Overview
The Proposal Outline defines the structure and organization of your proposal response. It aligns approved solicitation requirements with proposal sections, assigns writer guidance, and establishes page targets to support compliant and well-structured content development.
The outline serves as the foundation for content generation and Pink Team draft creation.
Before You Begin
Ensure your Document Shred is complete:
All relevant solicitation requirements have been reviewed
Requirements are marked as Approved
Requirement mappings accurately reflect the solicitation structure
Only approved requirements will be used to generate the outline.
Steps to Generate and Configure Your Outline
1. Navigate to the Outline Workspace
Go to Proposals → Outline
Click Generate Outline, then select the solicitation documents you want to use as the basis for the outline.
2. Generate the Outline
Select Create New Outline and complete the required fields.
Outline Name
Enter a name for your outline. Requirements and documents will be sourced from the Compliance Matrix.
Outline Type
Choose the outline type based on what you are producing. This selection determines the structure and formatting of the outline.
Proposal: Select when creating a proposal response.
RFI: Select when creating an RFI response.
Note: Proposal and RFI outlines use different formats. Selecting the correct Outline Type is required.
Source Documents
The shredded solicitation documents listed are pulled directly from the Compliance Matrix and will be used to generate the outline.
When you click Create Outline, NextStage generates an outline that includes:
Sections aligned to solicitation requirements
Structured headings and hierarchy based on the selected outline type
Requirement mappings tied to proposal or RFI sections
3. Review and Adjust Section Mapping
Review each outline section to confirm requirements are mapped correctly.
You may:
Move or reorganize sections
Adjust requirement mappings
Add or remove sections as needed
This ensures alignment with solicitation structure and proposal strategy.
4. Add Writer Guidance and Page Targets
Use Writer Guidance to provide instructions for content authors.
Writer Guidance may include:
Response expectations
Key themes or win strategies
Compliance reminders
Required technical or management details
Set Page Targets for each section to guide content length. Fractional page values (for example, 0.5 pages) are supported.
You may also add:
Figures or placeholders
Additional instructional text
Section-specific notes
5. Save Your Outline
Click Save to preserve your outline configuration.
Your saved outline will be used to generate Pink Team drafts and guide proposal development.
Best Practices
Keep the solicitation document open while reviewing mappings to ensure accuracy
Use Writer Guidance to clearly instruct authors and maintain compliance
Confirm all sections align with solicitation requirements and evaluation criteria
Review page targets to ensure alignment with page limitations and proposal strategy
Why this matters
The Proposal Outline ensures your proposal structure is compliant, organized, and ready for content development. A well-configured outline reduces rework, improves writer efficiency, and strengthens proposal quality.