Creating a New Proposal Template Quick Reference

Proposal templates are pre-formatted to include particular styles, layouts, and information that you can use on future proposals. You might find it helpful to use this list of quick reference steps as a guide for creating a new proposal template.

Step	Procedure	Related Information
Create a Template
1	There are three methods for creating a proposal template: From scratch: Create and save templates that specifically reflect your company's styles including page layouts, font settings, graphics locations, and other details. Click Proposals > Templates > + Add Proposal Template to create brand new templates in the Templates application. Continue to Step 2. From an existing template: If a new template is similar to an existing template, open Proposals > Templates and click Options > Copy at the end of the template's grid row. You can then edit and save the copied template to create a new template. Continue to Step 2. From an existing proposal: After you build a proposal in Proposals > Custom Proposals, click Other Actions > Save Proposal as Template to save the proposal as a template. This is useful to quickly create a template that reflects the requirements that are included in a proposal that you have previously generated and saved.	Create a New Proposal Template
2	On the New Proposal Template dialog box, enter the general proposal properties: Name (required), Category, and Description.	New Proposal Dialog Box
Define Template Properties
3	Define properties for the template. These apply as the template's default settings, including the title of the template.	Define the Proposal Properties
4	Define document properties for page orientation and margins.	Define Document Properties
Add Hub Records to the Template
5	Add hub records.	Insert a Hub Record
6	Select the specific fields that you want to include for the record. Vantagepoint inserts placeholders for each field in the template. These fields are populated with data when you merge and finalize the template.	Insert Fields into a Proposal Insert Fields Dialog Box Edit Text Dialog Box
7	When you specify fields for the template, there are some hub fields that allow you to further specify the data that is selected for the template. For example, the Team grid in a project record displays a drop-down list that allows you to specify All, Owner, Clients, or Vendor Firms. If you select a column that is a number, currency, or date, you can specify the format for that column. Click the link to open the Format Number, Format Date/Time, and Format Currency dialog boxes.	Format Currency Dialog Box Format Date/Time Dialog Box Format Number Dialog Box
8	Use the Manage Records dialog box to add or remove records on the template.	Add or Remove Records on a Proposal
Add Elements to the Template
9	Use the Proposal Builder to insert additional elements such as text and images.	Work with Proposal Elements
10	Add section breaks.	Insert Section Breaks Define Section Properties
11	Add and format pages.	Add Pages to a Proposal Define Page Properties
Save the Template
12	Save the record layout as a draft for editing later. This allows you to continue editing the template and make quick updates at one time instead of having to make changes to each individual record. Keep the template in draft mode until you need to edit each record individually or until you are ready to merge and publish.	Save Record Layout as Draft
13	Merge and finalize the layout of the records. This separates the records and disconnects the template information from the hub so that it is no longer updated with changes from the hub record. This allows you to edit each record individually for this template without affecting the record in the hub.	Merge and Finalize Records
14	Save the proposal template. After a template is saved, it is available for reuse from either the Proposal Templates grid or from the Templates option on the New Proposal dialog box.	Save the Proposal Template