Deck 16: Writing Proposals

Question 1

In which of the following situations would a school district be likely to issue a request for quotation (RFQ)?

A) A school district needs to purchase 30 iPad tablet computers for an elementary school.
B) A school district needs landscaping for the new district headquarters building.
C) A school district needs someone to provide training for more than 1,000 teachers on developing curricula to meet Common Core standards.
D) A school district needs to refurbish an older building and bring it in line with current building codes.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

which of these is an example of an indirect cost associated with a proposal?

A) travel costs for personnel going to a remote work site
B) cost of insurance benefits for personnel going to a remote work site
C) cost of supplies used at a remote work site
D) cost of operating a company's telephone system

Answer 2

D

Question 3

what is the best way to describe the problem or opportunity behind a proposal?

A) in terms as general as possible
B) using economic principles of supply, demand, and opportunity cost
C) in general financial terms
D) in specific monetary terms

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In which situation might you present your proposal as a memo?

A) when your proposal is lengthy-more than 10 pages
B) when your audience is external
C) when your audience is internal
D) None of the responses are correct.

Question 5

What are the main categories of resources required for completing a proposed project?

A) personnel, potential, and qualifications
B) personnel, facilities, and equipment
C) qualifications and experience
D) personnel, budget, and tangential resources

Question 6

Which of these is NOT a common deliverable for the end of a research project?

A) completion report
B) progress report
C) recommendation report
D) project report

Question 7

the introduction to a proposal must answer seven questions, one of which is "What is the problem or opportunity?" What is another question the introduction must answer?

A) What are your qualifications to carry out the proposed project?
B) How much will the proposed project cost?
C) What are your sources of information?
D) What methods will you use to carry out the proposed project?
E) What quality-control measures will you use to ensure that the proposed project results in a suitable deliverable?

Question 8

what are the two kinds of deliverables that typically result from proposals?

A) a progress report
B) a tangible product, a service, or some combination of the two
C) transfer of real property
D) a research report
E) None of the responses are correct.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT an example of a quality-control measure?

A) a formative evaluation conducted by members of the project team
B) a performance test conducted by a third party
C) a list of all the heavy equipment used in a construction project
D) an on-site evaluation conducted by the customer

Question 10

what is a common name for the leader of a proposed research project?

A) principal investigator
B) research lead
C) investigator-in-principle
D) project principal

Question 11

Which of the following is an important part of persuading the reader of a proposal that you can complete the proposed work successfully?

A) You must show readers that you understand how to submit the proposal.
B) You must show readers that you sympathize with their frustrations.
C) You must show readers that you are enthusiastic.
D) You must show readers that they can trust you to do a good job.

Question 12

ABC Electronics wants someone to install a top-of-the-line burglar-alarm system for its two buildings, a system that not only sounds an alarm but also simultaneously notifies authorities and the company president. Video surveillance of the premises should also be a capability of the security system. In order to obtain price quotes, what should ABC Electronics write?

A) an unsolicited proposal
B) an internal proposal
C) an external proposal
D) a request for proposals

Question 13

To be persuasive, proposal writers must demonstrate that they understand readers' needs. what two other qualities must they demonstrate?

A) that they are able to do what they plan to do
B) that they understand how the proposal/procurement process operates within a particular field or profession
C) that they are committed to fulfilling their promises
D) that they are well financed

Question 14

Which of the following does the proposed program section of a proposal NOT customarily include?

A) an explanation of the work intended
B) references to appropriate research or scholarship
C) a justification of your claims
D) a budget

Question 15

Which of these types of proposals is NOT discussed in Chapter 16?

A) solicited external proposals
B) unsolicited external proposals
C) unsolicited internal proposals
D) None of the responses are correct.

Question 16

which of these is NOT a useful guideline for creating a proposal for an audience in a different culture?

A) Budget time for translation.
B) Understand that what makes an argument persuasive can differ from one culture to another.
C) Focus on costs.
D) Ask if the prospective customer will do a read-through.

Question 17

Hardy Grocery Store has published an RFP for the construction of a two-story warehouse addition to its main store. The warehouse must be built on 5,000 square feet of adjacent property, but it must have up to 9,000 square feet of storage space and have loading platforms for both North and East Street entrances. R&F Architects has responded with a proposal acknowledging the grocery's property restrictions and space requirements. R&F's proposal includes a sketch of the warehouse they propose to build, with multiple entrances to the exterior as well as entrances to the existing building. The proposal has a chart showing the phases of the project, including the completion date, and a section describing R&F's staff and similar past projects. The proposal ends with a bid. What should R&F add to the proposal to better compete with other organizations bidding on the project?

A) a description of its quality-control measures
B) a listing of the research methods to be used
C) a description of the problem or opportunity
D) a clearer focus on the readers' needs in an internal proposal

Question 18

what must you demonstrate to show that your organization can complete the work described in a proposal?

A) efficiency
B) qualifications and experience
C) program information
D) certification and authorization

Question 19

You are writing an internal proposal to suggest that your company purchase a new ticket-tracking system, called Tick-Track, for the company's information-technology help desk. Which of the following is the best point to make in the introduction of your proposal?

A) Tick-Track is made by a company that was just bought by Google.
B) Tick-Track is designed to take advantage of the latest developments in database-search technology.
C) We estimate that the response delays caused by our current ticket-tracking system are costing the company $1,000 per day in lost productivity.
D) Tick-Track is a web-based system.

Question 20

which of these is NOT a subject of a goods and services proposal?

A) offering to provide 150 computers to a state agency
B) offering to install new landscaping around a government building
C) asking for resources to study how a new pesticide affects lettuce and cabbage crops
D) asking for a contract to provide cleaning and janitorial services to a government building for one year

Question 21

What do the initials RFP stand for?

Question 22

proposals are usually written by a single writer.

Question 23

A solicited proposal is one that you send to a customer who has not requested it.

Question 24

some readers might not consider a proposal if it does not provide an effective summary.

Question 25

What is the difference between formative evaluations and summative evaluations?

Question 26

In the sample internal proposal presented at the end of Chapter 16, what are the authors proposing to do?

Question 27

What do the initials IFB stand for?

Question 28

Indirect costs are intangible expenses such as general secretarial and clerical expenses not devoted exclusively to any one project, as well as operating expenses such as utilities and maintenance.

Question 29

one way to demonstrate professionalism in a proposal is to discuss your work history.

Question 30

To be persuasive, proposal writers must demonstrate that they understand readers' needs. what other two things must they demonstrate?

Question 31

Formative evaluations are intended to assess the quality of a completed project.

Question 32

What are indirect costs?

Question 33

Which type of graphic commonly used to portray task schedules communicates interdependence between various activities?

Question 34

Proposals have two kinds of deliverables. What are they?

Question 35

proposals are not expensive to write, so companies submit unsolicited proposals often.

Question 36

the introduction to a proposal must answer seven questions, one of which is "What is the problem or opportunity?" What is another question the introduction should answer?

Question 37

The proposed program section of a proposal contains an itemization of the costs associated with the project you are proposing.

Question 38

A task schedule is almost always drawn in one of three graphical formats: table, bar chart, or network diagram.

Question 39

both internal proposals and external proposals are arguments that an organization needs to do something.

Question 40

Which type of graphic best shows the interdependence among various tasks in a project?