Prepare Proposal

We present our recommendations for addressing the project objectives in a formal project proposal. This normally includes:

• A summary of the project objectives as we understand them.
• Details of the methodology we propose to use.
• A timeline for the project.
• A quote for completing the project.
• What we expect from the client. This could include performing specific actions such as reviewing surveys or other research materials prior to use, or providing specific resources required for the project; for example, a client may provide us with the incentives to be used as part of a survey or with a list of potential research participants.

The aim of the proposal is to explain as clearly as possible exactly what we intend to do and when we intend to do it.

Clients sometimes accept a proposal as submitted, but other times they may request changes in methodology, timelines, budgets, etc. Obviously modification of one aspect of a proposal, such as the number of research participants, may have implications for other parts of the proposal, such as the budget or timeline, so we discuss all requested changes and their implications with the client and present them with a revised proposal.

Once we have reached mutual agreement about the details of the proposal, the client signs off on the project. Up until the point of signing off on a project, the client incurs no financial cost. Once they do sign off on a project, we normally require an initial payment before we begin work on the project; however, the specific payment schedule for each project is specified within the project proposal and varies somewhat depending on factors such as the length of the project and the costs associated with the project.