Proposals — Concepts and Setup
Before you start building proposals, understanding a few foundational concepts will help you avoid common issues and get better results from the start.
Data Entry Standards
The Proposals application pulls data directly from hub records and inserts it exactly as it appears — it does not reformat or correct errors. The quality of your finished proposals depends on the quality of the data in your hubs.
Why this matters
If employee names, phone numbers, project descriptions, or addresses are entered inconsistently across your team, those inconsistencies will appear verbatim in your proposals.
Recommended practices
- Establish a company-wide style for each data type. For example, decide on a single phone number format (such as
XXX.XXX.XXXX) and require all staff to use it. - Keep data current. If you must manually correct hub data during proposal preparation, note the changes and update the hub record afterward.
- Employee resumes: Ensure each employee is listed on the Team tab in the Projects hub for every project you want to include in their resume. If you create resumes by category, verify that all category narratives are complete.
- Project experience: Review the Projects hub record for each project you plan to feature. Confirm that project descriptions and other narratives are accurate and complete.
- Creating from a project: If you create a proposal from a project record, the proposal is pre-populated from the Projects hub. Review and update the project record before using it.
You can edit data after it has been inserted into a proposal, but changes made inside the proposal do not update the corresponding hub record.
Edit Record Layout Mode
Whenever a proposal includes hub records, the proposal enters Edit Record Layout mode automatically. Understanding this mode helps you avoid accidentally overwriting shared formatting.
When Edit Record Layout mode is active
- When you create a new proposal and add hub records.
- When you open an existing proposal that already includes hub records.
What you can do in this mode
The Edit Record Layout pane appears in the Settings panel with these options:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Save Record Layout as Draft | Saves the proposal in draft mode. You continue editing records as a group with consistent formatting. Recommended while you are still building. |
| Merge and Finalize Records | Separates individual records so each can be edited independently. Disconnects the proposal from the hub — hub changes no longer flow in automatically. Also enables the Sections and Pages pane for individual page editing, and unlocks the Export to PDF option. |
| Cancel and Revert Changes | Discards edits made in the current session and reverts to the last saved state. |
| Manage Records | Opens the Manage Records dialog to add, rearrange, or remove records. |
After you merge and finalize records, those records are no longer updated by hub changes. If you intend to use the proposal as a template, keep records as drafts so new proposals created from the template always pull fresh hub data.
If the proposal does not include hub records, the Edit Record Layout pane does not appear.
FileStream and Image Uploads
Proposals supports including images (such as project photos, logos, and employee headshots). Uploading images requires FileStream, a Microsoft SQL Server feature.
| Deployment | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| On-premises | Your administrator must configure Transaction Document Management (TDM) and FileStream. Refer to the Deltek Vantagepoint Installation and Maintenance Guide for setup instructions. |
| Cloud | The Deltek Cloud Ops Team sets up and maintains TDM and FileStream. No action required on your part. |
If you cannot upload images in proposals, contact your system administrator to confirm that FileStream is configured.
Role and Setup Considerations
New users should confirm the following with their administrator before starting:
- Access to Custom Proposals — Verify that your security role grants access to Proposals > Custom Proposals.
- Access to Templates — Proposal templates and element groups require CRM Plus. Confirm whether your enterprise license includes this module.
- Proposal categories — Templates and element groups are organized by category. Categories are defined by your administrator in List Settings (also called Labels and Lists Settings). Ask your administrator to set up categories before you create your first template.
- Estimates — If your firm uses service estimates, they must be enabled in Settings > Projects > Estimates before you can add estimate tables to proposals.
- Hub data readiness — Work with your team to agree on and document data entry standards (see above) before you build proposal-ready hub records.
Next Steps
- Create a Proposal — Follow the step-by-step guide.
- Templates and Element Groups — Build reusable proposal components.
- Proposals Overview — Return to the landing page.