Sample · made-up project
Proposal to Example County
Hamlet of Example Creek Main Street Rehabilitation
Preliminary and Detailed Design
1 · The finished pages
Five pages from a sample bid, in your colours and fonts
What your Proposals Lead would review before submission. In real work they arrive as a print-ready PDF plus the editable file.
iTap any paragraph marked "From the notes" to see what the experts sentSwipe for all 5 pages →
Cover · the first thing the County's review panel sees
Page 2 · what the County needs, and why choose you (the win themes)
McElhanneyExample Creek Main Street · RFP EC-2026-14
Our understanding
A main street that works again, above and below ground
Example County wants Main Street rebuilt from the pipes up: new water and sewer lines, a street that drains in spring, and sidewalks that make the hamlet a place people stop. The design must be ready to tender in January 2028.
1st to 5th Avenueabout 600 m of Main Street
2nd and 3rd Avenueto the back lanes
Pipes, road, drainagewater main, sewers, storm, paving
Streetscapesidewalks, trees, rain gardens
1
One team from survey to tender
Surveyors, engineers, landscape architects and engagement planners in one firm, so the County has one point of contact and nothing is lost between disciplines.
2
Main Street stays open for business
Construction is planned one block at a time, so every business keeps water and a walkable route to its door.
3
A lasting fix for spring ponding
Engineers and landscape architects design the drainage together, so the fix at Main Street and 2nd Avenue also makes the corner safer to cross.
Sample proposal · made-up project2
Page 3 · how the work gets done, written from three experts' notes
McElhanneyExample Creek Main Street · RFP EC-2026-14
Our approach
Survey first, look underground, then design
From the notes ›
Start with an accurate picture of the street
Our surveyors will map Main Street from 1st to 5th Avenue, plus 2nd and 3rd Avenue back to the lanes, as soon as the snow is gone in April. GPS covers the open areas; a total station measures curbs, gutters and pipe elevations to the precision design needs. We'll also check the 1970s road widening plan early: the right-of-way may be narrower at the east end than the County's maps show, which affects how wide the new sidewalks can be.
From the notes ›
Look underground before we draw
Main Street's water main is cast iron from the 1950s and has broken repeatedly. Before design starts, we'll inspect the sanitary and storm sewers by camera in February and March, so the design is based on what's really in the ground, not on old drawings. The new water main and sanitary services run out to each property line.
From the notes ›
A lasting fix for spring ponding at Main and 2nd
Water ponds at Main Street and 2nd Avenue every spring: there are too few catch basins, and the grates plug with gravel. Our engineers and landscape architects will solve it together, with added catch basins and rain gardens built into curb extensions at the corner. The same curb extensions shorten the walk across the street and slow traffic through the hamlet.
Sample proposal · made-up project3
Page 4 · keeping businesses open, talking to the town, and the schedule
McElhanneyExample Creek Main Street · RFP EC-2026-14
Staging, engagement and schedule
Built one block at a time, with the town
From the notes ›
Every business stays open
We'll rebuild Main Street one block at a time. Temporary water lines keep every business supplied while its block's water main is replaced, and each storefront keeps a walkable route to its door.
From the notes ›
Designed with the people who use it
Business owners come first: they're the most affected by construction and parking changes, so we start with a walk along Main Street to meet them. An open house and an online survey follow, and what we hear shapes the preliminary design.
20272028
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Kickoff with the County
Sewer camera inspection
Survey (after snowmelt)
Business walk, open house, survey
Preliminary design
Detailed design
Ready to tender
Sample proposal · made-up project4
Page 5 · who's on the team, plus a standard section from your library
McElhanneyExample Creek Main Street · RFP EC-2026-14
Project team
One point of contact, every discipline
One firm covers every discipline this project needs, so the County deals with one project manager from survey to tender.
Example CountyProject manager
Project ManagerProfessional engineer
Survey LeadAlberta Land Surveyor
Utilities and RoadsProfessional engineer
Landscape ArchitectureStreetscape and rain gardens
Engagement LeadBusiness walk and open house
Standard section · from your library
Quality management and safety
Your current approved wording drops in here unchanged, the same way in every bid. It's kept up to date in your content library (section 5 below).
Names and résumés: your team (Appendix A)5
2 · From notes to one voice
What your experts sent, and what went in the proposal
Experts write the way busy experts do: shorthand, trade terms, side notes. Here is each one's made-up note beside the finished paragraph, with every change listed.
3 · Checked against the RFP
Every requirement, and where it's answered
The County's review panel scores against this list, so the proposal is checked against it line by line, addenda included.
8 answered
1 caught and fixed
3 need your team
| RFP section | What it asks for | Where it's answered | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addendum 2 | Project now runs to 5th Avenue (was 4th)The survey lead's note still said "1st to 4th". Pages 2 and 3 now say 1st to 5th Avenue. | Pages 2 and 3 | Caught, fixed |
| 2.1 | Understanding of the project and the County's goals | Page 2 | Answered |
| 2.2 | Method for survey, underground pipes, drainage and streetscape | Page 3 | Answered |
| 2.3 | Construction staging that keeps businesses open | Page 4, with the staging diagram | Answered |
| 2.4 | Engagement with business owners and residents | Page 4 | Answered |
| 2.5 | Schedule with milestones, ready to tender by January 2028 | Page 4 | Answered |
| 2.6 | Organization chart and key roles | Page 5 | Answered |
| 2.7 | Quality management and safety | Page 5, your standard section | From your library |
| 3.1 | No prices in the technical proposal; fees go in a separate file | Whole document checked | Answered |
| 2.8 | Résumés of key staff, 2 pages each at mostYour team picks the people; we trim each résumé to 2 pages and match it to this bid. | Appendix A | Your team |
| 2.9 | Three municipal references from the last 5 yearsPast projects and references always come from your records. We never write them. | Appendix B | Your team |
| Form A | Addenda 1 and 2 acknowledged and signedFilled in; needs a signature from someone who can sign for McElhanney. | Form A | Your team |
4 · Proofread
8 fixes before it goes out
Spelling, consistency and the numbers that have to agree from page to page. The first two are the kind that cost points.
CoverRFP EC-2026-41 → RFP EC-2026-14Digits swapped. Now matches the RFP and every page header.
Page 2construction-ready by fall 2027 → ready to tender in January 2028The intro promised a date the schedule on page 4 doesn't meet.
Pages 2 to 4Example Ck. → Example CreekThe hamlet's name, spelled out the same way everywhere.
Pages 3 and 4watermain → water mainTwo words, as the RFP writes it.
Page 32nd Ave., Second Avenue → 2nd AvenueOne style for street names.
Page 3the county → the CountyCapital C when it means Example County, as the RFP does.
Page 3Main St. → Main StreetSpelled out in full, as in the RFP title.
Page 3storm sewer's → storm sewersA plural, not a possessive.
5 · Saved for next time
3 new pieces for your content library
Your library of reusable proposal text and graphics is what makes the next bid faster. Each bid adds to it and keeps it current.
New · text
Main street rehabilitation: our approach
The survey, underground and drainage paragraphs from page 3, with the Example Creek details taken out so they fit the next main street bid.
New · diagram and text
Keeping businesses open during construction
The one-block-at-a-time staging diagram as an editable graphic, with the paragraph that goes with it.
New · text
Spring ponding: catch basins plus rain gardens
A short, plain explanation of the combined drainage fix, for any bid where flooding is a known problem.
How it would run
From RFP release to delivery: who does what
Your team keeps the meetings, the expert input and the sign-off. The writing, merging, layout and checking come to Hired Hand: Stephan, using AI tools and checking every page himself. All of it for one flat monthly fee, in place of one of your two new hires.
RFP comes out
Hired HandAI reads the RFP and every addendum into a requirements checklist; Stephan checks every line, then drafts the outline and win themes.
Kickoff
YouRun the kickoff meeting. Hired HandSend the checklist and win themes before the meeting, and a short list of questions for each expert.
Notes come in
YouExperts send notes however is easiest: an email, bullet points, a transcript of a voice memo.
Writing and layout
Hired HandAI drafts from the notes and your content library; Stephan edits every page into one voice and lays it out in your template.
Review
YouRun the review meeting and mark up the draft. Hired HandMake the changes and recheck against the RFP.
Final
Hired HandProofread, export the print-ready and digital files, update your library. YouPrint, sign and submit.