How to Build a Professional Proposal Template in Word

In this article we’ll build the below proposal template in Word step by step.

In this article:

• What Is A Proposal Template
• What Is Included in a Proposal Template
• Proposal Template in Word Step-by-Step Instructions

What is Included in a Proposal Template

Proposal content depends on the occasion and project you are bidding, but at the very least, you need to include your client’s and project information, description of scope, price, and terms and conditions. Don’t forget your company’s information of course and mention the blueprints or drawings you used for your estimate if applicable. We recommend creating a variety of estimate templates or proposal templates, to cover every type of project you bid. Here’s a more complete list of proposal elements.

1. Cover Letter
   if applicable – omit if a short, concise proposal is needed as in the case of commercial bid proposals for example where GCs receive tens of proposals for a project
2. Specification of Parties
3. Scope of the Project
4. Materials
5. Labor
6. Insurance
7. Equipment
8. Exclusions (especially work that you won’t be doing at the job site)
9. Lead Times
10. Cost Breakout or Cost Estimate
11. Terms and Conditions including Payment Schedule and Warranty Terms if applicable
12. Alternates

For an in-depth description of these elements, read our Construction Proposal Elements.

We offer free templates and tutorials for companies looking to refresh their construction proposals look and feel. Click here to get your free download.

Go to www.constructionproposaltemplates.com for detailed construction proposal templates tailored to each trade.

Build a Proposal Template for Word – Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Set margins
2. Set header & footer for cover
3. Cover design – add a picture
4. Cover design – add a background
5. Cover design – add a company logo
6. Add client, project, and your company contact information
7. Designing the header for the pages
8. Designing the footer for the pages
9. Add the content

Step 1: Set margins

Before adding any elements or text to our proposal template in Word, we’ll set the document margins and header and footer.

1. Open Word
2. Click on Layout, Margins, Custom Margins
3. Change margins from 1 to 0.5 for left and right and 0.75 for top and bottom (or 0.5 for all)

Step 2: Set header & footer for the cover

1. On the ribbon, click on Insert
2. Open Header menu
3. Click Edit Header
4. On the Header & Footer menu, select ‘Different First Page’

Step 3: Cover design – add a picture

In this example, we are creating an eye-catching graphical cover instead of a simple cover letter. This is one of the most complex designs, with graphics and backgrounds behind text. The trick to having perfectly aligned graphics behind text in MS Word, is to put the graphics in the ‘Header’.

1. Double click at the top of the document to enter the Edit Header mode. Or click Insert -> Header -> Edit Header
2. Next, we’ll place the picture on the right in the header.
   Click Insert -> Pictures -> This Device
3. Select the picture you want to insert
4. Click Insert
5. With the picture selected
6. Click on the Layout Options
7. Select the bottom right one ‘In Front of text’
8. Now we can move the picture off to the right of the screen

Step 4: Cover design – add a background

Still in Edit Header mode:

1. Click on Insert -> Shapes
2. Select Rectangle
3. Draw a rectangle that is as high as the picture and fills the white space

Step 5: Cover design – add your company logo

Still in Edit Header mode:

1. Click on Insert -> Pictures -> This Device
2. Select Your Company Logo (we need an image without background for this design, or match the rectangle background to the logo background)
3. In Layout Options select ‘In Front of Text’
4. Resize the logo and place it on top of the color block
5. Exit ‘Edit Header’ mode (double-click on screen outside the page)

Step 6: Add client, project, and your company contact information

In regular edit mode:

1. Add the name of our company under the logo along with contact information
2. Add your tagline or specialty – make this text bigger, a different font, and a color that matches the picture on the right
3. Type in today’s date
4. Add your client’s information
5. And project information under that

Step 7: Designing the header for the pages

On the first page:

• Click enter until you generate a second page

On the second page:

1. Enter Edit Header mode (double-click at the top of the page or Insert -> Header -> Edit Header)
2. Click somewhere in the Header
3. Click Insert -> Text Box on ribbon
4. Type the name of the project
5. With the text box selected, click Shape Format -> Shape Outline -> No Outline to remove the text box border

Still in Edit Header mode on the second page – insert horizontal line:

1. Click Insert -> Shapes -> Select Line
2. Draw a line in the header from the left margin to the right margin (to draw a straight line, hold down shift while drawing)
3. With the line selected: Click on Shape Format -> Shape Outline on the Ribbon
4. Select Dashes
5. With the line selected: Click on Shape Format -> Shape Outline and select a gray color for the line

Step 8: Designing the footer for the pages

Still in Edit Header & Footer on the second page:

1. Draw the dotted line the same way you did in the Header
2. Then Insert -> Text Box -> Draw Text Box and draw a rectangle in the Footer
3. With the text box selected, click on Header & Footer on the ribbon
4. Select Page Number -> Current Position -> Style you want (Page 2 of 2)
5. Align the text to the right and remove text box border as we did before

Still in Edit Header & Footer on the second page:

1. Then Insert -> Text Box -> Draw Text Box and draw a rectangle in the Footer
2. Type your company’s information
3. Remove Text Box border as before
4. Place the text in the footer so it aligns with the page number

Step 9: Add the content

Now that our Header and Footer for the rest of the pages are designed, we place the content of our proposal on the second page.
The minimum sections we recommend for a proposal are Scope, Cost Breakdown, Terms & Conditions.

1. Scope of Work (can be stated in the introduction)
2. Cost Estimate or Cost Breakdown (as simple or detailed as you think is needed)
3. Exclusions, especially work that you won’t be doing at the job site
4. Any other sections you may need such as materials, labor, schedule, insurance, FAQ
5. Terms & Conditions
6. Signature lines if needed

Your proposal is now ready to be turned into a PDF and sent to your client.

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Further Reading

• Construction Proposal Software
• Sales Pipeline Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Construction Proposal Template [download free samples]
• iDeal CRM FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
• Construction Salesman: Responsibilities, Salary