Create and send a proposal

Create a proposal from your reusable catalog of products and services, review it, and email it to your client in one flow.

Start a new proposal

Click the New Proposal button on the dashboard or open Proposals from the sidebar and click Create Proposal. Apropos automatically creates a draft and opens it in the editor. You can also start one from a contact's page with Start new proposal, which pre-selects that contact.

Select a client

Choose the contact the proposal is for, or add a new one without leaving the editor.

1. In the Contact card, click Select a contact... and search for an existing contact, or click Add new contact to create one inline. The new contact is selected automatically.

2. Confirm the client's name and email. This is the email address Apropos will send the proposal to.

Want to add a contact first? See Add a contact.

Add proposal content

Fill in the name, address, and the four narrative sections. Text edits autosave. New blank proposals start with your organization's default wording when you've set it, otherwise built-in fallback text.

• Name — the proposal title; it starts as Untitled Proposal.

• Address — the job or client address, added from the Add address placeholder.

• Overview — the opening summary shown at the top.

• Payment Schedule — how and when the client pays.

• Terms and Conditions — the general terms for the engagement.

• Next Steps — the closing call-to-action.

See Set up default proposal wording for the organization-wide defaults these sections start from.

Add line items

Add items from your catalog, or create a new service inline. At least one line item is required before you can send.

1. In the Items card, click Add to open the Add item dialog.

2. Search for an existing catalog item and click Add, or click New service to create one inline — enter a Name (required) and a Unit price, then click Create & add.

3. Click Add section to group items under a heading, then use Add item within the section. Sections can be renamed, moved up or down, and deleted. Use sections and subtotals as a makeshift way to give clients options — see Interactive quoting for the supported approach.

Each line item copies the catalog item's default price at the moment you add it, but you can change it independently in the proposal without affecting your item catalog. To build out reusable items first, see Add a product or service to your catalog.

Edit a line item

Expand a line item to set its Display Name, Quantity (minimum 1), Unit Price, and the client-facing sections: Client Description, Scope, Turnaround Time, and Deliverables. Each of those four has its own visibility checkbox and shows by default. Internal Task List is team-only and never shown to clients. The overall Total sums each selected item's price times quantity.

Attach supporting files

Add up to 10 files — plans, photos, spec sheets — that your client can open or download from the proposal link. See Add and share files with a proposal.

Review settings and preview

Before sending, check the Proposal Settings panel on the right and preview how the client will see it.

1. In Proposal Settings, set the Proposal number format, whether to Show individual prices and Show item images, and whether to Generate contract on acceptance. These are editable only while the proposal is a draft.

2. Click Preview to open a client view, then use Back to Editor, Print, or Download PDF.

See Proposal settings for what each toggle does.

Send the proposal

Send the proposal once it has at least one line item and a client email address. The editor checks for a line item before opening the confirmation; the email address is checked when the send request is processed.

1. Open the Actions menu and click Send to Client.

2. In the Send Proposal confirmation, confirm the recipient and click Send.

Sending changes the status to Sent and emails the client a link to review the proposal without an account. The proposal is then locked for editing. If the client requests changes, it unlocks and you use Send Revised from the same menu to create and send a new version. See How notifications work in Apropos for the emails and in-app alerts that follow.