Proposal process
A proposal answers three questions for the customer: do you understand our problem, can you solve it, and what will it cost? This page describes how Northwind produces proposals. It starts after a lead has been qualified, see How to qualify a lead.
Roles
| Role | Person (typical) | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Proposal owner | Grace Liu or an account owner | Coordinates and owns the submission |
| Solution architect | Isha Patel | Solution design and technical risks |
| Delivery manager | Maya Torres | Staffing, delivery plan, estimate review |
| Finance | Dan Whitfield | Margin and payment-terms check |
| Legal | Alice Moreno | Contract and risk review |
Timeline
A standard proposal takes about 10 working days.
- Day 1: Kick-off. Confirm requirements, deadline, evaluators and the bid or no-bid decision.
- Days 2 to 4: Solution and estimate. Architect drafts the approach; the team estimates, see Estimation.
- Day 5: Pricing. Apply Pricing guidelines. Finance checks margin.
- Days 6 to 7: Draft. Write the document using the template below.
- Day 8: Internal review. Delivery, Legal and Finance review.
- Day 9: Approval. Approver per POL-LEG-001 signs off the commitment.
- Day 10: Submit and diarise follow-up.
Proposal template
1. Executive summary
2. Our understanding of your needs
3. Proposed approach and deliverables
4. Team and governance
5. Timeline and milestones
6. Commercials (fee model, payment terms, assumptions)
7. Risks and how we manage them
8. About Northwind and references
Rules
- Every proposal states its assumptions and validity period (normally 60 days).
- Never promise a date without a delivery manager's agreement.
- Do not propose terms that differ from the MSA without Legal review. For existing customers, check the terms on the customer pages.
- Proposals for new work with an existing customer should reference the MSA in force.
- Save every proposal in the Projects collection as a PRJ document.
After submission
- Follow up within 3 business days.
- If won, move to the SOW process.
- If lost, ask for feedback and record the reason in the CRM.
Approval authority
Under POL-LEG-001, a commitment below $50,000 is approved by the Head of Sales; from $50,000 to $250,000 by the VP Delivery and General Counsel; above $250,000 by the CEO, CFO and General Counsel.
Owner: Grace Liu - Last updated: 2026-05-12