PART VII | LESSON 30: THE PROPOSAL MATERIAL HANDLING ACADEMY
DRIVING QUESTION Does this proposal give the customer enough to make a real decision?
A vertical stack of nine labeled sheets forms the proposal package, executive summary on top, then the eight deliverables, with the System Limitations sheet pulled out and tabbed unsoftened. The package funnels down through a gold pre-quote gate drawn as a checklist with three exclamation-mark gate items, an independent reviewer at the gate, and an arrow past the gate to a customer figure.

The package leads with the executive summary, then the eight deliverables. Nothing reaches the customer until it clears the gate and a second set of eyes.

The Eight Deliverables

  1. System Layout. Flow, placement, dimensions, footprint.
  2. MTBH Table. Product analysis, outliers called out.
  3. Conveyor BOM. Equipment, quantities, models.
  4. System Limitations. Own section, stated as numbers.
  5. Assumptions and Exceptions. Every one, documented.
  6. Cost Drivers. Every parameter pushing cost above base.
  7. Calculations. Sizing outputs, saved and labeled.
  8. Maintenance Requirements. The one new engineers skip.
THE PRE-QUOTE GATE

Gated no-advance: open gate items get resolved or documented with a plan before the proposal is delivered. Then hand the checklist to an independent reviewer. A gap found at the gate costs nothing. A gap the customer finds after award costs margin, relationships, or both.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE A proposal is an engineering communication, not a sales pitch.