Proposal Comparison
Part of Comparing agency proposals
Comparing deliverables rather than proposal length
Turn proposal language into a deliverable matrix. Check the form, extent, completion conditions and owners of each output.
Compare agency deliverables by listing the outputs your business will receive and the work needed to make them usable. Proposal length does not show whether those commitments cover the job.
Turn descriptions into outputs
Start with the outputs requested in your brief. For each proposal, record the corresponding commitment.
“Content strategy” might mean a workshop, a presentation, an editorial calendar or ongoing planning. Ask what will be handed over, who can use it and what decision it supports.
For each important output, check:
- Form:Is it a report, working file, published asset or managed service?
- Extent:How many items, markets or channels are covered, and how often?
- Completion:What review or approval makes it ready for use?
- Responsibility:Who produces, implements and accepts it?
- Conditions:Which client input or earlier stage must happen first?
An agency may have a sound reason to propose research before production or a smaller initial build. Compare how each route meets the underlying need without forcing identical methods.
Comparing Agency Deliverables: Key Criteria
- Form
- Report, working file, published asset or managed service
- Extent
- Number of items, markets or channels covered, and frequency
- Completion
- Review or approval required for usability
- Responsibility
- Who produces, implements and accepts the output
- Conditions
- Client input or prior stage needed before delivery
Make a deliverable matrix
Use one row per required outcome or output and one column per agency. Label each entry included, conditional, optional, excluded or unclear. Record the proposal passage or written answer behind the label.
| Buyer requirement | Agency A | Agency B | Question to settle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landing page ready to publish | Draft copy and design included; implementation unclear | Design and build included; client supplies copy | Who writes, publishes and checks the page? |
| Measurement handover | Tracking plan included | Dashboard included | Who implements events and checks the data? |
These offers are hypothetical. A tracking plan and a dashboard are different outputs; neither establishes that tracking has been implemented. Similarly, “landing page” is not a comparable commitment until the missing responsibilities are clear.
Deliverable Matrix: Evaluation Checklist
- IncludedConfirmed deliverable with clear scope
- ConditionalDependent on client action or prior milestone
- OptionalNot required but offered as add-on
- ExcludedNot part of the proposal commitment
- UnclearInsufficient detail to assess
Check whether each output can be used
Ask about file format, access, documentation and handover needed by the people who will use the work. For ongoing services, clarify the cadence and what the agency will decide or change between reports. For a project, check whether revisions and final implementation are included.
Match completion criteria to the work. A research stage might finish with a documented diagnosis and options for a decision. A production stage might require approved assets and a handover. Neither should be judged solely by a later business result outside the agency's control.
Once the matrix is complete, identify which offer covers the required work, which leaves tasks with your team and which adds work you would actually use. Clarify essential cells before comparing cost against scope. If an answer changes the offer, ask for a revised written scope.
Key Considerations When Assessing Deliverables
- File format
- Must be usable by intended team (e.g. .docx, .ai, access link)
- Access & handover
- Clear process for receiving and using deliverables
- Documentation
- Instructions or context provided for use
- Ongoing services cadence
- Frequency of updates and decision points
- Revisions & implementation
- Included in project scope or extra cost?
