Proposals

Creating Proposals

Proposals are the starting point of your sales workflow. Each proposal captures the scope, value, and timeline of work you are offering to a client. Belvak uses a multi-step form to guide you through every detail so nothing is missed.

Opening the proposal form

There are two ways to create a new proposal:

From the Proposals page:

1. Navigate to the Proposals page from the sidebar.
2. Click the Add Proposal button in the top-right corner.
3. A two-step drawer will open on the right side of your screen.

From a Client row (quick-add):

1. Go to the Clients page and find the client you want to create a proposal for.
2. Right-click the client row or click the three-dot menu, then select Add Proposal.
3. The proposal form opens with the Client field already pre-filled, so you can skip straight to the details.

Form steps and key fields

The form is divided into two steps:

Step 1 - Proposal Details:

• Name - A clear, descriptive name for the proposal (e.g., "Website Redesign for Acme Corp").
• Client - Select the client this proposal is for. Clients must be added in the Client Management module first. Once linked, the proposal will also appear inside that client's Related tab, alongside their projects, invoices, and contracts.
• Description - A detailed breakdown of the work, deliverables, and any terms.
• Due Date - The deadline or target date for the proposal.
• Costs - The proposed value or cost you are quoting for the work.
• Currency - The currency for this proposal. Defaults to your system currency but can be changed per proposal.
• Status - The current state of the proposal in your pipeline.

Step 2 - Documents:

Upload any supporting documents such as scope documents, case studies, or attachments relevant to the proposal.

Proposal statuses

Every proposal moves through a defined set of statuses that reflect where it stands in your sales process:

• Pending - The proposal has been created and is awaiting a client response.
• Approved - The client has agreed to the proposal. It is now ready for conversion into a project.
• Rejected - The client has declined the proposal.

Viewing proposal details

Click any row in the proposals table to open the detail drawer. The drawer shows a hero header with the proposal title, client name, and status badge, followed by grouped sections containing all proposal fields, attached documents, and internal notes.

Editing and managing proposals

To edit an existing proposal, open its detail drawer and click the Edit button, or use the three-dot menu on the table row. You can update any field, change the status, or attach additional documents. All changes are tracked in the activity log.

Multi-currency support

Each proposal stores its own currency, so you can quote clients in their preferred currency regardless of your system default. The currency field shows all currencies enabled in your system settings. When a proposal is converted to a project, the currency carries over automatically.

Proposal-to-Project Conversion

One of Belvak's most powerful workflow features is the ability to convert an accepted proposal directly into a project. This eliminates double data entry and ensures continuity from your sales pipeline into project execution.

How conversion works

The conversion action is available in two places: as a drawer action (a button in the proposal view drawer) and as a row action (in the three-dot menu or right-click context menu on the table). The conversion button only appears if the proposal is not already linked to a project.

1. Open the proposal you want to convert by clicking its row in the table, or use the row action directly from the three-dot menu.
2. Click the Convert to Project action button in the drawer or context menu.
3. The proposal status is automatically set to Approved if it is not already.
4. You are navigated to the project creation form with key fields pre-filled from the proposal.
5. Review the pre-filled details, add any project-specific information, and save.

Auto-approval on conversion

When you convert a proposal, its status is automatically changed to "Approved" regardless of its current status. This ensures your records accurately reflect that the proposal led to actual work. The status change is logged in the activity log for audit purposes.

Pre-filled project creation

The new project form inherits several fields from the source proposal to save you time:

• Client - Automatically set to the proposal's client.
• Contract Value - Populated from the proposed value.
• Currency - Carries over from the proposal.
• Description - Pre-filled with the proposal's description.

You can modify any of these values before saving the project. The link between the proposal and project is established regardless of any changes you make to the pre-filled data.

Bidirectional linking

Once conversion is complete, a permanent two-way link is created between the proposal and the project. The proposal record stores a reference to the created project, and the project record stores a reference back to the originating proposal. This means:

• From any proposal, you can navigate directly to its resulting project.
• From any project, you can navigate back to the proposal that originated it.
• Reports and audits can trace the full lifecycle from proposal through project completion.

Proposal Templates

If your business frequently sends similar proposals - for example, a standard website package or a recurring consulting engagement - you can use existing proposals as templates to speed up future work.

Cloning proposals

The fastest way to reuse a proposal is to clone it. Open the three-dot menu on any proposal row and select Clone Proposal. This opens the Add Proposal form pre-filled with the original's details, so you can adjust anything before saving it as a new proposal.

1. Find the proposal you want to clone in the proposals table.
2. Click the three-dot action menu on the row, or right-click for the context menu.
3. Select Clone Proposal from the menu.
4. The Add Proposal form opens with fields pre-filled: name (prefixed with "Copy of"), client, description, costs, currency, and due date.
5. The status is always reset to Pending regardless of the original's status.
6. Documents are not carried over - attach new files if needed.
7. Review and adjust any details, then save the new proposal.

Standardizing proposal content

For teams that want consistent messaging across all proposals, consider creating a set of "template" proposals that are never sent to clients. Keep them in Draft status with a naming convention such as "[Template] Web Development Package" so they are easy to find and duplicate.

• Use a consistent naming prefix like "[Template]" for easy identification.
• Keep template proposals in Draft status permanently.
• Include your standard terms, deliverable lists, and scope descriptions.
• Duplicate and customize for each new client engagement.

Best practices for proposal writing

• Lead with the client's problem and how you will solve it, not a list of your services.
• Be specific about deliverables, timelines, and what is included versus excluded.
• Set a realistic "Valid Until" date - typically 14 to 30 days - to create urgency without pressure.
• Use the notes system to capture internal context about the deal (e.g., competitor info, client preferences) that should not appear in the proposal itself.
• Attach supporting documents (case studies, portfolios) using the file upload feature.

Tracking Proposal Status

Keeping track of where each proposal stands is essential for managing your sales pipeline. Belvak provides multiple tools to monitor proposal progress and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Status workflow

A typical proposal follows this lifecycle:

1. Pending - You create the proposal and it is awaiting a client response.
2. Approved - The client agrees. You can now convert it to a project.
3. Rejected - The client declines. Record the reason in notes for future reference.

Statuses can be changed manually at any time by editing the proposal or by using quick row actions. There is no enforced linear progression - you can move a proposal from any status to any other status as your situation requires.

Row actions for quick status changes

The three-dot menu and right-click context menu on each proposal row provide quick actions for managing proposals without opening the edit form:

• Convert to Project - Converts the proposal into a project (only appears if the proposal is not already linked to a project).
• Clone Proposal - Creates a copy of the proposal with all fields pre-filled, ready to customize and save as a new proposal.
• Approve - Quickly sets the proposal status to Approved.
• Reject - Quickly sets the proposal status to Rejected.
• Pend - Quickly sets the proposal status back to Pending.

Filtering proposals by status

Use the column filters on the proposals table to narrow your view to specific statuses. Click the filter icon on the Status column header and select one or more statuses - Pending, Approved, or Rejected. This is especially useful for focusing on proposals that need attention - for example, filtering to "Pending" to see which proposals are awaiting client response.

Column visibility and context menu

The proposals table supports a column visibility toggle that lets you show or hide columns to focus on the data that matters most. Right-click any row to access the context menu, which provides the same actions as the three-dot dropdown menu for quick access.

Activity log

Every change to a proposal - creation, status updates, field edits, and deletion - is recorded in the system-wide activity log. This gives you a complete audit trail of who changed what and when. Access the activity log from the Settings page to review proposal-related activity.

Notes for internal comments

Each proposal has a built-in notes section visible in the detail drawer. Use notes to record internal comments that should not be shared with the client, such as:

• Reasons for a specific pricing decision.
• Client feedback or objections from phone calls.
• Competitor proposals the client is considering.
• Follow-up reminders and next steps for your team.

Pipeline view of proposal progress

To get a high-level view of your proposal pipeline, combine status filters with table sorting. Sort by date to see your most recent proposals, or sort by value to focus on your largest deals. The status column's color-coded badges make it easy to scan the table and quickly identify which proposals are in each stage.