Write a Proposal Decision Summary Your Contact Can Share

Understand the situation before responding

Ask your contact who will read the summary and what decision that person can make. Finance, delivery and an executive sponsor may need different details. Confirm the problem statement with your contact rather than inventing a stronger consequence for persuasion. Find the latest proposal version and ensure the summary does not quietly expand scope or shorten the timeline. A concise document must still disclose important dependencies and exclusions.

An example message to adapt

Decision requested: approve [defined work] at [investment], subject to [remaining condition]. The intended outcome is [buyer-confirmed outcome]. The main dependency is [input or approval]. The unresolved question is [question]. Proposed next action: [person] confirms [decision] by [realistic proposed date], which is not yet an agreed commitment.

Illustrative teaching example. Replace the prompts with buyer-confirmed facts; this is not a client conversation, claimed result or message to send automatically.

Prepare a useful next action

Use five headings: current problem, intended outcome, scope, investment and decision. Include a brief account of the option to defer if that helps the decision. Attribute assumptions and identify missing information. Let your contact check the summary before forwarding it, especially where it describes internal priorities or constraints. Keep a clear version date so it cannot be confused with an earlier commercial offer.

Record the decision and its limits

Ask what response the contact expects from the approver and when the review is realistically possible. A forwarded summary is not approval. After review, record the actual decision, any conditions and the next owner. If the summary introduces a new requirement, clarify it before revising the proposal. The document supports an internal decision; it should not pretend to speak on behalf of the buyer organisation.