KnowledgePrivate tender

How to write a business proposal that wins: structure, content and checklist

Learning how to write a business proposal looks simple: what you will do, what it costs, your name at the bottom. Yet that is exactly where a lot of good work is lost. The client puts several proposals side by side, often with several people at once, and picks the supplier who understands the question best and shows it most clearly. This article covers the proposal for business services: what goes in it, what makes it persuasive, and, if you do business in the Netherlands, what the rules require.

Atvalio · November 2026 · 9 min read

Written by the Atvalio editorial team: people who spent years bidding on tenders themselves. About us

What is a business proposal?

A business proposal, in Dutch an offerte, is an offer to a prospective client: what you will deliver, at what price and on what terms. It is not yet an assignment. That only exists once the client agrees.

You choose the form. Sometimes a short price quote is enough, sometimes the client expects a full proposal. KVK, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, advises asking first what the client wants, and checking whether you stand a chance before you start. When a company asks several suppliers for a proposal, a private tender, your proposal is the document the client lays next to the others.

How to write a business proposal: the structure in eight parts

A good business proposal follows the questions the client asks, in the order in which they ask them. Do they understand us? What will they do? Who does it, when, and what does it cost? And what do I do now?

Summary for the decision makerOne page for whoever will not read everything: the client’s question in their own words, your proposal in a few sentences, what it delivers, the price and the next step. Someone who reads only this page should be able to decide.
Understanding of the questionShow that you understand the situation: the goal, what is not working now, what the client has already tried and what happens if nothing changes. Take this from your conversations with the client, not from your own brochure.
Solution and approachWhat you will do, in which steps, and why this way. Link each part to a point in the question. Leave out what does not belong to the question.
PlanningStart date, milestones and delivery date. Also state what you need from the client and when, such as access, data or a decision.
TeamWho does the work, by name and role, and why that person fits this assignment. A client also buys the people they will work with.
Price and price breakdownA total price with the breakdown below it: components, hours or rates, one-off and recurring costs, and what is not included, such as travel costs or extra work. State whether amounts include or exclude VAT.
Terms and validityThe payment term, any deposit, how long the proposal is valid, and a reference to your general terms and conditions, which you send along.
Next stepHow the client accepts and what happens next. A date for a follow-up meeting works better than “we look forward to hearing from you”.

Keep each part as short as the assignment allows. For a small job, a paragraph per part is often enough; a large project needs more detail. How to match the form to what the client expects is covered in the design of your proposal.

What makes a business proposal persuasive?

Two proposals for the same service, at almost the same price. The client picks one, and often it is the one that leaves the least doubt. Four things make that difference.

Client firstStart with their question, not with yourselfA proposal that opens with the history of your company leaves the client searching for what it means for them. Open with their situation and their goal. About yourself, say only what proves you will reach that goal.
SpecificConcrete instead of genericName this client’s departments, systems, locations and volumes. A sentence you could put unchanged into every proposal tells this client nothing. Why that weighs so heavily is explained in no generic texts.
EvidenceEvery promise backed upA reference with a comparable client, a result with a figure from your own work, a contact the client may call. A promise without evidence remains a claim.
ChoicesOptions instead of one bidSplit the work into parts with their own price, or offer a basic and an extended version. KVK recommends this too: the client can then choose part of the work. That way they compare your options, not just your total with someone else’s.

A fictional example of the difference. Generic: “We are a reliable partner with extensive experience in facility services.” Specific: “Your two sites each run their own cleaning schedule with two points of contact. Within six weeks of the start we bring that back to one schedule and one point of contact.”

Write for everyone who reads along, too. Procurement looks at price and terms, the users at the approach, the board at the result. Who they are at your client and how to reach them is covered in the decision making unit.

A sentence that fits every proposal fits no client at all.

What must a proposal include under Dutch rules?

In the Netherlands, your trade name and your KVK number (your registration number in the Dutch business register) are required. They belong on all your business correspondence, and proposals are part of that. If the trade name of your bv or nv (the Dutch private and public limited company) differs from its registered name, you also state the registered name, and a bv or nv also states its registered office.

Your VAT identification number (btw-id) must be on your invoices, and on your website if you sell products or offer services online. Ondernemersplein, the Dutch government’s business information site, does not mention that duty for proposals. Most other details are not law, but they are customary, and a client misses them if they are not there.

Detail	Required or customary	Explanation
Trade name and KVK number	Required	On all business correspondence, including proposals, invoices and business email.
Registered name and registered office	Required for a bv or nv	The registered name if it differs from the trade name; the registered office always.
VAT identification number	Customary	Required on the invoice. No duty on the proposal, but useful for the client’s records.
Client details, date and proposal number	Customary	Makes the proposal traceable when the client accepts and when they later check your invoice.
Description of the work and the price	Customary, essential in practice	What you deliver, what it costs, whether VAT is included, and what is not included.
Validity period	Customary, strongly advised	There is no standard period. You set it yourself.
Payment term and any deposit	Customary	Without an agreement, a term of 30 days applies between businesses. There is no maximum deposit between businesses.
Reference to your general terms	Customary	Point the client to them before they accept and send them along. If you do not, the client may be able to annul them.
Purchase order number and contact person	Optional	Useful if the client works with purchase order numbers.

Sources: Ondernemersplein (business correspondence, proposal steps, VAT number, general terms, payment terms) and KVK, all in Dutch. Non-commercial associations and foundations, owners’ associations, government bodies and religious organisations do not have to state a KVK number.

If you also work for private individuals, note that in the Netherlands anyone selling to consumers must show prices including VAT. With a business client, always say whether an amount includes or excludes VAT.

Is a business proposal binding, and how long is it valid?

Under Dutch law a proposal is binding as soon as the client accepts it, by signature, by email or by another clear confirmation. From that moment you have a contract and the terms of the proposal apply. If you state a validity period, you cannot withdraw the proposal before that date (Article 6:219 of the Dutch Civil Code). If you state no period, a written offer lapses if the client does not accept it within a reasonable time (Article 6:221 of the Dutch Civil Code). The law does not say how many days that is. So name an end date yourself.

Choose a period that fits how long the client needs to decide, and how long you can hold your price. What a non-binding (vrijblijvend) proposal means, what happens when the client accepts with changes, and whose general terms apply is covered in is a quote binding. If you expect the client to negotiate, also read price negotiation and the best and final offer before you fix your price.

A proposal with a validity period is a promise. Check the numbers before you send it.

Common mistakes when writing a business proposal

Starting with yourselfTwo pages of company profile before the client reads anything about their own question.
Reusing an old proposalWith another client’s name still in it, or with an approach that belonged to that other client.
A bare total priceWithout a breakdown the client cannot see what they are paying for, and compares only the total.
Discounting too quicklyIt squeezes your margin and can raise doubt about your quality. KVK advises offering something extra instead, such as a longer warranty.
Not saying what is excludedExtra work, travel costs, the number of revision rounds. What you leave out becomes a discussion later.
No next stepThe proposal ends with “we look forward to hearing from you”, and then nothing happens. Agree a moment and follow up yourself.

Checklist before you send your proposal

Is the client right?The right name, the right contact and the right question, on every page.
Can the decision maker decide?Can someone who reads only the summary make a decision?
Is every promise backed up?With a reference, a figure or an example from your own work.
Is the price complete?The breakdown, VAT included or excluded, what is not included, and the payment term.
Are the fixed details there?Trade name, KVK number, date, proposal number and validity period, and for a bv or nv the registered name and office where needed.
Are the terms attached?Your general terms as an attachment, with a reference to them in the proposal and in your covering message.
Are you sending a PDF?Ondernemersplein recommends a PDF: the layout stays intact and no one can change anything unnoticed.
Is the next step in it?How the client accepts, and when you will get in touch.

HOW ATVALIO HELPS

Atvalio reads your client’s request and lists the questions, wishes and deadlines, with the page where each one appears. It writes each part from your company profile: your own references, approach, people and what sets you apart, so the proposal is about this client and not about an average one. Before you send, Atvalio checks that everything is in it. In a private tender you are free in structure and layout, and you export to Word and PDF in your own template. You decide what goes in and what it costs, and you send it.

Atvalio Tenders launches in January 2027. On the waiting list, you can be the first to start a 14-day trial on a real tender.

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