So what does the term “technical proposal”

mean?
A technical proposal is a document where you introduce your product, explain how it can help
solve the recipient’s issue, identify the company’s plan for execution and provide technical
details of the deal. This kind of proposal should be concise, talk about a complex product in
simple words, and show your potential customer the benefits of working with you.
We have put together this how-to to help with the following:

1. Understanding the parts of a technical proposal

2. Selling it! (Stating your purpose)
3. Writing a technical proposal
4. Submitting the technical proposal

In this lesson, we’ll help you conquer writing a technical proposal with a free technical proposal
template that includes 4 additional tips.

How to write a technical proposal?

Tip 1. Understanding the parts of a technical proposal

A technical proposal follows a simple format (phew!).

The typical parts of a technical proposal include:

 About section

 What is… section

 How does… section

 Technical contract

 Product description

 Company duties

 Considerations

 Ownership

 Modification terms
 Applicable laws

 Other clauses/terms/definitions

 Signature section

Tip 2. Selling it! (Stating your purpose)

Perhaps the most important part of your technical proposal is the part where you sell the
recipient on the merits of your invention or innovation.

Have you reinvented the wheel (only somehow better)?

Have you made an Edison-like improvement to an existing invention?

The second section of your technical proposal, the “What is…” part is the place for selling the
merit for what you have created.

In this section, you need to first introduce the demand for your innovation, before you describe
its specifics.

Questions to answer in the “What is…” section of a technical proposal:

1. Who does this product benefit?

2. What is the problem the product solves?

3. Why is this innovation needed now?

4. Why are you the best innovator to solve this problem?

These questions correspond to the “How does…” section of your technical proposal, in that
section, you will need to illuminate the following:

1. Technical specifications

2. Detailed features

The “How does…” section is often necessarily dry, so consider using some flourishing language
to keep your proposal recipient from falling asleep, but do not go too far off track.

Tip 3. Writing a technical proposal

 Writing a technical proposal is a unique challenge. On the one hand, you are faced with
presenting some highly specific technical details about a potentially complex product. On the
other hand, you may find yourself tasked with presenting said information to people who might
not understand the topic as well as you do.

The accuracy of those technical details figures heavily; however, presenting them clearly and
concisely comes down to how well you plan out your technical proposal.

To help your proposal make sense, stick with these best practices:

 Strive for concision — if a term does not need to be there, cut it

 Focus on the general science/technology terminology as often as possible, skirting the

need for your reader to be a specialist

 Speak to your recipients’ level of understanding — don’t over-simplify

 Fact check to make sure all the data in the technical proposal is accurate

If at all possible, you should ask a friend or colleague with knowledge comparable to your own
to take a look at your technical proposal prior to sending it the intended recipient.

Someone with knowledge of the topic can help you troubleshoot problems and omissions that
could mean the difference between acceptance and rejection of your proposal.

Tip 4. Submitting the proposal

The last step in the process is, of course, submitting the technical proposal. Be very careful here.
It is ill-advised to tender an unsolicited technical proposal (for the sake of obvious intellectual
property concerns).

What’s more, even when a company does agree to accept your technical proposal, you still need
to check their submission guidelines thoroughly to make certain that your invention is not
rejected, purely on a technicality!

Whatever you do, don’t get burned! The best possible advice is to consult with a patent attorney
as soon as inspiration strikes!