Proposal Preparation Sponsoring agencies generally have guidelines for proposal preparation. In an RFQ, RFP or other type of formal request, these guidelines can be very detailed with specific forms required to accompany proposal text. Often there are limitations for page length, type size, title length, or supporting documents. When no guidelines are provided, there are some general rules of thumb. A cover page should always accompany your proposal.
Page numbers are essential and a table of contents is helpful to the reviewers.
An abstract accompanying the proposal should be both concise and complete. Agencies often use abstracts in their annual reports. The proposal text should include a clear statement of the project goals and objectives as well as a description of the proposed work. Your preliminary studies or those by other investigators should be summarized. In the text, care should be taken to explain the need for unusual or large expenses such as equipment, special travel or use of facilities.