Proposal templates
Software development proposal template
Scope, technical approach, milestones and pricing for a build — structured around what actually gets negotiated.
Preview
See the template as a client-facing document, then open the same starting point inside Hanko.
Stackworks Engineering
Customer platform implementation
Deliver a tested customer platform with clear interfaces, reliable deployment and documented operational ownership.
Approach
Confirm the technical specification, ship reviewable increments, then validate acceptance criteria before production handover.
Scope of work
Architecture and API contracts
Application implementation
Integration and automated tests
Deployment and observability
Deliverables and handover
Versioned source repository
API specification and test suite
Deployment pipeline
Operations runbook and handover
Timeline
Specification approval
Phase 140%
Feature-complete review
Phase 230%
Production acceptance
Phase 330%
Engagement investment
Specification approval
Phase 140USD 9600Feature-complete review
Phase 230USD 7200Production acceptance
Phase 330USD 7200
Review the scope and payment schedule before accepting.
Assumptions and boundaries
Client provides access to required services and test data. New integrations and changes to approved interfaces require a change estimate.
Ready to get started?
Accept this proposal to lock in the timeline and kick off the engagement.
What this is
A software development proposal defines what will be built, how, in what phases, and for what price and timeline — the document a client signs off on before a statement of work and contract are drafted.
When to use it
- Pitching a fixed-scope build (an app, a platform feature, an integration)
- After a technical discovery call, to formalize scope before quoting a final price
- When a client needs to compare your proposal against another dev shop's
What to include
Problem and objective
What the client is trying to solve or achieve — not a restatement of the tech stack, but the business reason for the project.
Technical approach
High-level architecture and stack choices, written for a non-technical stakeholder to follow, with detail available on request.
Milestones
Concrete, demoable checkpoints — not just 'development' as one phase — so the client can see progress and payment maps to delivered work.
What's out of scope
Explicitly list what isn't included (e.g., ongoing hosting, third-party API costs, post-launch support beyond a set window) to prevent disputes later.
Pricing model
Fixed price per milestone, time-and-materials, or a hybrid — stated clearly, since this materially changes how change requests get handled.
Template text
Copy this into your own document, or open it directly as a branded starting point in Hanko. Bracketed text like [Client Name] is a placeholder to fill in.
Software Development Proposal — [Project Name]
Prepared for: [Client Company Name], [Contact Name]
Prepared by: [Your Company Name]
Date: [Date] | Valid until: [Date]
Objective
[1-2 sentences on the business problem this project solves — e.g., 'Replace manual order tracking with a self-serve customer portal to reduce support tickets.']
Proposed solution
[2-3 sentences describing what will be built at a high level — the core features and how they address the objective above.]
Suggested stack: [e.g., Next.js frontend, Postgres, hosted on Vercel/AWS] — open to discussion based on your existing infrastructure.
Scope of work
Included:
• [Feature/module 1]
• [Feature/module 2]
• [Feature/module 3]
• QA and bug fixes through launch
Not included: [e.g., third-party API/licensing costs, ongoing hosting after launch, content population, post-launch feature requests]
Milestones & timeline
Milestone 1 — [e.g., Technical discovery & architecture sign-off]: [X weeks], $[amount or % of total]
Milestone 2 — [e.g., Core build, demoable]: [X weeks], $[amount or %]
Milestone 3 — [e.g., Integration & QA]: [X weeks], $[amount or %]
Milestone 4 — [Launch]: [X weeks], $[amount or %]
Total estimated timeline: [X weeks/months]
Investment
Total project fee: $[amount], billed by milestone above
— or —
Time & materials: $[rate]/hour, estimated at [X] hours, invoiced [weekly/bi-weekly]
Change requests outside scope are quoted separately before work begins.
Assumptions
[e.g., 'Client will provide brand assets and API credentials within 5 business days of kickoff.' State whatever your timeline actually depends on.]
Next steps
Accept below to move to a signed statement of work and kickoff scheduling.
[Signature / Accept button] Date: [___]
How to customize it
- Break milestones around real demoable checkpoints for your specific project, not generic phase names
- State your actual assumptions — they become the basis for change-request conversations later
- If pricing is time-and-materials, give a realistic range, not just a rate, so the client can budget
- Name the specific stack only if you're confident in it; otherwise flag it as a recommendation open to discussion
Common mistakes
- Milestones that are just calendar time ('Month 1, Month 2') instead of deliverables the client can see
- No stated assumptions, which turns any client-side delay into an unplanned timeline slip
- Bundling QA and bug fixes into 'development' instead of calling them out, which under-scopes the actual cost
- Quoting a fixed price for genuinely undefined scope instead of proposing a paid discovery phase first
Frequently asked questions
Fixed price or time-and-materials — which should a dev proposal use?
Fixed price works when scope is well-defined; time-and-materials fits when requirements are still evolving. A hybrid — fixed price for a discovery/design phase, then a fixed quote for build — handles most ambiguous projects well.
How many milestones should a software proposal have?
Enough that each one is demoable and payment maps to real progress — typically 3-5 for a project measured in weeks to a few months. Too few and a client is paying largely on trust; too many turns into micromanagement.
Should the proposal name the exact tech stack?
A recommended stack, yes — full commitment, not necessarily. If the client has infrastructure constraints you don't know yet, frame the stack as a starting recommendation pending technical discovery.
Other templates
Turn this proposal into milestone-based invoices
Send it as a branded proposal in Hanko, get it signed as an SOW, and bill each milestone as it's delivered.