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What a proposal has to do
A proposal is where the commercial structure of a project is first stated: the scope, the fee, the phases and how each will be billed. The AIA's guidance on charging for services describes several ways architects bill, including percentage of completion, hourly billing and project milestones. A proposal that names those choices up front is the first draft of the billing plan.
Whatever tool writes it should make three things easy. The client must be able to respond without creating an account. The firm must be able to see where each proposal stands. And acceptance must lead somewhere, so the agreed scope is not retyped into a contract and again into a project.
How proposals work in Rizqo
- Written in sections. Pick the client, set the amount and the valid-until date, and write sections, or insert reusable ones from the library. A template sets the accent color and footer note. It does not insert sections by itself.
- Shared by secure link. Send the proposal, or download a PDF and send it yourself. The client opens a link that needs no account.
- The client decides on the page. They can download a PDF and click Accept or Decline, each with a confirmation step. A decline can carry a written reason.
- The firm sees where it stands. Each proposal is Draft, Sent, Viewed, Accepted, Declined, Expired or Archived. Rizqo records when it was sent, when it was first opened, and when it was accepted or declined, with the responding address and browser.
- Settings. Proposal numbering, how many days a proposal stays valid, and default terms are set once in settings.
After acceptance
When a proposal is accepted, the contract can be generated from it, and managers and admins are offered the option to create a project from it. The project opens prefilled with the proposal's title, its client and its value. Phases, tasks and invoices are then set up on the project, so the commercial handoff is a prefill, not a full copy.
The client signs the contract from a secure link as well, again without an account. Once a contract is signed its terms lock, and the firm is offered the option to generate an invoice. From there, architecture billing software explains how phases and hours become invoices.
What it does not do
Rizqo records the first time a proposal is opened. It does not count repeat views, show which sections were read, or record downloads. There is no Duplicate for a whole proposal, though a section can be copied within one. And the proposal does not create the project's phases for you; those are set up separately. See about Rizqo for the full list of limits.
Where this fits
The proposal is step one of the project lifecycle in what architecture project management software is. The proposals documentation covers each step. A firm still keeping proposals in documents and fees in a spreadsheet may recognize the signs of outgrowing spreadsheets.
Questions
Can clients accept a proposal without an account?
Yes. The proposal is shared through a secure link that needs no account, and the client can accept or decline on that page.
Can I reuse sections between proposals?
Yes. Sections can be inserted from a library of reusable sections.
Does an accepted proposal become a project automatically?
Not automatically. Managers and admins are offered the option to create the project, which opens prefilled with the title, client and value.
Can I see when a client opened a proposal?
Yes. The first open is timestamped. Repeat views and sections read are not tracked.