Proposal Writer
Draft winning client proposals, RFP responses, and SOWs with executive summaries, pricing psychology, and competitive differentiation when a solo builder is closing services revenue.
Overview
proposal-writer is an agent skill most often used in Grow (also Validate, Launch) that structures client proposals across seven sections from executive summary through competitive strategy.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/ncklrs/startup-os-skills --skill proposal-writerWhat is this skill?
- 7-section proposal architecture: structure, executive summary, pricing, SOW, RFP, design, competitive strategy
- CRITICAL-tier guidance on executive summary and pricing anchoring psychology
- Statement of work patterns for deliverables, timelines, assumptions, and scope protection
- RFP compliance, win themes, and formal bid differentiation
- Design and formatting rules for scannable, professional proposal layout
- 7 proposal structure sections (structure, executive, pricing, sow, rfp, design, strategy)
- 3 CRITICAL-impact areas: structure, executive summary, pricing and investment
Adoption & trust: 472 installs on skills.sh; 27 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits); trending (+100% hot-view momentum).
What problem does it solve?
You have capability and a rough price, but your proposal reads like a feature list and loses executives before they see value or scope boundaries.
Who is it for?
Freelance developers, micro-agencies, and solo SaaS founders responding to RFPs or sending formal statements of work for five- to six-figure engagements.
Skip if: Internal product specs, open-source READMEs, or deals where legal counsel must draft the contract from scratch without sales narrative.
When should I use this skill?
User needs a client proposal, executive summary, pricing presentation, SOW, RFP response, or competitive proposal follow-up for a services or B2B deal.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a proposal architecture with executive summary, pricing frame, SOW guardrails, and RFP win themes ready to send or adapt per deal.
- Sectioned proposal outline with executive summary and pricing narrative
- Statement of work with deliverables, timeline, and assumptions
- RFP-oriented win themes and differentiation bullets
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Canonical shelf is Grow → lifecycle because the artifact’s job is to convert prospects into signed work after you have something to sell. Lifecycle covers outbound proposals, renewals, and expansion deals where structure and win themes determine whether busy buyers read past page one.
Where it fits
Frame three packaging tiers and investment language before sending a paid discovery proposal.
Turn a warm inbound lead into a scoped SOW with timelines and assumptions that protect margin.
Pitch a integration partner with an executive summary and competitive differentiation section.
Renew a retainer with an updated pricing section and deliverables table aligned to last quarter’s outcomes.
How it compares
Use instead of one-shot chat drafting when you need section discipline, pricing psychology, and SOW scope protection in one workflow.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is proposal-writer for?
Solo builders and small teams who sell services or B2B software and need repeatable, executive-friendly proposal and RFP content inside their coding agent.
When should I use proposal-writer?
In Validate when packaging pricing and scope for a pilot; in Grow when writing proposals or RFP answers; in Launch when positioning a partnership offer; in Operate when renewing or upselling existing clients with a fresh SOW.
Is proposal-writer safe to install?
It is methodology and document guidance without inherent shell or secret access; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and avoid pasting untrusted client data into shared logs.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Proposal Writer
## 1. Proposal Structure (structure) **Impact:** CRITICAL **Description:** Core proposal architecture, components, and flow. The foundation that determines whether your proposal gets read and wins. ## 2. Executive Summary (executive) **Impact:** CRITICAL **Description:** The most important page of any proposal. Where deals are won or lost with senior decision-makers. ## 3. Pricing & Investment (pricing) **Impact:** CRITICAL **Description:** Pricing presentation, anchoring psychology, packaging options, and investment positioning. How you present cost determines perceived value. ## 4. Statement of Work (sow) **Impact:** HIGH **Description:** SOW writing, deliverables definition, timelines, assumptions, and scope protection. The contract that defines success. ## 5. RFP Strategy (rfp) **Impact:** HIGH **Description:** RFP response best practices, compliance, win themes, and competitive differentiation in formal bid processes. ## 6. Design & Formatting (design) **Impact:** MEDIUM-HIGH **Description:** Visual hierarchy, layout, branding, and formatting that makes proposals scannable and professional. ## 7. Competitive Strategy (strategy) **Impact:** HIGH **Description:** Competitive differentiation, positioning against alternatives, and strategic follow-up to maximize win rates. --- title: Proposal Design & Formatting impact: MEDIUM-HIGH tags: design, formatting, layout, visual, branding --- ## Proposal Design & Formatting **Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH** Design signals professionalism and makes proposals easier to read. Good formatting can't save bad content, but bad formatting can kill good content. ### The Proposal Design Hierarchy ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ VISUAL HIERARCHY │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ [Logo/Header] ← Brand anchor (every page) │ │ │ │ SECTION HEADING ← Highest contrast, largest │ │ │ │ Subsection Heading ← Secondary emphasis │ │ │ │ Body text with key ← Readable, scannable │ │ points **highlighted** │ │ │ │ ┌──────────────────┐ │ │ │ Tables & data │ ← Structured information │ │ └──────────────────┘ │ │ │ │ [Page number] ← Navigation aid │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ### Design Principles for Proposals | Principle | Implementation | |-----------|----------------| | **Scannability** | Headers, bullets, whitespace — reader should get 80% by scanning | | **Consistency** | Same fonts, colors, spacing throughout | | **Hierarchy** | Important things look important | | **Professionalism** | Clean, polished, error-free | | **Accessibility** | Readable fonts, sufficient contrast | ### Good Example: Well-Formatted Section ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ 3. SOLUTION OVERVIEW │ │ ════════════════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ SecretStash Enterprise addresses your three core │ │ challenges with a unified platform approach. │ │ │ │ ┌───────────────────────────────────