Normally, prior to any form of construction work, experts perform a detailed analysis of the roofing components and present a proposal to the client. Such a proposal is known as a roofing proposal.
Quite simply, a roofing proposal exists to help both the contractors as well as the clients aware. They help both the parties to comprehend the components to be involved in the project by keeping an account the components.
Secondly, a nicely done proposal helps to give your organization an edge from your competitors. It is natural for your clients to browse through multiple proposals before choosing a contractor according to their liking. A nicely-worked out proposal helps attract clients and hence choose your services.
Finally, a proposal signifies that all projects components are in order. With the approval of both parties, contractors can begin the roofing process.
Contents
The Components
There are certain components of a roofing proposal that you certainly cannot miss. These include:
- Well-Defined Mode of Payments – Make sure that the client has a clear understanding of the mode of payment. Include a section which clearly defines them. Based on the kind of project, you should provide a specific number of payment modes such as cheques and credit cards. As much as possible, try to abstain from accepting cash payments. It increases the trustworthiness and credibility of your organization.
- Permits, Licences, and Warranties – Working on the side of the law is a must. Never go against the law. That is the absolute rule. Whatever the size of the projects be, make sure to always obtain permits and license before working. Apart from the permits and licenses, make sure that you put a section in your proposal for warranties. Discuss thoroughly the warranties available so that your clients never face any troubles subsequent to the work being done.
- Planning – Planning is everything. This is something which is not unheard of. In the case of roofing, you should make sure that your proposal has the entire process mapped out. All it should need is execution. Often, roofing projects don’t require a lot of investment in the form of time. However, they do put homeowners at an inconvenience. Due to this, clients expect that their contractors plan out the entire project and give them an estimate on the time to be taken.
- Materials Used – Materials occupy a large chunk of the cost of the project. Due to this, it is predominant that you mention all your material requirements with impeccable scrutiny. You should mention everything about the materials that you are using, ranging from the name of the manufacturer to the grade or quality of the material.
- Explanation of Liability – Roofing is, hands down, one of the messiest job. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that the process could contain numerous possible liabilities. You should dedicate a section in your proposal regarding this. Make sure that the homeowners have insurance to cover the liabilities. If they don’t have insurance, then it is you who has to pay for the damages.
- Additional Costs – When it comes to costs, a lot of proposals contain the pricing on the basis of estimates. Therefore, there are bound to be additional costs at some point in the roofing process. Apart from this, the process also can also cause damages to objects which are already present such as the sub-roofing or the chimney etc. These should also cover the additional costs of prevailing issues which need to amended before a new roof can be set.
The Importance of Roofing Proposals
Proposals are important. Both for the contractors as well as the clients. Proposals are an important way by which contractors can provide clients with statistics regarding the requirements involved in roofing their home.
On the other hand, roofing proposals are a boon for clients who do not know a lot about architecture. A roofing proposal lists all the important aspects of the project, such as the materials required, the costs of labor, any hidden damages etc.
Apart from these, roofing proposal houses a few sections which make it extremely important. These are:
- Terms and Conditions – The terms and conditions are perhaps one of the most important sections when it comes to working with clients. These legally binding section helps to maintain the integrity of your work by preventing any form of abuse, either by contractors by the clients. When a client accepts the roofing proposal, he or she also agrees to the terms and conditions of working with you.
- Warranties – Every roofing proposal has the warranty section. This is one of those important aspects of the proposal which client refer to. The warranty is proof of the quality of service provided by the contractors. It helps clients to further trust your services and opt for them.
- The Licensure and Workers Comp – This is another key aspect which clients look for while browsing through numerous roofing proposals. The licensure and workers comp section of your proposal contains all the licensing information regarding your workers and the compensation that the workers receive. Getting a clear picture of these features allows the client to become doubly sure of your services and assures them that their roofing will be done by within the code requirements.
How To Write A Roofing Proposal
A lot of contractors often refer to roofs as fingerprints. For each of them is distinct and no two ones of them are similar. A roofing proposal, on the other hand, consists of a lot of similar aspects. There are few things which you should always keep in mind while writing your roofing proposal.
The first and foremost is quality. Be it the crafting of the sales proposal or working on the actual project, you should make sure that you’re presenting your clients with quality work. It is important that you make your clients feel so. Clients often view through multiple roofing proposals before they choose you so that they can find out the cheapest one with the best services.
Instead of making them feel exactly that, you should make them feel that they chose you not because you are the cheapest one out there, but because you’re the best one.
A roofing proposal is usually received by clients after they meet the contractors but before the roofing process actually beings. During such a period, clients have a lot of doubts regarding the contractor, the organization and the entire process. To make sure that your roofing proposal serves its clients to the best that it can make sure that it answers a few principal questions. These include details about your organization, your portfolio, previous clients who have had happy reviews, the working capabilities of your customers etc.
Apart from these, you should also make it a point to include keep a few points in your article, such as:
- Maintaining a humble yet persuasive format of speech.
- Putting the focus on the needs of the customer and how you can quench their demands instead of writing down what your organization can do. Always remember that it is all about the customer and yourself.
- Using words such as “you” and “your”. Refrain from using words such as I, we, and our.
- Engineering every sentence which leads your customers to say “yes”.
- Ending the proposal with a call to action on the client’s part.
The Inclusion of a Roofing Scope of Work
As aforementioned, the process of planning is very important for you to correctly express the method of execution that you are to follow. The roofing scope of work takes care of this.
The roofing scope of work is important not only for the client but for you as well. It sets out predefined guidelines for your workers to physically understand and get the work done. The scope of work segment in the proposal is generally divided into numerous sections itself. These contain:
- Description Of The Work To Be Done
- The Description Of The Roofing System
- The Performance Requirements
- The Data Submissions
- The Pre-Installation
- The Delivery Requirements
- The Warranty Of The Materials
Roofing Estimation
Roofing estimation gives you the actual data of the damages that you’re facing and an estimate of the amount that you can spend. However, it is obvious that no homeowner would spend their money without having actual knowledge of the requirements. Due to this, contractors are required to give their clients an estimate regarding the costs.
In the simplest of terms, the roofing estimation section contains a breakdown of the costs that the client would be facing. Due to this, it is very important that the section contains the details regarding the costs to be incurred. This is very important for the customer to understand the costs.
The components of the roofing estimation include:
- The beginning and the end date of the project.
- A full listing of the contractors who are going to be working on the project.
- A listing of the materials to be used and their prices to get an estimate of their prices.
- The due dates for payment and the modes.
- The workmanship and warranty offered by the organization.
- A termination which stated the conditions, if any, for the termination of the project.
Even though the roofing estimate is all about estimating, it should mention everything in detail. Each and every aspect of the proposal should be detailed.
Commercial Roofing Proposal Sample
Any basic commercial roofing proposal consists of 7 aspects. These include:
- The Cover Page – The cover page consists of a few graphical illustrations such as the name of the proposal, the client’s name and the name of the person creating the proposal.
- Cover Letter – The cover letter is all about the client. You should mention how you are there to help with each and every need of theirs regarding their roof.
- About Us – Here, mention about your company or your organization.
- Recent Projects – Mention your recent achievements which have made a place for themselves in your portfolio.
- Testimonials – In this segment, mention what your previous clients had to say about your work. Testimonials are an important part in persuading your prospective clients and closing the deal with them. So make sure, that you have a testimonial page in your proposal.
- The Team – This section consists of the team members who make it all possible.
- Job Description – The job description is akin to the planning section. The only difference is that it is brief in comparison to the planning.
- The Schedule – The schedule contains the time limit within which you are going to work the specifics of your project out.
- The Final Steps – The final steps consist of the contract for your customer to sign. In this page, you have an agreement message and two sections to be signed, one for your customer and one for yourself.
Tips To Writing Winning Proposals
Most contractors would find that writing a roofing proposal is not as tough as they perceive it to be. However, what differentiates an average contractor from a competitive contractor is their winning commercial roofing proposals.
There are many aspects which go into writing a proposal to make it winning proposal. It all comes down to the little details. Be it an average Joe or a property manager, little details go a long way when people decide to invest thousands of dollars in the roof repair or replacement.
The market is full of competitive players in today’s date. And the competition is completely confident about getting the job done. Due to this, you need to efforts and make sure that you set yourself apart from your competition.
There are a few things that you should do in order to set yourself apart. These include:
- Make sure that you address all the concerns regarding your project. The client should never be in doubt regarding your project.
- Make the proposal attractive. A dull proposal is more prone to being rejected than an attractive one.
- There is a lot of online proposal software out there. Take the help from one if you aren’t good at writing them.
- Get yourself a trusted individual from your organization to comb through the proposal and give an honest opinion.
Reference Links
- https://wernerroofing.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-roofing-contractor-proposals/
- http://www.roofingandroofers.com/roofing/roof_estimates_naples.htm
- https://tadlockroofing.com/understanding-written-roofing-proposals/
- https://www.equipter.com/equipter-articles/commercial-roofing-proposals
- https://www.angieslist.com/articles/what-information-should-be-roofing-estimate.htm
- https://wikiroof.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-write-roofing-proposal.html
- https://www.iko.com/na/residential/building-professional/craft-proposals-residential-roofing-contracts-clients/
- http://www.holtroofing.com/news/components-of-roofing-scope-of-work/
- https://masterbuiltconstruction.net/everything-need-know-getting-roof-estimate/
- https://templates.proposify.com/proposal-template/roofing/1392636
