Beginner About 75 minutes 5 stages

Draft a business proposal with AI

Build a customer-specific proposal from approved scope, evidence, commercial terms and clear exclusions.

Draft a business proposal with AI

What you will produce

A reviewable result, not an automatic answer.

Follow the stages in order. Each stage ends with a tangible deliverable and a review checkpoint, so mistakes are caught before they become the next tool’s input.

Expected tool cost

Use free plans where suitable; confirm current provider limits and prices before starting. Compare the latest verified AI pricing before buying another subscription.

Suggested stack

Tools used in this workflow.

The process matters more than the brand. Use an approved equivalent when it offers the controls and output quality your organisation needs.

Inputs and ownership

Before you start

  • Confirmed customer needs, stakeholders and scope
  • Approved prices, terms, proof points and delivery capacity
  • A commercial owner authorised to approve the proposal

Interactive workflow

Complete each stage in order.

Tick a stage only after its deliverable and review checkpoint are complete.

  1. Separate confirmed requirements from assumptions, dependencies and open questions.

    Deliverable

    A requirements and assumptions sheet

    Review checkpoint

    Do not turn an assumption into a commitment.

  2. Create a proposal structure around outcomes, scope, approach, timing, price and exclusions.

    Deliverable

    An approved proposal outline

    Review checkpoint

    Use the same scope language across price and delivery sections.

  3. Draft customer-specific language using only approved evidence and commitments.

    Deliverable

    A customer-specific draft

    Review checkpoint

    Recalculate every total independently.

  4. Check scope, milestones, totals, tax, validity, terms and internal delivery ownership.

    Deliverable

    A commercial accuracy checklist

    Review checkpoint

    Make exclusions and customer responsibilities visible.

  5. Complete a commercial and editorial review before sending a controlled final copy.

    Deliverable

    A controlled final proposal

    Review checkpoint

    Ensure the final PDF matches the approved source document.

Adapt, do not paste blindly

Working prompts for this recipe.

Replace bracketed placeholders, supply approved sources and remove unnecessary personal or confidential information.

Working prompt

Use this only after replacing every bracketed placeholder and removing unnecessary sensitive information.

Draft a proposal outline for [CUSTOMER] based only on the confirmed requirements, approved scope and commercial terms below. Separate assumptions and open questions. Do not invent case-study results, delivery dates, discounts or legal commitments. Include outcome, scope, approach, milestones, investment, exclusions, customer responsibilities and next step.\n\nAPPROVED INPUTS:\n[PASTE INPUTS]

Final review prompt

Use as a second-pass checklist, not as approval to publish.

Review the draft against this intended outcome: Build a customer-specific proposal from approved scope, evidence, commercial terms and clear exclusions. List unsupported claims, missing evidence, ambiguous language, privacy concerns, accessibility issues and actions that still require human approval. Do not rewrite the draft until the issues are listed separately.

Human review required

Verification and cautions

  • Verify names, figures, quotations and source claims before use.
  • Remove confidential or personal information unless the selected service and account are approved for it.
  • Keep a named person responsible for the final decision and published output.

Keep the outcome, change the method

Practical alternatives

Use a controlled proposal template populated directly from an approved scope sheet.
Ask a commercial or legal specialist to draft high-value or unusual agreements.