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How to Configure Proposals in Project Insight

Steve West
  • Updated

Proposal configuration settings control how proposals behave in Project Insight, including which fields appear, how proposals connect to projects, how invoicing works, how forecast values appear in reports, and how approvals are handled.

Use this article as a setup guide for reviewing the main proposal configuration options. Each section includes a related video tutorial.

Related Videos

Before You Begin

You should have permission to manage proposal configuration settings in Project Insight. These settings affect how proposals are created, displayed, connected to projects, invoiced, approved, and reported.

Configure Primary Proposal Settings

Primary proposal settings control the fields and line item options available on proposals.

Watch: Primary Proposal Configuration Settings in Project Insight 

Steps

  1. Open the proposal configuration page.
  2. Select Proposal Fields.
  3. Choose which native proposal fields should be turned on or off.
  4. Enable or disable fields such as Rate Card, Assign To, Department, Expected Invoice Date, and Description.
  5. Use custom fields if you need to extend the standard proposal fields.
  6. Confirm whether time line items and expense line items should be enabled.
  7. Set the decimal scale for time and expense calculations if your rates need more precision.
  8. Enable split lines if you use proposal forecasting and need to divide line quantities across multiple dates.
  9. Choose which fields should appear on time and expense line items.
  10. Review the proposal line item view to confirm the fields display correctly.

Best Practice

Keep time and expense line item fields consistent where possible. This makes proposals easier to review and maintain.

 

Configure Proposal Display Options

Proposal display options control how proposal line items appear, how users edit proposal details, how invoice status colors display, and how forecasting, linked items, and contacts appear on the proposal.

Watch: Proposal Display Options in Project Insight 

Steps

  1. Enable inline editing if users should be able to edit line items directly from the proposal display.
  2. Choose whether inline editing should default to an expense line instead of a time or labor line.
  3. Enable layout configuration if users should be able to save and manage proposal column layouts.
  4. Review the proposal color options for invoice status.
  5. Use color settings to show whether a line is not invoiced, partially invoiced, ready to download to an accounting system, or fully invoiced.
  6. Add the Invoiced Total column to a layout if users need to compare the proposal amount against the amount already invoiced.
  7. Enable recurring and non-recurring subtotals if proposals need to separate recurring revenue from non-recurring revenue.
  8. Enable grouping by forecast date if proposal deliverables should be grouped by the date they are expected to be invoiced or completed.
  9. Enable grouping by forecast date and location if locations are used in your proposal workflow.
  10. Turn on automatic refresh when forecast values change so the proposal display updates when forecast dates are edited.
  11. Enable forecast monthly baseline if you want to preserve prior forecast values for reporting and comparison.
  12. Enable linked items if proposals should be linked to other Project Insight items.
  13. Enable the contact tab if users should see company contact information on the proposal display.

Best Practice

Turn on proposal display options that support how your team reviews, edits, and invoices proposal lines. If you use forecasting, enable grouping and refresh options so users can see forecasted proposal values clearly.

 

Configure Project Options for Proposals

Project options control how proposals connect to projects, templates, tasks, comments, and deliverables.

Watch: Project Options in Proposal Configuration in Project Insight 

Steps

  1. Enable Project Template to be Associated to Proposal if users should select a project template from the proposal.
  2. Turn on Copy Proposal Comments to the Newly Created Affiliated Project if proposal comments should transfer when the project is created.
  3. Enable Keep Project and Proposal Selected Fields in Sync if shared fields should remain aligned.
  4. Select which fields should stay synchronized, such as Company, Rate Card, and Project Type.
  5. Enable Affiliated Project to Have the Same Project Number if the project should use the proposal number.
  6. Enable Deliverables to be Added to Projects as Tasks if proposal deliverables should become project tasks.
  7. Enable Deliverables to be Added from the Project if users should create a project plan first and then add project tasks back to the proposal as deliverables.
  8. Enable Deliverables to be Associated to Tasks if proposal deliverables should be linked to project tasks.
  9. Turn on the billing rate option if the associated proposal deliverable should drive the task billing rate.
  10. Enable the invoicing restriction if deliverables linked to tasks should not be invoiced until the associated task is complete.

Best Practice

Use these settings when your proposal workflow needs to move cleanly into project execution. They are especially helpful when proposals, project templates, deliverables, and billing need to stay connected.

Configure Proposal Invoicing Options

Proposal invoicing options control how proposal lines become invoice records.

Watch: Proposal Invoicing Options in Project Insight 

Steps

  1. Enable Use Deliverables Invoice Percent During Invoice Creation if users will invoice proposal lines by percentage.
  2. Use the Invoice Percent column to decide how much of each proposal line should be invoiced.
  3. Set default invoice percentages for time line items or expense line items if needed.
  4. Decide whether percent should be used as the hours or quantity value on invoice line items.
  5. Enable invoice percent progress in the invoice line item description if you want invoice descriptions to show progress details.
  6. Decide whether blank proposal total value deliverables should transfer to invoices.
  7. Enable locking options if deliverables, forecast dates, or split lines should be locked after invoicing.
  8. Require forecast dates if invoice creation should be controlled by proposal forecast dates.
  9. Choose whether invoice creation by forecast date should include earlier non-invoiced lines.
  10. Enable separate invoice line items for deliverable split lines if you forecast proposal lines across multiple months.
  11. Turn on Plus Invoice in grouped lines if users should create invoices directly from forecast groupings.
  12. Set the number of days before a forecast date when invoice options should appear.
  13. Enable invoice creation from the project invoices and proposals view if users should create invoices from that project view.
  14. Decide whether users should skip the invoice creation screen.

Best Practice

Do not skip the invoice creation screen unless your workflow is very standardized. The invoice screen gives users a chance to review or add invoice details before saving.

Configure Proposal and Project Report Options

Report options control how proposal forecast, invoice, revenue, and planned values appear in reports.

Watch: Proposal and Project Report Options in Project Insight 

Steps

  1. Open the proposal report options.
  2. Choose how many prior months should appear in reports.
  3. Choose how many future months should appear in reports.
  4. Apply these settings to proposal reports if users need forecast values by month.
  5. Configure invoice reporting options if users need to see what should be invoiced by month or year.
  6. Configure forecast revenue type options if you use recurring revenue, non-recurring revenue, or other revenue.
  7. Configure project report options separately if project reports should show forecast, invoice, or planned values.
  8. Run the related report to confirm the correct month or year columns appear.

Best Practice

Use a consistent reporting window, such as three prior months and six future months, so project and finance teams can review past performance and upcoming forecast values in one report.

Configure Proposal Approval Options

Approval options control how proposals are approved and who can approve them.

Watch: Proposal Approval Options in Project Insight 

Steps

  1. Enable Automatically Lock the Proposal When Approved if approved proposals should no longer be editable.
  2. Use manual locking if users should decide when to lock each proposal.
  3. Enable the company-based approval recipient option if only people associated with the proposal company should appear as approval recipients.
  4. Use this setting when clients need to approve proposals directly.
  5. Confirm that the correct client contacts or company contacts are available before sending the approval.

Best Practice

Use automatic locking when approval should represent a final agreed version of the proposal.

Configure Advanced Proposal Options

Advanced options support folder hierarchy, proposal manager permissions, custom headers, and default terms and conditions.

Watch: Advanced Proposal Configuration Options in Project Insight 

Steps

  1. Enable Always Keep Proposal as a Child of the Project Affiliation only if you use the Folders add-on and need proposal location controlled by folder hierarchy.
  2. Leave this off if folder hierarchy does not matter in your workflow.
  3. Enable Proposal Manager if you need a system role that can manage all proposals.
  4. Add a custom proposal header if proposals should include standard branded or instructional content.
  5. Use the HTML editor to format the custom header.
  6. Add default terms and conditions if every new proposal should include standard terms.
  7. Confirm the terms and conditions field is enabled on proposals if you want those default terms to appear.

Best Practice

Do not turn on advanced settings unless your workflow needs them. Keeping proposal configuration simple makes the proposal process easier for users.

Related Features

  • Proposals
  • Invoice Records
  • Project Templates
  • Project Financials
  • Forecasting
  • Approvals
  • Custom Fields
  • Project Reports
  • Folders Add-On
  • Project Tasks and Deliverables

Need More Help?

For more help configuring proposals in Project Insight, visit projectinsight.com/support .

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