How to Bid: Anatomy of a Proposal (Production Company Guide)

Bidding. It's the only way we get jobs, yet without a proper system, it can become the main way we lose them. A proposal is numbers wrapped in a story, told in a way that makes a decision easy. The rookie move is to send a list of rates. The professional move is to show what the money buys and what happens if the plan changes.

The anatomy of a bid

Start with a cover that speaks to the creative or to the request. One paragraph: what you understood, what you’ll deliver, and how you’ll get there. Avoid adjectives that sound like agencies wrote them. “We’ll deliver a :30 built around two hero moments, shot in one day at a single location, with a post plan that gets you a master, a :15 cutdown, and a vertical” is better than “We'll deliver a compelling narrative."

Scope comes next. Write it like a checklist you’ll hold each other to, and group based on pre to post: pre-pro meetings, casting (if any), scout, shoot days, crew size, gear highlights, post passes, deliverables, and version counts. Define what isn’t included so there’s room for a change order without bad blood: talent fees, travel, stock, permits, specialized VFX, overtime, rush.

Budgets come next, and always read better with structure. Group by phase: Pre-production, Production, Post, Licensing/Pass-through, Overhead. Inside each, list roles and packages. You don’t need to itemize down to sandbags, but you do need to signal where the money lives and why. A “camera and lighting package” line is fine; a separate “– additional specialty optics” shows the client where premium lives if they want it.

Terms are not small print. Put payment terms on the budget page, not buried. “50% to book, 50% on delivery; net-30” reads like a grown-up. Include a kill clause: a fair schedule (e.g., % due at various cancellation windows). Include overage/OT language: rates, when the clock starts, breaks, and how approvals tie to hours. Include a weather plan if you’re outdoors; include a contingency line (modest) because one always exists in reality even if it doesn’t on paper.

Timelines save relationships. A one-page calendar with milestones calms stakeholders: briefing, creative review, scout, shoot, first cut, revisions, color/mix, masters, and handoff. Assign responsibility: who approves what, by when. If the client misses a date, the calendar moves. Write that sentence.

Read the RFP, even if there isn’t one. The subtext usually says what the text won’t. If legal fine print demands work-for-hire and expansive NDAs, price the loss of portfolio use. If they require net-60, add a financing fee. If they ban kill fees, ask for a guaranteed minimum. The time to negotiate is before you spend money.

Design matters. Legible fonts, clean tables, no typos. A budget that looks like a restaurant menu invites indignation. A budget that looks like a lab report invites trust.

Close with a one-page “assumptions & dependencies.” It turns fights into choices. “Assume one hero location with power within 50 feet. If not, add generator line item.” “Assume :30 master and one :15; additional cutdowns priced per.” When the day changes, the paper already knows how to price it.

A final move that wins work: offer two credible versions. One at their comfort band, one a stretch. Don’t make the low option a booby trap. Make it the responsible plan. Make the stretch exciting enough that if they find money, they’ll spend it with you.

Next week, we'll deliver a full excel to help you budget crew costs for your next bid.