Winning a job often starts with giving the customer a clear picture of the work you’re proposing. They need to understand what you’ll do, what the project may cost, and what they need to approve before work begins.
A contractor proposal puts those details in one place. Depending on the job, it can include the scope of work, timeline, photos, pricing, terms, customer approval, and a deposit or other payment.
Here’s how to create a proposal, what to include, and how to send one that gives your customer the information they need to make a decision.
What is a proposal?
A Proposal is a document that outlines the work you’re offering to complete for a customer. It gives both sides a written record of the proposed project before work begins.
For a roofing contractor, that might include the roof system being replaced, materials, estimated timeline, and project price. A remodeler might include separate phases of work, allowances, photos, and terms. Service contractors may use a shorter proposal for a repair or installation.
The amount of detail depends on the job. A proposal can include pricing and line items, but it doesn’t have to. The goal is to give the customer enough information to understand the work and approve the next step.
What should a contractor proposal include?
A good proposal gives your customer a clear description of the work you’re offering and what they’re agreeing to.
Depending on the project, a contractor proposal may include:
- Customer and project details: Add the customer’s name, contact information, and project or service address.
- Scope of work: Explain the work you’re proposing and what the project includes.
- Project timeline: Include expected start dates, completion dates, phases, or other scheduling information when applicable.
- Pricing: Add individual line items, quantities, unit prices, or a project total when you’re including pricing in the proposal.
- Photos and files: Include project photos, measurements, inspection documents, or other information that helps explain the proposed work.
- Terms and conditions: Spell out relevant project terms, warranties, exclusions, payment terms, or other conditions.
- Payment details: Include a deposit or other payment request when you need to collect money before or during the project.
- Customer approval: Give the customer a way to approve the proposal and provide a digital signature when required.
What belongs in your proposal depends on the type of work, customer, and project.
Proposal examples for different trades
The basic purpose of a proposal stays the same across trades, but the details change with the work.
- A roofing proposal might include tear-off, underlayment, shingles, flashing, ventilation, disposal, and installation labor.
- A remodeling proposal could break the project into demolition, framing, electrical, plumbing, finishes, and other phases.
HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, restoration, and other field service businesses will have their own common services and project details.
Using a proposal template can give you a consistent starting point. Proposal software can also help you reuse common pricing, pull in existing customer and project information, and attach documentation from the job.
How to create a proposal for contractor work
Your customer should be able to open the proposal and understand what work you’re offering, what the project includes, and what they need to do next.
1. Add the customer and project details
Start with the customer’s name, contact information, and project address.
Make sure the proposal is connected to the correct customer and job, especially when you’re working with property managers, general contractors, insurance contacts, or customers with multiple properties.
2. Write the scope of work
Describe the work you’re proposing in enough detail for the customer to understand what the project covers.
Include the major services, materials, project phases, or deliverables that apply. You can also spell out exclusions or work that falls outside the proposed scope when that information is relevant to the agreement.
In CompanyCam, you can write the scope yourself or use AI Assistant to generate a first draft from a description of the job. You can also add Files or Pages from the Project to give AI more context.
3. Add the project timeline
Include timing information when the customer needs it to evaluate the proposal.
Depending on the job, that could include an estimated start date, expected project duration, individual phases, or scheduling conditions that may affect the work.
Keep the timeline specific to what you can reasonably provide at the proposal stage.
4. Add pricing when applicable
If the proposal includes pricing, break the cost into line items that help the customer understand what they’re paying for.
Each line item can include the service or material, quantity, unit type, price, and description. For example, a roofing proposal could separate tear-off, shingles, underlayment, flashing, labor, and disposal.
If your team regularly quotes the same services or materials, Price Book lets you save common line items and add them to proposals when needed. Pricing and Price Book items are optional. You can create a proposal without including either.
5. Add photos and supporting documents
Photos can help explain the proposed work before the customer approves it.
Add relevant job site photos to show existing conditions, damaged areas, measurements, materials, or specific parts of the property included in the scope. You can also attach files and documents that provide additional project information.
Keeping these materials with the proposal gives the customer supporting context for the work you’re recommending.
6. Add terms and conditions
Include the terms the customer should review before approving the work. Use terms that fit your business and the work covered by the proposal.
Depending on your business and project, that could cover payment terms, warranties, exclusions, change orders, scheduling requirements, cancellation policies, or other conditions tied to the job.
7. Request customer approval
Give the customer a clear way to approve the proposed work.
With built-in e‑signatures in CompanyCam, you can add a signature request directly to the proposal. The customer can review the document and sign digitally from their device, and the signed proposal stays connected to the Project.
8. Request a deposit or payment
If you need to collect money as part of the proposal, add a payment request before sending it. Built-in payment processing lets customers make a payment directly from the proposal after you complete Stripe onboarding. This can be used for deposits or other payments tied to the proposed work.
The amount you request depends on the project and your payment terms.
9. Review and send the proposal
Review the customer information, scope, timeline, pricing, photos, attachments, terms, signature request, and payment details that apply to the proposal. In CompanyCam, click Preview on web or tap View on mobile to see what the customer will receive before sending it.
Choosing proposal software for contractors
Contractor proposal software should make it easy to turn information you already have about a job into something you can send to the customer.
When you evaluate software, look at how it handles project details, photos, files, reusable pricing, customer approvals, and payments. Consider software adoption, too. A tool that fits into the way your team already manages jobs can be easier to work into your existing process.
Mobile and offline access also matters when your team builds or sends proposals from the field. Being able to review project documentation and prepare the proposal while you’re still working with the customer can keep the sales process connected to the job.
Tips for a better proposal process
A good proposal starts with the information you collect before you build the document.
Keep customer details attached to the project. Take photos during the site visit and document the conditions that affect your scope. Save commonly used services and pricing so they’re ready when a proposal needs them.
Before sending, review the proposal from the customer’s perspective. Check that the scope matches what you discussed and that any pricing, terms, payment requests, and approval requirements are clear.
Once the customer approves the work, keep the proposal with the rest of the project documentation so your team can reference the original scope as the job moves forward.
Create and send proposals with CompanyCam
CompanyCam keeps proposals connected to the Project where your customer information and job documentation already live.
To create a Proposal, open a Project, select Sales, and click Create Proposal. You can also open Proposals from the left-hand navigation, click Create Proposal, and select the Project you want to use.
From there, add the project details your customer needs. Write the scope yourself or use AI Assistant, add Price Book items when pricing applies, pull in project photos and files, and include terms for the customer to review.
You can also add a signature request and request payment directly from the proposal. Once the customer approves it, the proposal stays connected to the project as your team moves from the sale into the work.
