Writing a Proposal
Work with the AI writer in a proposal workspace, from the proposal plan to the finished package.
The proposal writer is where a draft becomes a submission. This guide shows you how the writer workspace is organized, how the writer moves the work forward, and how to steer it.
Or just ask CLEATUS
Review the draft bid package for my Fleet Services pursuit and list what is still missing
Write your proposal
Open a proposal in the writer
Open a proposal from Workspaces, or click Resume Proposal on a pursuit. The file browser on the left has four tabs. Bid Package holds the package that you submit. Internal holds the drafted volumes, plans, forms, and tables. Contract and Breakdown hold the solicitation.
Follow the proposal plan
The writer builds a Proposal plan from the solicitation. Click a step to see suggested prompts for it. Click Draft all to send the prompts of that step in sequence. The steps check themselves off as the documents get drafted and the forms get filled.
Edit the drafts
The writer writes each volume as a Word document and fills each workbook cell by cell. Open a file and edit it as you would in Word or Excel. While the writer works, your editing pauses, so that the two of you cannot overwrite each other. To go back to an earlier version, select Options > Version history in the header, select a version, and click Restore this version.
Ask for what you need next
Use the chat or the suggested prompts to direct the writer: draft a volume, tighten compliance language, or prepare the cover letter. The writer works from your solicitation and your Document Hub. When a decision is yours, it asks you a question. Click New chat to start a separate thread, and use Recent chats to go back to an earlier one.
Work against the solicitation
The Breakdown tab lists every section of the solicitation, from Section A to Section M. Click a section to read it beside your draft. The Contract tab holds the original files, amendments, and attachments, exactly as they arrived.
Check and assemble the package
In the plan, open Format & assemble and click Assemble submission. The writer checks the package against the solicitation and against your compliance matrix. If a document or a required answer is missing, click Missing proposal items to open the Missing items tab. Fix each gap, then click Refresh submission. Gaps that do not hold the package show as Advisory findings. Review them before you submit.
Download the package
Click Download or Download all to save the package. To export every file, click the download icon at the top of the file browser. You can also select File > Export in the header. Then select All files as PDF (.zip) for Portable Document Format (PDF) files, or select All files as Word (.zip).
Tip:
The writer drafts from your company profile and Document Hub. Upload past performance and capability documents before you start, and the first draft lands much closer to done.
More you can do in the writer
- Fill a form. Upload a PDF form and ask the writer to fill it. Blue boxes mark the fields. Edit a value or drag a box, then click Save.
- Edit a pricing table. Open a workbook in the Internal tab, click a cell, and type. The change saves automatically.
- Add images. Drop an image into a Word document. The image fits the page, and you can drag a handle to resize it.
- See who else is here. The faces of teammates who have the proposal open show in the header. Click a face to see the file that the teammate has open.
- Use your brand. Select Options > Company branding in the header. Add your logo, letterhead, brandsheet, or written guidelines, then click Save branding. See Setting Up Company Branding.