Create a Proposal
You can start a new proposal from two places in Vantagepoint. Use the tabs below to follow the path that matches your starting point.
Make sure hub data (employee records, project descriptions, contact information) is accurate and up to date before you build your proposal. The Proposals application pulls data exactly as it appears in the hubs — it does not reformat or correct errors. See Concepts and Setup for data entry guidance.
- Start from Custom Proposals
- Start from the Projects Hub
Start from Custom Proposals
Use this path to create a new proposal that is not yet tied to a specific project record, or when you prefer to set up the proposal yourself.
Step 1 — Open the New Proposal dialog
- In the Navigation pane, go to Proposals > Custom Proposals.
- Click + New Proposal.
The New Proposal dialog box opens.
Step 2 — Set proposal properties
On the New Proposal dialog:
- Template (optional): Select a template if one has been set up for your firm. A template pre-fills layout, styles, and record placeholders.
- Name (required): Enter a unique name for the proposal.
- Number, Associated Project, Due Date: Fill in as needed.
Click Continue to save.
Step 3 — Work in the Proposal Builder
The Proposal Builder opens. If you selected a template, the template content appears. If you did not select a template, you start with a cover page (showing the proposal name) and one blank page.
From here you can:
- Format the cover page and insert additional pages.
- Add elements (text boxes, images) by dragging them from the Elements pane onto the canvas.
- Add section breaks to organize the proposal into sections with their own properties.
Step 4 — Add hub records
Hub records let you embed live employee, project, or contact data into the proposal.
- Drag the Record element from the Elements pane onto the canvas. The Add Record dialog box opens.
- Select the hub (for example, Projects or Employees).
- Search for and select the record you want to include.
- Optionally add common fields and specify how many images to include per record.
- Click Add.
You are now in Edit Record Layout mode. Changes you make here affect all records of that type at once.
Step 5 — Insert fields
Select specific data fields to include for each record. Vantagepoint inserts placeholders; the placeholders are replaced with live hub data when you finalize.
- For number, currency, or date columns, you can specify formatting (Format Number / Format Date-Time / Format Currency dialogs).
- Use the Manage Records dialog to add or remove records at any time.
Step 6 — Save as draft or finalize records
Once you finalize (merge) records, they are disconnected from the hub and will no longer update automatically. Finalized records can be edited individually, but hub changes will not flow through. If you plan to save this proposal as a template, keep records as drafts.
| Option | When to use |
|---|---|
| Save Record Layout as Draft | You are still editing or want group-wide changes to apply automatically. Keep in draft mode until ready to publish or edit records individually. |
| Merge and Finalize Records | You are ready to send the proposal. This separates records so you can edit each one individually without affecting the hub. |
To save as draft: in the Edit Record Layout pane (Settings panel), click Save Record Layout as Draft.
To finalize: click Merge and Finalize Records.
Step 7 — (Optional) Save as a template
If this proposal has a layout or structure you want to reuse:
- Click Other Actions > Save Proposal as Template.
- Enter a Name, Category, and Description.
- Click Continue.
The template appears in the Proposal Templates grid under Proposals > Templates.
Step 8 — Export to PDF
When the proposal is finalized, click Other Actions > Export to PDF (or use the Export to PDF action) to generate a PDF you can send to clients.
Start from the Projects Hub
Use this path when you have already been tracking an opportunity in the Projects hub and are ready to create a proposal from that project record. The proposal is automatically pre-populated with the project's information.
Step 1 — Initiate from a project record
In the Projects hub, open the project record for the opportunity you are pursuing. Then do one of the following:
- Click Other Actions > Add Proposal, or
- Select the Proposals tab on the project record and click + Add Proposal.
The Custom Proposals application opens and displays the New Proposal dialog box.
Step 2 — Set proposal properties
On the New Proposal dialog:
- Template (optional): Select a template if you want to use one.
- Name (required): The project name pre-fills as the default; edit as needed.
- Number, Project, Due Date: The current project is pre-populated in the Project field.
Click Continue.
Step 3 — Work in the Proposal Builder
The Proposal Builder opens. If a template was selected, template content appears. Otherwise, you start with a cover page (pre-populated with the proposal name) and a blank second page.
All subsequent steps — reviewing content, inserting pages, adding elements, adding hub records, inserting fields, saving drafts, finalizing, saving as a template, and exporting to PDF — follow the same process as described in the Start from Custom Proposals tab above.
If the template you selected already includes hub records, review them and change which records are included as needed using the Manage Records dialog box.
Adding an Estimate to a Proposal
Show steps for adding a service estimate table
If your firm uses service estimates in the Projects hub, you can embed an estimate table directly in a proposal.
Prerequisites:
- Estimates must be enabled in Settings > Projects > Estimates.
- The project must have an estimate set up in Hubs > Projects > Estimates.
Steps:
- Open or create the proposal in Proposals > Custom Proposals.
- Drag the Estimates element from the Elements pane onto the canvas. The Add Estimate dialog box opens.
- In Choose Project, confirm the project (defaults to the project set in Proposal Properties) or select a different one.
- In Choose Table, select the estimate table to include. Options in gray with a no data available indicator mean the project has no data for that table.
- In the Include list, select the columns to show in the table.
- Optionally enter custom labels for the table name and column names.
- Select the table element and use the Table Properties pane to format table, row, and cell styles.