Proposals and acceptance
Make the offer clear. Get the yes on record.
Send a structured proposal, capture the client's signature, then carry the accepted terms into billing.
Accepted
PDFAn opened proposal is still only an offer.
Every proposal moves through separate states, so the team always knows which conversation it is in.
- DraftStill yours to change.
- SentThe offer was issued.
- ViewedThey opened the link. Nothing is agreed yet.
- AcceptedThey signed. Now it is a record.
Declined and Expired are states too.
The proposal
Written so both sides can use it.
Scope, terms and signature on one record. What the client accepted is what delivery and billing start from.
Scope in plain words
Deliverables, assumptions and what sits outside this phase.
Review rounds defined
Two rounds means two rounds, with one client contact consolidating feedback.
Price, currency, validity
The commercial value, its currency and how long the offer stands.
Client responsibilities
Content and approvals the client owes before a date is promised.
Signature captured
The signer's details and signature, recorded when they accept.
A PDF for both sides
Cover, scope, pricing, terms and signature. The client can download it after accepting.
Bill what the agreement says.
Accepted proposals convert into an invoice for review. Check the amount against the payment schedule the client agreed.
- $9,000Accepted discovery and design phase
- 40%Initial installment in the agreement
- $3,600First invoice
Illustrative figures. Deposits, installments and milestones follow the accepted agreement.
Start from a template. Rewrite the promises.
Templates keep a structure that works across engagements. Replace the sample scope, then check every amount, deadline and named responsibility before the link goes out.
Get the free proposal outlineTemplate
Paid social launch
Workspace template
Template
Monthly SEO retainer
Workspace template
Template
Discovery and design phase
Rewritten for Ashgrove Bakery Group
Scope rewritten
Before sendingCheck every amount, date and named owner.
From yes to a working project.
Illustrative flow for a fixed-fee phase. Involve the person responsible for delivery when the work is complex or timing is tight.
Adapt
Start from a template and rewrite the scope for this client's actual problem.
TemplateCheck
Value, currency, validity, payment terms and anything that affects the fee or timing.
ProposalSend
Share the public link. The client reads it, signs and can download the PDF.
Public linkHand off
Confirm the accepted scope, create the right invoice and plan the project.
Invoice and project
Clear about what acceptance does.
What proposals do
- Track draft, sent, viewed, accepted, declined and expired as separate states.
- Capture the signer's details and signature on a public link.
- Give the team a PDF once sent, and the client one after accepting.
- Convert an accepted proposal into an invoice for review.
- Trigger the follow-up actions you configure.
What they do not do
- Treat an opened proposal as agreement.
- Assume the full value is due on the first invoice.
- Build a finished project plan on acceptance. People, dates and capacity still need planning.
- Replace your agreement terms or procurement requirements.
Use agreement wording and signing requirements suited to your engagement. See what happens after the yes ↗
The details.
Everything above, in depth. Open what you need.
Write the scope so both sides can use it
A proposal should explain the result the client is buying and the work included in achieving it. Describe deliverables, assumptions, client responsibilities, and review boundaries in concrete terms. If an engagement includes two review rounds, define what those rounds mean. If client-supplied content is required before production, make that dependency visible before a date is promised.
Flowboard proposals contain structured sections, commercial values, currency, presentation settings, and a validity period. Templates can preserve a useful structure across engagements. They should not carry unreviewed promises from one client to the next. Replace the sample scope and check every amount, deadline, and named responsibility before sending.
Separate sending, viewing, and accepting
The proposal lifecycle distinguishes states such as draft, sent, viewed, accepted, declined, and expired. These events have different meanings. Sending establishes that the offer was issued. Viewing shows interaction with the shared proposal. Acceptance records a further client action. Do not treat an opened document as agreement to the commercial terms.
Share a public proposal link and capture the signer's details and signature. Once sent, the team can download a PDF with the cover, scope, pricing, terms and signature, and the client can download it after accepting. This keeps the commercial offer and acceptance record together. Use agreement wording and signing requirements suited to your engagement.
An illustrative fixed-fee proposal
Imagine an agency offering a $9,000 website discovery and design phase. The proposal lists the workshop, information architecture, key page designs, and two defined review rounds. It identifies the client contact responsible for consolidated feedback and states that development is outside this phase. The client can evaluate a specific offer rather than a broad promise to 'improve the website.'
After acceptance, the agency reviews the payment schedule and creates the appropriate invoice from the proposal workflow. If the agreement calls for a 40% initial installment, the illustrative installment is $3,600; the team must ensure the resulting invoice reflects that agreed amount rather than assuming the full proposal total is always due immediately. The delivery project then needs its own owners, tasks, and dates.
| Proposal element | Why it matters | Handoff check |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverables | Defines what is included | Can the team plan concrete tasks? |
| Review boundaries | Limits ambiguity | Who consolidates feedback? |
| Commercial terms | Explains price and timing | Does the invoice match the agreement? |
| Acceptance | Records the client's decision | Is the signer and accepted version clear? |
Create a repeatable proposal review
A proposal review should catch both writing errors and operational promises the agency cannot comfortably fulfill. Involve the person responsible for delivery when the work is complex or timing is tight.
Adapt the structure
Start from a suitable template, then rewrite the scope for the client's actual problem. Remove irrelevant services and inherited assumptions.
Check the commercial inputs
Review value, currency, validity, payment terms, and any dependencies that affect the fee or timing. Make exclusions understandable.
Inspect the client version
Read the public-facing proposal and acceptance path. Check branding, recipient details, and whether the requested decision is clear.
Review the accepted handoff
Confirm the accepted scope, prepare the correct invoice, and translate the agreement into a realistic project plan.
Acceptance starts an operational handoff
Use proposal acceptance to trigger configured follow-up actions. Test the workflow, then turn the accepted scope into an owned project plan with staffing and dates. The commercial agreement gives delivery a clear starting point.
Keep the client's procurement requirements, agreement terms, and any specialist documentation with the proposal process. Flowboard helps your team present the offer, track its status, and retain the acceptance record.
Prepare the first invoice
Check the billing amount and terms against what was accepted.
Explore this workflow ↗Turn scope into delivery
Create an owned project plan with realistic dates and clear outputs.
Explore this workflow ↗Questions
Before you send the link.
Can clients view and accept a proposal through a shared link?
The public proposal workflow supports client-facing viewing and acceptance with signature capture. Review the proposal's validity, signer details, and final content before sending the link. A viewed state is not the same event as an accepted proposal.
Can we reuse a proposal structure?
Start a proposal from one of your workspace templates for repeated work. Adapt the scope, responsibilities, amount, currency, validity, and terms for each engagement. A template should reduce formatting effort without encouraging the team to reuse promises that do not fit the client.
Are proposal PDFs available?
Yes. The team can download a PDF once a proposal is sent, and the client can download it from the public page after accepting. It covers the cover, scope, pricing, terms and signature sections rather than the full web presentation. Operational reports use CSV exports.
Can an accepted proposal become an invoice?
The proposal workflow includes invoice conversion. Review the resulting invoice against the accepted agreement, particularly when billing involves deposits, installments, or milestones. The total proposal value is not automatically the amount that should be collected at every billing step.
Does acceptance automatically create a finished project plan?
No. A configured automation may support follow-up from the acceptance event, but a delivery plan still needs appropriate tasks, people, dates, and capacity review. Inspect any created records and resolve unanswered scope questions before assigning production work.