How to build a proposal

• How to start creating a proposal
• How to use the proposal editor
• How to create your own templates
• How to use variables
• How to use the Content Library
• How to edit your proposal with AI
• How the edit the settings of your proposal

How to start creating a proposal

There are several ways to start a proposal, all from the Proposals tab.

1. Click “Proposals” in the left hand navigation bar.
   
   
2. Open the “Proposals” tab across the top.
3. Click “+ New Proposal”
4. Choose how you want to start building your proposal:
   
   
   
   
   • Blank Proposal
     Start from an empty canvas and write from scratch (or pull in content blocks as you go).
   • Upload a template
     Import an existing proposal from a .docx or .pdf file to work from.
   • Use an existing template from your Template Library
     Start from a ready-made template, such as the Standard Template provided by Projectworks.
5. You’ll land in the proposal editor, ready to start creating.
6. Continue to How to use the proposal editor →

How to use the proposal editor

Craft your proposals by hand by copy/pasting or typing your content directly into the document, or use the AI-powered content functions. Save your progress as you go and share with your client when it’s ready.

When you open the proposal editor - you’ll see:

• A blank document, or your template
  Depending on what you selected to start from. 
• The proposal title
  (e.g. “Untitled Proposal”) which you can click to rename.
• The formatting toolbar
  Across the top for standard document-editing functions (e.g., fonts, colours and headers.)
• Save
  Button to save your progress and see Save status.
• Share
  Publish the proposal as a secure web link or export it as a Word document.
  See How to share and export a proposal → 

You’ll also see along the right-hand side the intelligent content functions. Use these features to help craft your proposal. Click them to expand or collapse from view as needed.

• Outline
  A live table of contents, built automatically from the headings in your proposal as you create them. It's fully navigable, click any heading to jump straight to that section. If you're using a template with existing headings (e.g., Standard Template) they will appear here automatically.
• Variables
  Smart placeholders that pull in real information automatically, so your proposal content stays accurate without manual updates. Set a value once and it fills in everywhere that variable appears.
  See How to use Variables →
• Content Library
  Contains your Content Blocks - reusable pieces of proposal content you can drop into any proposal.
  See How to use the Content Library →
• Settings
  Manage things like owner, linked deal and status.
  See How to edit the settings of your proposal→

How to create your own templates

Any proposal can become a reusable template.

1. Click into the Proposals tab to see a list of your proposals. 

2. Click the ⋮ menu at the end of a proposal’s row.
   
   

3. Click "Create New Template" to save the proposal as a template.

Now when you click "Create a Proposal", that template will be an option to select from your Template Library, so you can start future proposals from it.

How to use variables 

1. Click "Variables" on the right-hand side of the Proposal editor.
2. You’ll see three tabs
   
    
   
   • Variables
     Look here to see every Variable in your proposal, each showing a count of how many times it's used in that proposal.
     • If you’re using a template, there may be variables pre-loaded.
     • If you’re starting from blank, it will be empty until you create your first variable. See How to create a variable →
   • Client Scope
     Use this to describe the client and let Projectworks recommend variables for you. See Client Scope: AI - suggested variables →
   • Review
     Where you check and accept the values Projectworks has pulled together. The badge shows how many variables still need attention.
     

      

How to create a variable

1. Highlight any text in your proposal
   For example, the name of the company you are preparing the proposal for.
2. Right click the highlighted text and choose Create Variable from the pop-up menu to turn it into a reusable placeholder.
   
   
3. Choose a name for your variable
   For example, client_name.
4. Click “Create”
5. Highlight that variable to copy/paste it as needed throughout your document. 
6. Now you can make updates to this variable across your proposal as needed. 
   See How to use Variables to make updates to your proposal →

How to rename a Variable

1. Click into Variables on the right hand side

2. Click the Variable you want to rename
3. Click the ⋮
4. Click Rename Variable.
5. Type in the new name for your variable. 
6. It will save automatically. 

How to use Variables to make updates to your proposal

When you have variables in your proposal, it’s easy to make updates to all relevant places at the same time.

For example, if you’ve created a Variable for the date that work will commence, and you need to update it across your proposal.

1. Click into Variables on the right hand side
2. Click on the Variable you want to update
3. Edit the text in the variable.
   
4. This will update the text for all instances of that variable across your proposal.
   
   

Client Scope - AI-suggested Variables

What is Client Scope?

Client Scope allows you to describe the context and details (scope) of your proposal, and the Projectworks AI looks at your uploaded template and its variables, suggesting what should should be populated into those variables based on what you’ve described.

For example, if you have a template for your proposals with variables for things like Project Name, Delivery Lead, Challenge etc. You will provide in plain-language the context for the proposal and the AI will look for information relevant to populating those variables.

How to use Client Scope

1. Begin a new proposal by uploading a template.
2. Click “Variables” in the right hand toolbar.
3. Click the “Client Scope” tab
4. Enter the Client Name for the proposal.
5. Write or Paste in the details into the Project Details
   Add your project description, scope, key sections, or any notes that will help us prefill your proposal accurately.
6. Click “Save Client Scope”
   Projectworks AI then maps your variables from the client scope, recommending values and suggesting any new variables it identifies. This takes a minute or two, and note that it will override existing values.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Review the suggestions
   When mapping finishes, the Review tab shows what Projectworks pulled from your client context. Check each value, edit anything that's missing or off, and fill in any blanks. The counter (e.g. "3 of 11 filled") tracks your progress.
   
   
8. For each suggestion - click Confirm to apply, or Cancel to discard.
   Accept the values you're happy with and discard any you don't want, then click Confirm to apply them to your proposal (or Cancel to back out). Your proposal updates everywhere those variables appear.

How to use the Content Library

Your Content Library contains your

• Saved Content Blocks
• Smart Blocks

What are Content Blocks?
Content blocks are reusable pieces of proposal content you can drop into any proposal. Content blocks make it quicker and easier for you to build proposals by clicking and dragging pre-built blocks to assemble your proposal.

How to create a Content Block

1. In the proposal editor, highlight the text you want to create into a Content Block.
2. Right click the highlighted text
3. Choose “Create Content Block” from the pop-up menu.
   
   
4. Give your new content block a Title (e.g., Executive Summary).
   
   
   
5. Add any Categories as comma-separated tags e.g. Pricing, Intro. (Optional).
6. Click “Save”.

How to add a saved Content Block to your proposal

1. Open your proposal in the proposal editor.
2. Click “Content Library” in the right hand toolbar.
3. Open the “Saved” tab.
4. Find the Content Block you need.
   You can filter by tag or search by title.
5. Drag and drop the Content Block from the panel straight into the editor.

How to edit saved Content Blocks

To change the saved text of a Content Block:

1. Click on Proposals in the left-hand navigation bar
2. Open the Content Library tab.
3. Find the Content Block you want to edit in the list.
4. Click the ⋮ at the end of its row.
5. Click "Edit Content"
   
   
   
6. Type in the required edits.
   
   
7. Click Save.

What are Smart Blocks?

Smart Blocks are a type of Content Block which are built from dynamic information, rather than static text.

e.g., Pricing Block

The Pricing Block calculates a pricing table for you, it’s an example of a Smart Block. Add it from the Smart Blocks tab of the Content Library, then open it to edit the pricing lines.

How to add a Pricing Block to your proposal

1. In the proposal editor, click Content Library.
2. Click "Smart Blocks".
3. Click and drag the Pricing Block into your proposal.
4. A budget screen will pop up, enter the pricing information for this proposal.
   
   
   
   • Name of the Budget
     Add more budgets by clicking “+Add Line”.
   • Budget Type
     Choose Time or Expenses from the drop down. 
   • Accounting Code (GL)
     Type in the accounting code.
   • Fee
     You can change the currency in the top-right drop down.
5. Click “Update Block”.
6. You’ll see this has created a pricing table section for your proposal.

How to edit your proposal with AI

The proposal editor has built-in Ask AI editing to help refine your writing.

1. Highlight any text in your proposal.
2. Right click the highlighted text.
3. Click Ask AI.
   
   
   
4. Choose from Edit and Write options
   
   
   
   • Options include adjusting tone, fixing spelling and grammar, making text longer or shorter, simplifying language, improving writing, adding emoji, continuing writing, adding a summary, and translating into other languages.
5. Ask AI will generate a suggested edit based on what you select
6. Review the suggestion and decide if you want to
   • Discard
     It will revert back to your original text.
   • Try Again
     A new option will be generated for your review
   • Apply
     Your text will be overwritten with the suggested edit.

How to edit the settings of your proposal

To manage settings of the proposal itself:

1. In the Proposal Editor, click “Settings” in the right hand side.
2. Edit the settings as need
   • Owner
     The person responsible for the proposal.
   • Proposal status
     Tracks where the proposal is in its lifecycle. The default statuses are Draft, In Review, Approved, Sent, Accepted, Rejected, and Archived.
   • Deal
     Link the proposal to an existing deal. This is how you attach a proposal that was created unlinked to a deal after the fact, so it joins the deal → proposal → project chain.
   • Client
     Assign the proposal to a client.
   • External Reference
     A free-text field for your own notes or a reference from another system.
3. Click “Save Settings” when you’re done.