the proposal alongside a breakdown of the specific costs
details of key personnel involved
client responsibilities
For bidders, a Bid Proposal is an important document that enables a business to compete for a specific project, contract or business opportunity.
Bid Proposals formally present a business’ capabilities, qualifications and proposed approach to fulfilling a clients’ requirements. By submitting a Bid Proposal, a business showcases its expertise, sets itself apart from competitors and demonstrates a thorough understanding of a project's scope and objectives.
Bid Proposals are crucial as they detail and communicate a business’ value proposition, outlining a clear plan of action and establishing the credibility needed to win the client's trust and secure the desired contract or project. In other words, a persuasive Bid Proposal demonstrates why the business bidder is the best choice and helps them win commercial bids.
A client can use a Bid Proposal to create a standard Bid Proposal to be included alongside an invitation to bid. By using a standardised Bid Proposal, a client has a standardised way to collect bid information from multiple businesses.
Whether you're asking businesses to submit bids for a project or a business wanting to place a bid, creating a Bid Proposal is a great way to explain all the details of a bid. Not only does it help both parties align on the details and terms of a potential contract, but it may also help determine the best bid for the project, which means the project can begin as soon as possible.
An invitation to bid (‘ITB’) is a formal request for a business (eg a supplier or contractor) to submit competitive bids for a specific project or contract. An ITB should provide relevant project details, technical specifications, submission requirements and evaluation criteria. By requesting bids from different parties, a client aims to select the most qualified bidder based on factors like cost, quality and expertise.
Other names for an invitation to bid include:
a ‘call for bids’
a ‘request for bids’
an ‘invitation to tender’ (or ‘ITT’)
a ‘request for tenders’ (or ‘RFT’)
a ‘tender’
a ‘contract opportunity’
an ‘invitation to treat’
In all likelihood, your Bid Proposal will be competing against the Bid Proposals of other businesses. To create the best possible Proposal and give yourself the highest chance of securing the project, you should consider:
carefully reading and reviewing the initial invitation to bid - by making sure that your bid corresponds with the client’s requirements, you increase your chances of winning a tender
supplying relevant information about your business - identify whether your business specialises in the work you're bidding for or whether you're more of a generalist, and set out what makes you stand out in your industry. Your Bid Proposal should highlight why this makes your bid worthy of winning
giving reasonable time and cost estimations - while everyone wants work to be done quickly and efficiently, there's such a thing as ‘too fast’ and ‘too cheap’. You should avoid giving unrealistic estimates in your Bid Proposal. It shows the receiving party that, although you might not have the fastest or cheapest estimate, you're being reasonable. That can go a long way
providing project specifics - be specific about your knowledge and expertise in your Bid Proposal. Note all the details and explain how you came to your estimates of price and time
Generally speaking, Bid Proposals are not legally binding. They do, however, often form the basis for negotiations and discussions between a client and a chosen bidder. The final contract, setting out all details of the relationship between the client and the bidder, is typically set out and signed in a separate document.
For more information, read How to form a valid contract.
A timeline is a crucial part of your Bid Proposal.
Your timeline provides the client with a clear and structured overview of how the project will unfold over time, ensuring a shared understanding of the project's scope and phases. Providing a detailed timeline also enables you to showcase your thorough project planning and management skills, reassuring the client of your ability to deliver on schedule. It also helps foster transparency, enabling the client to make an informed decision by showing how you intend to work on the project.
Ultimately, including a detailed timeline strengthens your Bid Proposal by demonstrating your professionalism, reliability and commitment to successful project execution.
As part of your project timeline under this Bid Proposal, you should provide milestones and milestone dates. Milestones like checkpoints in a project (eg client approval, securing funds and contract signing). A milestone date provides information on when a milestone should be achieved by. Examples of milestones and their respective milestone dates include:
the procurement of resources for landscaping - 2 weeks into the project
the completion of the project - 2 weeks after the final sketches are approved by the client following submission by the bidder
To ensure fair competition and transparency, the bidding or tendering process generally involves the following steps:
identification of needs - the client identifies their need for goods, services or performance of a project and decides to procure this through a competitive bidding process
preparation of relevant documents - the client prepares the tender documents. These may include project specifications, requirements, evaluation criteria and specific terms and conditions
invitation to tender - the client formally invites businesses to submit their bids for the project
preparation of bids - the bidders review the client’s invitation to tender, gather all necessary information and compile their Bid Proposals
submission of bids - the bidders submit their Bid Proposals by the client’s deadline
evaluation of bids - the client evaluates the bids they receive against their evaluation criteria (eg timeframe, cost, quality and/or experience)
bidder selection - the client selects their preferred bidder based on the evaluation results. At this stage, the client and bidder may engage in negotiations to finalise the terms of the engagement
awarding of the contract - the client awards the contract to the chosen bidder and communicates this decision to all participating bidders. ‘Awarding a contract’ refers to the process of notifying a bidder that their Bid Proposal has officially been chosen by the client
contract formation - the client and the bidder who was awarded the contract enter into a legally binding contract. This contract tends to be based on the terms outlined in the original Bid Proposal
The bidder will then start working on the project in accordance with the terms of their contract with the client. Throughout the contractual relationship, the client will monitor the bidder’s performance to ensure compliance with the contract and project milestones. Once the project is completed to the satisfaction of the parties and in accordance with their contract, the project is said to be ‘completed’.
Do not hesitate to Ask a lawyer if you have any questions or concerns about the tendering process.
If you're using a Bid Proposal, chances are you might also need one or more of the following documents:
a Letter of intent - setting out a proposed agreement before entering into a final contract
a Consultancy agreement - setting out how a consultant provides their services
a Services agreement - setting out the terms for the supply of services between businesses
a Sales agreement - recording the sale of goods between businesses
a Catering contract - identifying terms for the provision of catering services
a Photography contract - identifying terms for the provision of photography services
a Cleaning contract - identifying terms for the provision of cleaning services
a Wedding planner agreement - identifying terms for the provision of wedding planning services
a Subcontracting agreement - delegating obligations to a subcontractor
a Distribution agreement - appointing a distributor to expand a business’ reach
an Influencer contract - setting out how an influencer will provide their promotional services to a business
a Purchase order - confirming an order for goods or services
an Invoice - outlining payment details for the provision of services or sale of goods
If you have any concerns or questions about what's right for you and your business, do not hesitate to Ask a lawyer.
Making a Bid Proposal online is simple. Just answer a few questions and Rocket Lawyer will build your document for you. When you have all of the details prepared in advance, making your document is a quick and easy process.
To make your Bid Proposal, you will need the following information:
The bidder
What are the bidder’s details (ie legal structure, name and address)?
If the bidder is a company, partnership or LLP, who will sign the Bid Proposal on its behalf?
What are the bidder’s contact details?
What does the bidder specialise in?
What makes the bidder stand out in its industry?
The client
What are the client’s details (ie legal structure, name and address)?
What are the client’s contact details?
The bid
What is the name of the project or event this bid is for?
Do you know the dates for the project?
If so, what are the project’s dates?
What services will the bidder provide?
What is the timeline for the provision of services?
What is the estimated cost of the project?
Does the bidder already know which key personnel will be working on the project?
If so, what are the details of those working on the project?
What would the client’s responsibilities be during the project?
Businesses use Bid Proposals to submit bids for commercial projects. To facilitate this, this Bid Proposal template covers:
The bidder’s and client’s details
The Bid Proposal starts by clearly setting out the bidder’s and client’s details, including their names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses.
Introduction
This section provides an introduction to the Bid Proposal that the bidder is submitting. It also emphasises that the Proposal isn't a legally binding contract but an offer to provide services for the client to consider.
About the bidder
This section provides specific information about the bidder, including what they specialise in and what differentiates them from other businesses in their industry.
Services to be provided
This section details the services that the bidder is proposing to provide under the Proposal.
Estimated timeline
This section sets out an estimated timeframe for the proposed services.
Budget and costs
This section details the individual costs associated with the services and calculates an overall budget based on this cost breakdown. It also highlights that these costs are subject to change based on any potential changes or additional requests made by the client.
Key personnel
This section addresses the key personnel that the bidder is proposing will work on the project. Depending on the bidder’s and/or client’s circumstances, key personnel may either be decided at a later stage or may be listed in this Bid Proposal, together with their main responsibilities.
Client responsibilities
This section sets out the client’s responsibilities in relation to the project. The client must meet these responsibilities to enable the bidder to provide the services set out in their Bid Proposal.
Conclusion
This section expresses the bidder’s confidence in the Bid Proposal's alignment with the client's objectives, highlighting the bidder’s commitment to delivering quality results within the agreed terms. It invites questions or requests for clarification, offers contact details for further discussion and concludes by expressing the bidder's gratitude for the opportunity to tender.
If you want your Bid Proposal to include further or more detailed provisions, you can edit your document. However, if you do this, you may want a lawyer to review or change the Bid Proposal for you, to make sure it complies with all relevant laws and meets your specific needs. Ask a lawyer for assistance.
Carefully review the client’s invitation to bid
Before submitting your Proposal, review the client’s invitation to bid. Carefully read their requirements for bids, submission requirements and any additional documents provided. Ensure you fully understand the obligations, liabilities and expectations outlined in the bid invitation.
To maximise your chances of winning the bid, you should make sure that your Bid Proposal addresses what the client wants. Take particular care to highlight and call out any aspects of your business or experiences that bolster your Proposal.
Make sure to only provide accurate information in your Bid Proposal
Ensure that all the information, data and figures in your Bid Proposal are accurate and truthful. Misrepresenting your qualifications, experience or capabilities may lead to legal issues and may damage your reputation.
Understand when to seek advice from a lawyer
Ask a lawyer if:
this Bid Proposal doesn’t meet your specific needs or doesn’t cover everything you want it to
you are based outside England, Wales and Scotland
you operate in a highly regulated sector
This Bid Proposal is governed by the laws of England, Wales and Scotland.
