All glossary terms
Proposal Management

Transmittal Letter

Cover letter included with a proposal, addressed to the Contracting Officer.

Related terms

Action Caption
A short informative caption for a proposal graphic that highlights a feature or benefit beyond simple description.
Basis of Estimate
Document explaining the rationale, assumptions, and methodology behind a cost estimate.
Boilerplate
Generic reusable information about the company that serves as a starting point for proposal-specific content.
Content Management
A system that organizes proposal content for easy retrieval and reuse.
Data Call
Structured tool for collecting information from teammates, usually a form returned to the proposal manager.
Features and Benefits
Features are what you offer; benefits are the customer advantages. Benefits are always about the customer.
Focus Box / Callout Box
A design feature in proposal documents where key text is highlighted in a bordered box.
Mother Graphic
An overall graphic that summarizes the entire proposal — a visual of how your company sees the work.
Past Performance
An offeror's track record on current or past contracts — a key evaluation criterion.
Past Performance Citation
A reference detailing contract specifics and relevance to the current bid.
Production
Formatting and producing final proposal volumes: covers, TOC, cross-references, printing, and assembly.
Proposal Team
All people supporting a proposal — PM, writers, artists, editors, reviewers, capture manager, plus contracts, pricing, and management.