Free Software Development Proposal Template

Fully editable with custom branding and templated offering.

Free Software Development Proposal Template

Fully editable with custom branding and templated offering.

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First Name
Last Name
Acme LLC.
Client
First Name
Last Name
Corporation Corp.
First Name
Last Name
Acme LLC.
Client
First Name
Last Name
Corporation Corp.

Free Software Development Proposal Template

Fully editable with custom branding and templated offering.

Free Software Development Proposal Template

Fully editable with custom branding and templated offering.

Bonsai has helped create 1,023,928 documents and counting.

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business owners

Date: March 8th 2023


Between:

Coach:

First_name
Last_name
Acme LLC.
Client:

First_name
Last_name
Corporation Corp.

This Contract is between Client (the "Client") and Acme LLC, a California limited liability company (the "Coach").

The Contract is dated January 23, 2023.

1. WORK AND PAYMENT.

1.1 Project. The Client is hiring the Coach to develop a coaching relationship between the Client and Coach in order to cultivate the Client's personal, professional, or business goals and create a plan to achieve those goals through stimulating and creative interactions with the ultimate result of maximizing the Client's personal or professional potential.

1.2 Schedule. The Coach will begin work on February 1, 2023 and will continue until the work is completed. This Contract can be ended by either Client or Coach at any time, pursuant to the terms of Section 4, Term and Termination.

The Coach and Client will meet by video conference, 4 days per month for 2 hours.

1.3 Payment. The Client will pay the Coach an hourly rate of $150. Of this, the Client will pay the Coach $500.00 (USD) before work begins.

1.4 Expenses. The Client will reimburse the Coach's expenses. Expenses do not need to be pre-approved by the Client.

1.5 Invoices. The Coach will invoice the Client in accordance with the milestones in Section 1.3. The Client agrees to pay the amount owed within 15 days of receiving the invoice. Payment after that date will incur a late fee of 1.0% per month on the outstanding amount.

1.6 Support. The Coach will not be available by telephone, or email in between scheduled sessions.

2.DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

- A coaching relationship is a partnership between two or more individuals or entities, like a teacher-student or coach-athlete relationship. Both the Client and Coach must uphold their obligations for the relationship to be successful.

- The Coach agrees to maintain the ethics and standards of behavior established by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

- The Client acknowledges and agrees that coaching is a comprehensive process that may explore different areas of the Client's life, including work, finances, health, and relationships.

- The Client is responsible for implementing the insights and techniques learned from the Coach.

3. REPRESENTATIONS.

3.1 Overview. This section contains important promises between the parties.

3.2 Authority To Sign. Each party promises to the other party that it has the authority to enter into this Contract and to perform all of its obligations under this Contract.

3.3 Coach Has Right To Give Client Work Product. The Coach promises that it owns the work product, that the Coach is able to give the work product to the Client, and that no other party will claim that it owns the work product. If the Coach uses employees or subcontractors, the Coach also promises that these employees and subcontractors have signed contracts with the Coach giving the Coach any rights that the employees or subcontractors have related to the Coach's background IP and work product.

3.4 Coach Will Comply With Laws. The Coach promises that the manner it does this job, its work product, and any background IP it uses comply with applicable U.S. and foreign laws and regulations.

3.5 Work Product Does Not Infringe. The Coach promises that its work product does not and will not infringe on someone else's intellectual property rights, that the Coach has the right to let the Client use the background IP, and that this Contract does not and will not violate any contract that the Coach has entered into or will enter into with someone else.

3.7 Client-Supplied Material Does Not Infringe. If the Client provides the Coach with material to incorporate into the work product, the Client promises that this material does not infringe on someone else's intellectual property rights.

4. TERM AND TERMINATION

This Contract is ongoing until it expires or the work is completed. Either party may end this Contract for any reason by sending an email or letter to the other party, informing the recipient that the sender is ending the Contract and that the Contract will end in 7 days. The Contract officially ends once that time has passed. The party that is ending the Contract must provide notice by taking the steps explained in Section 9.4. The Coach must immediately stop working as soon as it receives this notice unless the notice says otherwise.

If either party ends this Contract before the Contract automatically ends, the Client will pay the Contractor for the work done up until when the Contract ends. The following sections don't end even after the Contract ends: 3 (Representations); 6 (Confidential Information); 7 (Limitation of Liability); 8 (Indemnity); and 9 (General).

3. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR.

The Client is hiring the Coach as an independent contractor. The following statements accurately reflect their relationship:

- The Coach will use its own equipment, tools, and material to do the work.

- The Client will not control how the job is performed on a day-to-day basis. Rather, the Coach is responsible for determining when, where, and how it will carry out the work.

- The Client will not provide the Coach with any training.

- The Client and the Coach do not have a partnership or employer-employee relationship.

- The Coach cannot enter into contracts, make promises, or act on behalf of the Client.

- The Coach is not entitled to the Client's benefits (e.g., group insurance, retirement benefits, retirement plans, vacation days).

- The Coach is responsible for its own taxes.

- The Client will not withhold social security and Medicare taxes or make payments for disability insurance, unemployment insurance, or workers compensation for the Coach or any of the Coach's employees or subcontractors.

6. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.

6.1 Overview. This Contract imposes special restrictions on how the Client and the Coach must handle confidential information. These obligations are explained in this section.

6.2 The Client's Confidential Information. While working for the Client, the Coach may come across, or be given, Client information that is confidential. This is information like customer lists, business strategies, research & development notes, statistics about a website, and other information that is private. The Coach promises to treat this information as if it is the Coach's own confidential information. The Coach may use this information to do its job under this Contract, but not for anything else. For example, if the Client lets the Coach use a customer list to send out a newsletter, the Coach cannot use those email addresses for any other purpose. The one exception to this is if the Client gives the Coach written permission to use the information for another purpose, the Coach may use the information for that purpose, as well. When this Contract ends, the Coach must give back or destroy all confidential information, and confirm that it has done so. The Coach promises that it will not share confidential information with a third party, unless the Client gives the Coach written permission first. The Coach must continue to follow these obligations, even after the Contract ends. The Coach's responsibilities only stop if the Coach can show any of the following: (i) that the information was already public when the Coach came across it; (ii) the information became public after the Coach came across it, but not because of anything the Coach did or didn't do; (iii) the Coach already knew the information when the Coach came across it and the Coach didn't have any obligation to keep it secret; (iv) a third party provided the Coach with the information without requiring that the Coach keep it a secret; or (v) the Coach created the information on its own, without using anything belonging to the Client.

6.3 Third-Party Confidential Information. It's possible the Client and the Coach each have access to confidential information that belongs to third parties. The Client and the Coach each promise that it will not share with the other party confidential information that belongs to third parties, unless it is allowed to do so. If the Client or the Coach is allowed to share confidential information with the other party and does so, the sharing party promises to tell the other party in writing of any special restrictions regarding that information.

7. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.

Neither party is liable for breach-of-contract damages that the breaching party could not reasonably have foreseen when it entered this Contract.

8. INDEMNITY.

8.1 Overview. This section transfers certain risks between the parties if a third party sues or goes after the Client or the Coach or both. For example, if the Client gets sued for something that the Coach did, then the Coach may promise to come to the Client's defense or to reimburse the Client for any losses.

8.2 Client Indemnity. In this Contract, the Coach agrees to indemnify the Client (and its affiliates and their directors, officers, employees, and agents) from and against all liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) related to a third-party claim or proceeding arising out of: (i) the work the Coach has done under this Contract; (ii) a breach by the Coach of its obligations under this Contract; or (iii) a breach by the Coach of the promises it is making in Section 3 (Representations).

8.3 Coach Indemnity. In this Contract, the Client agrees to indemnify the Coach (and its affiliates and their directors, officers, employees, and agents) from and against liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) related to a third-party claim or proceeding arising out of a breach by the Client of its obligations under this Contract.

9. GENERAL.

9.1 Assignment​. This Contract applies only to the Client and the Coach. Neither the Client nor the Coach can assign its rights or delegate its obligations under this Contract to a third-party (other than by will or intestate), without first receiving the other's written permission.

9.2 Arbitration. As the exclusive means of initiating adversarial proceedings to resolve any dispute arising under this Contract, a party may demand that the dispute be resolved by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its commercial arbitration rules.

9.3 Modification; Waiver. To change anything in this Contract, the Client and the Coach must agree to that change in writing and sign a document showing their contract. Neither party can waive its rights under this Contract or release the other party from its obligations under this Contract, unless the waiving party acknowledges it is doing so in writing and signs a document that says so.

9.4. Noticies.

(a) Over the course of this Contract, one party may need to send a notice to the other party. For the notice to be valid, it must be in writing and delivered in one of the following ways: personal delivery, email, or certified or registered mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested). The notice must be delivered to the party's address listed at the end of this Contract or to another address that the party has provided in writing as an appropriate address to receive notice.

(b) The timing of when a notice is received can be very important. To avoid confusion, a valid notice is considered received as follows: (i) if delivered personally, it is considered received immediately; (ii) if delivered by email, it is considered received upon acknowledgement of receipt; (iii) if delivered by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested), it is considered received upon receipt as indicated by the date on the signed receipt. If a party refuses to accept notice or if notice cannot be delivered because of a change in address for which no notice was given, then it is considered received when the notice is rejected or unable to be delivered. If the notice is received after 5:00pm on a business day at the location specified in the address for that party, or on a day that is not a business day, then the notice is considered received at 9:00am on the next business day.

9.5 Severability. This section deals with what happens if a portion of the Contract is found to be unenforceable. If that's the case, the unenforceable portion will be changed to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, unless that change is not permitted by law, in which case the portion will be disregarded. If any portion of the Contract is changed or disregarded because it is unenforceable, the rest of the Contract is still enforceable.

9.6 Signatures. The Client and the Coach must sign this document using Bonsai's e-signing system. These electronic signatures count as originals for all purposes.

9.7 Governing Law. The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this document shall be governed by the laws of the United States of America.

9.8 Entire Contract. This Contract represents the parties' final and complete understanding of this job and the subject matter discussed in this Contract. This Contract supersedes all other contracts (both written and oral) between the parties.

THE PARTIES HERETO AGREE TO THE FOREGOING AS EVIDENCED BY THEIR SIGNATURES BELOW.

Coach

First_name
Last_name
Acme LLC.
Client

First_name
Last_name
Corporation Corp.
Table of contents

For freelancers, a time comes when you’ve got to submit a software proposal template if you’re to be considered for a job. Reaching this point means that, at least, the previous communication has been successful. With the request for a proposal, the excitement goes overdrive, especially if it’s your first big project. If you’re like the many other developers who’re not into the administrative end of things or calculating their software developer tax deductions, this whole proposal thing might come forth as a stumbling block.

How do you go about it? Do you let a lucrative project go because of a mere software development proposal sample in PDF format? No way!

Just download a software development proposal PDF template and modify it for your needs. Because most of these software development proposal samples in PDF already contain pretty much everything you’d need, relying on them is way easier than starting a new software project proposal altogether. Nevertheless, don’t just pick any template you come across.

Software Development Proposal Template
Image Credits: typeset.io

Use the following tips to help you pick the right software development proposal PDF template.

1. Understand your client and their clientele in the software development proposal

This shouldn’t be confusing. It’s all about knowing your client well. Understand their industry, the kind of business they do, the size of their organization, their current clientele, the number of their employees and the challenges they face. Also, get to know their target audience. This information will help you streamline the software proposal template to your potential client’s exact needs.

2. Describe the project in the software development proposal template

Whatever the software development proposal PDF template you choose, the description of the project must always be clear. Provide as much relevant information as possible and don’t be repetitive. Detail everything that the project would involve. Clarity is necessary as a way to forestall any potential conflicts. The information you provide in this section will also help you in creating a contract when you finally get to that point.  

3. Project members in the software development proposal template

Get to know who the members of the project are.

Most projects would typically have an overall project leader, the project architect, the project analyst-cum-tester, and you, the developer. For each and every project milestone, be sure to define each and every member’s role and the stage at which they come in.

Even though the client company will play most of these roles, each role must be clear to the project leader to give him a picture of what would be expected of him.

4. Features, deliverables, and timelines in the software development proposal template

Your potential client knows his expectations better than anyone else. So, he should provide as much pertinent information as possible in the software development brief. This information will act as your guideline when deciding the software features, as well as the deliverables and time-frame. If your chosen software development proposal PDF already has some standard features and deliverables spelled out, retain as much of them as are relevant to the project. These will help you in drawing the project timeline.

5. Software benefits in relation to features in the software development proposal template

Your client may not know so much about the benefits of the software he wants you to build for him except, of course, that it would solve the single biggest problem that pushed him to request for your software proposal template. But how great it would be if you get a good software development proposal PDF that also outlines additional benefits and how each of them would add value to your client’s business. As a freelancer, this is a challenge for you to look for other problems that the software will solve without limiting yourself to what the client mentioned in their software development brief. This part of your proposal could just be what convinces your potential client to award you the contract.

Software Development Proposal Template Sample
Image Credits: sampletemplates.com

6. Language, abbreviations, and proofreading in the software development proposal example

Never ever communicate with your client as if he has the same technical background as you. In your software project proposal, use a language he’d easily understand.

You can be sure that no client is going to give you a job based on a proposal whose content isn’t clear to him. The language used in your chosen software development proposal PDF template should be simple and free of software development jargons. Avoid using abbreviations like UI/UX, API, OS, RC, and MVP, among others. Don’t ever send a proposal with a swarm of typos and grammatical mistakes.

Software Development Proposal Template Example
Image Credits: typeset.io

7. Write a convincing executive summary in your software development proposal template

At the very opening part of your proposal, your potential client must be wowed. Remember he’s probably receiving a ton of software development proposals from many other freelancers and may not have all the time to read all of them. Write the executive summary like it’s all the opportunity you have to convince the client. And most likely it is. In the executive summary, highlight what makes you stand out. Address the client’s problem head-on by clearly providing solutions to each element of the problem. How well you understand it, how you’ll solve it and why your way is the best way must be clearly communicated.

8. Answer questions one would typically ask in the software development proposal template

As you move deeper into the flesh of your software development proposal, answer as many questions as possible. Don’t just answer any question you can think of. Anticipate questions and address them individually and systematically. There are clients who literally don’t have the time to keep requesting for one piece of information after another.

9. Share your portfolio in the software development proposal

As a freelancer, by the time you’re receiving a request for a software development proposal, you must have at one point in your career completed some related software development projects. These should be part of your proposal. For each project, express in simple and clear times why you did them, the problems they were expected to solve, whether or not they solved these problems, why you chose the programming languages you used, and why you believe they’re excellent, linking these to the predominant industry best practices.

  • Are they of good design?
  • Do they address user experience concerns?
  • What are their security features?
  • Are they using the latest technologies?

By showing your potential client the amazing designs you have done and providing explanations about their functions, you portray yourself as a master of your trade.

10. Share an implementation road-map in the software development proposal sample

By the time a client is reaching out to you for a software development proposal, he already has an idea of what his problem is. Even though he may not know the exact time it’d take a freelancer to get the job done, he definitely has a period within which he’d like the project to be completed. This can be a source of conflict if you fail to explicitly state your timeline in your software development proposal and subsequently in the contract. One mistake you should never ever make as a freelancer is to give a false schedule just to win the contract. Instead, add a little more time on top of the time you need to drive the project to its logical conclusion. This will cater for any eventualities.

Software Development Proposal Template PDF
Image Credits: examples.com

11. Have a professional and appealing presentation with the software development proposal template

The overall presentation of your proposal must be appealing. Software development, as you already know, is incomplete without a good design. This attribute must be evident in your presentation. How you format your proposal, how you lace it up with images, and the kind of fonts you use all coalesce to tell a story about you. Your potential client is smart enough to look at the design and presentation of your proposal and perceive whether you’d be able to deliver a reliable software program. A good design could also give you an edge over other freelancers pitching for the same job.

Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about this template.

What is a software development proposal?

A software development proposal is the solution they send to their clients with the need to build a new software. It should also state why you as a software developer is the best fit.

Why do you need a software development proposal?

Clients never fall from trees. Either they hear about your great work or your recent works precedes you, a software development proposal is still a must for clients to decide in acquiring your service.

Are there any free software development proposal templates?

Yes, a lot of them are available online. But if you're looking for an easy to use, FREE and effective software development proposal template, Bonsai is your solution. Simply sign up, edit, download and send to clients.