Why Your Commercial Proposal Matters
For agency producers, commercial production companies, and filmmakers, writing the proposal is more than just a formality. It’s a communication tool that frames expectations, budgets, timelines, and deliverables—all critical to client approval and project success.
Preparation: Start With Clear Lead Information
Before drafting your proposal, gather all essential lead details:
- Client name and contact information
- Project brief and creative direction
- Scope of work including deliverables
- Timelines including shooting and delivery dates
- Budget parameters or estimates if available
Ensuring all these facts are captured accurately reduces back-and-forth with clients later and builds trust.
Structure Your Proposal for Easy Review
Organize your proposal so clients can quickly grasp the key elements. A well-structured production proposal should include these sections:
- Cover and Overview: A summary page that introduces the project and your company.
- Scope and Deliverables: Detailed listing of what you will provide (commercial length, versions, formats).
- Timeline: Milestones, shooting dates, post-production, and delivery deadlines.
- Team: Names and roles of your key personnel managing the job.
- AICP Bid: A line-item budget following the standard AICP form sections (A-O).
- Payment Terms: How and when payments are to be made.
This logical flow helps clients understand each part without confusion, making approvals easier.
Use the Standard AICP Bid Format
When you’re working with ad agencies using the AICP form, stick to the accepted structure. This includes:
- Sections A through O covering crew labor, overtime, fringes, handling, production fees, insurance, and contingency percentages.
- Separate line items for each budget category with clear cost justification.
- Revised versions for any updated quotes to maintain transparency.
Clients who regularly work with the AICP format expect this clarity and familiarity, which streamlines the review and approval process.
Clearly Break Down Budgets: Estimate vs. Actual
Include budget lines with estimates and, as the job progresses, compare these to actual expenditures. This transparency reassures clients you are managing their investment responsibly. Make your budget easy to read by:
- Grouping related costs
- Including labor, equipment, travel, and other categories separately
- Showing contingency and production fees as percentages rather than lump sums
Precise budgets prevent misunderstandings and reduce delays in approvals.
Make Payment Terms Clear and Manageable
Be explicit about billing procedures. Typically, you can:
- Bill a deposit upfront upon award
- Bill the balance after delivery or at predefined milestones
- Issue real invoices for each payment with convenient online payment options
Consider defining payment timelines, late fees, and preferred methods to minimize payment disputes.
Share Your Proposal Accessibly
Clients appreciate proposals that are easy to access and review without requiring logins or downloads. Sharing a single link that opens the entire proposal—including cover, scope, AICP bid, and payment terms—improves client convenience.
Encourage client feedback by allowing comments right on the proposal page. Enable digital acceptance by having clients type their name to sign, facilitating faster approvals and eliminating paperwork hassles.
Include a Clear Commercial Script and Schedule if Applicable
If your job includes a commercial script, ensure it is part of the proposal along with a production schedule. This includes:
- The A/V script for the commercial
- Scheduling details like shoot days and locations
- Any available call sheets or day-out-of-days breakdowns
This information further confirms what the project delivers and when, ensuring everyone shares the same expectations.
Confirm Team and Vendor Details
List your vendors and crew roles, along with any subcontractor or loan-out arrangements. Show how vendor costs sit in your budget and outline how you manage approvals and payments. This level of detail builds client confidence and supports smooth job execution.
Review and Revise Before Sending
Before submitting the proposal, make sure to:
- Proofread for accuracy and clarity
- Verify all numbers match your internal budgets
- Ensure timelines are achievable
- Update the AICP sections if any adjustments occurred
Getting this right reduces revision rounds and speeds the client’s approval.
Do it in Pericles
Pericles helps you build, send, and manage commercial production proposals with a dedicated AICP bid section supporting standard labor, fee, insurance, and contingency calculations. You can create a full proposal page—cover, scope, timeline, team, payment terms, and more—that you share with your client via a single link requiring no login. Clients can comment, approve by typing their name, and pay deposits or balances through real invoices generated from the bid. Project details from awarded bids flow directly into job management features including budgeting, scheduling, vendor and crew timecard approvals, and reporting. Start with Pericles to streamline your commercial production proposals and keep your clients informed and confident at every step.