WHAT IS A PROPOSAL?

A proposal typically is a tool designed to persuade a customer to purchase a product, or to receive funding and backing for a new project or program. Used in a majority of industries from corporate America to academia, proposals come in many forms. There are informal and formal proposals, as well as solicited and unsolicited proposals. No matter what type, a proposal usually is meant to inform the reader of a problem or need, offer a solution, and give a broad overview of how the proposed solution will work and how much it will cost.

Informal proposals can be quite brief and be used as a follow-up to a business or staff meeting. They usually reiterate what was learned or uncovered in the meeting and list an overview of pricing or a detailed outline of the solution. Formal proposals typically have cover letters, research and numbers or charts, outlined details of all the major phases, schedules, organizational duties, and a cost breakdown of all components. They also typically have a description of the proposing company's or person’s services, a resume, list of past projects, and anything else that would prove qualifications

STEPS FOR WRITING A PROPOSAL

Formal proposals are often requested by companies when they are planning to outsource projects. A formal proposal includes many essential pieces of information, including project objectives, budget and cost breakdowns, time lines and job qualifications. Use these tips to write a formal proposal.

Steps

1)      Create a cover page. The cover page that lets a prospective client know who you are and what the purpose of your proposal is. Include your name, company name and logo, contact information and a title for the proposal. The title may be simple and refer directly to the proposal request, or it may reveal more about your company's plan in respect to meeting the proposal's goal.

2)      Provide an introduction for your formal proposal. The introduction needs to include basic company information and qualifications, along with a summary about the comprehension of client issues.

• Write about the company's mission and objectives, history and background and role in the current industry. Basic qualifications and experience should be highlighted.
• Create a summary that lets the client know you fully comprehend the mission of the project and any issues that may arise as a result. This summary should be short and to the point.

3)      Address the purpose of the proposal. Discuss the project parameters as described by the client in a section that focuses on the purpose of the proposal. Briefly address the method you will use to meet the project's needs.

4)      Describe your solution. Provide your proposed method of addressing the project and implementing your plans in detail.

a.       Write a detailed description about all phases and tasks that must take place in order to enact your solution. Tell the client how and why the solution you propose is the correct one using prospective scenarios and statistical projections.

b.      Create a time line for the project's implementation from start to finish. Provide this in a textual format or a graphic chart.

c.       Tell the client about any other individuals or company you will enlist to provide services for the implementation of the project. Include their basic qualifications.

d.      Establish a budget and break down the costs for the project. Clients like to know how their money will be spent.

5)      Provide a list of your qualifications and experience. Include a resume or other description as it applies to the particular tasks of the project. List other projects that you've worked on or assisted with that are similar in scope to the proposed project.

6)      Include appendices. Include several additional documents as appendices, if necessary, to prove qualifications or enhance the proposal. For instance, charts are helpful to demonstrate statistics and facts. Other similar project profiles are often used in proposals.

7)      Prepare a table of contents. After the proposal is completed, fill in the page numbers for corresponding sections of the proposal, including the introduction, proposal emphasis, project plans and other parts describing different aspects of the proposal.

taken from: 

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-proposal.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Formal-Proposal

Dear Carlos Arturo Bustos Cortes  

Mayor of Pamplona City;

First of all, I am very glad to have the opportunity of writing to you, and the reason why I am doing it is because I want you to know something that is going on in our city, Pamplona. During the last five months the security in Pamplona has decreased tremendously, students, children and even adults are terrified of going out after 9 pm given that there are too much thief.

.Three weeks ago a gran was attacked and stolen by a thief in the Carmen neighborhood, she tried to defend herself but it was impossible and unfortunately she was stabbed in three occasions. The neighbors called the police but they arrived 40 minutes later, when the thief had gone. 

The community is worried, we suggest you to increase the presence of police officers given that a patrol by night is not enough. There should be more police or at least watchmen in each neighbor, especially at nights since that most of robberies are at that time. 

You should also install security camera in the most dangerous neighbors, such as: El Carmen, los Treces, Santa Marta, and Chapinero. Thus, the situation would change and there would not exist more fear when going out

This proposal has been written in order to keep our community safe, we don’t want those thief to continue stealing our people. On the contrary, we want everybody to feel quiet when walking, when going out and so on. In case you have any doubt or any comment about this, we can discuss it. 

Best regards; Residents of Carmen’s neighborhood.