FINALIZING YOUR PROPOSALAdding the Executive Summary and …

Executive Summary (1-2 pages) briefly presents these items:

1. sustainability problem 2. rationale for your project and your plan 3. research methods of your investigation

(including criteria you used to evaluate possible solutions)

4. technologies and processes investigated, with findings

5. implementation plan based on findings and conclusions of investigation

Start and completion datesCost with brief justification

In other words . . .

Include enough information about your investigation and your proposed plan to answer critical questions about rationale, budget and timeline.

The ES is a stand-alone document. Do not refer to any sources, pages

or graphics included in the rest of the proposal.

You may include a graphic in the ES if you believe it will help the understanding of the reader, but do not number or title it.

Remember to edit the entire proposal.

Be consistent in style and content.

Please add these items:

Cover Page Title of proposal Your affiliation (not the office of your client) A graphic is very nice but not required.

Title page Title of proposal Prepared for: name of funding agency Prepared by: your name (s) Your affiliation Date

Table of Contents

Strive to make information visual and balanced.

Graphics really help us visualize and therefore understand what you are describing and evaluating.

If you provide pictures for at least one technology, provide pictures for all.

Graphics

Check labeling and titling requirements. See Graphics slides and Chapter 5 of my

book.

Be sure you have at least one original graphic, in addition to the schedule and budget.

Cite the source of every “borrowed” graphic underneath the title.

Integrate graphics with your discussion.

Try to place graphic within your text, as part of a page.

If graphic is just too large, put in a lettered appendix (Appendix B, e.g.)

This proposal is based on research. Please take care with the List of References.

You should definitely have more than 6!

Be sure to include at least two peer-reviewed sources.

Be consistent with your format.

You need at least one appendix:Appendix A: References

You may not need additional appendices – use your judgment.

Give every appendix a letter and title. Include raw data, calculations, legislative

bills, etc. that would interrupt flow of the report and are not critical for the reader’s understanding.

Discuss and summarize every appendix in the body of the proposal.

Paginate appendices separately: A-1, A-2, etc.

Language

Your preliminary research is finished – describe what you did in past tense.

Your findings are your conclusions -- describe your findings in present tense.

Describe what your proposal presents in present tense.

Describe the planned tasks in future tense

Bind the proposal.

Spiral, fastback, etc.

NOT a clip or a plastic sleeve.