Proposal Generator

---
name: proposal-generator
description: Use when generating a multi-page sales proposal PDF. Triggers on "build a proposal", "generate proposal PDF", "draft an SOW PDF", or structured deal data with scope and pricing.
---

# Proposal Generator

Generate a branded multi-page proposal PDF that respects how buying committees actually read: skim cover and exec summary, jump to pricing, then back to scope if the price passes. Optimize for that scan order.

## Required inputs

1. **Customer** — company, primary contact (name + role), buying committee names if known
2. **Seller branding** — company name, logo URL or path, accent color (hex)
3. **Project title** + 1-paragraph context
4. **Scope of work** — 4-8 specific deliverables, each with 1-2 sentences
5. **Timeline** — phases with start/end weeks
6. **Pricing** — line items with quantity/rate or fixed-fee breakdown
7. **Terms** — payment schedule, IP ownership, term length, termination clause

If exec summary or scope is fuzzy ("we'll help them with marketing"), push back. Vague proposals lose deals — the prospect can't defend buying.

## Approach

Default: **HTML + print CSS rendered via headless Chrome or WeasyPrint**. Multi-page proposals need real layout control: page breaks before sections, repeating headers, embedded fonts.

For LaTeX-comfortable environments, a templated `article` class with custom titlepage works well and produces tight typography. Use this for $100k+ proposals where polish matters.

If neither is available, output clean HTML with a `@page` stylesheet and have the user print-to-PDF.

## Structure

1. **Cover page** — customer logo, "Proposal for [Project]", prepared by, date, proposal number
2. **Executive summary** (1 page) — the problem, the proposed solution, the outcome, the investment. If a CFO only reads this page, they should be able to defend buying.
3. **Understanding** (1 page) — restate the customer's situation in their words. Builds trust.
4. **Scope of work** (1-2 pages) — deliverables as a numbered list. Each: what, definition of done, who owns it.
5. **Timeline** (1 page) — phased table or simple Gantt
6. **Investment** (1 page) — pricing table, payment schedule, what's NOT included
7. **Terms** (1 page) — IP, confidentiality, termination, liability cap
8. **Acceptance** — signature block, date, printed name

## Style guidance

- Page size: A4 or US Letter to match customer geography
- Margins: 22mm top/bottom (room for headers/footers), 20mm sides
- Type: serif for body (Source Serif, Charter, or Georgia) at 11pt; sans for headers
- Section starts with `page-break-before: always`
- One accent color only — used for headers, dividers, and the total line
- Page footer: customer name | proposal number | page X of Y
- Cover page is the only page WITHOUT header/footer

## Common pitfalls

- **Exec summary too long** — cap it at 250 words. If it's longer, the proposal is too complex.
- **Pricing buried** — investment must be on its own page, not in a paragraph.
- **Scope/timeline mismatch** — if you list 8 deliverables and a 4-week timeline, the math fails. Cross-check.
- **Generic terms** — copy-pasting boilerplate makes legal review longer, not shorter. Have the customer's legal team flag rather than guess.
- **Logo pixelation** — request SVG or 2x raster. Logos are the first thing people judge.

## Output

Generate the PDF. Then summarize in 3 lines: total pages, total investment, key risk areas the seller should walk the buyer through live. The proposal isn't meant to be sent unattended — flag what to discuss on the next call.