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Proposal template

Software development proposal template

A software development proposal in eight short sections, from what your client told you to a fixed-price first release, optional support after launch and the next steps. For software studios and freelance developers, apps included. Read it here or get it as a Word file and a PDF.

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Michael Koper
By Michael Koper, founder of Nusii Updated
The software development proposal template: the cover and the investment page with an $18,000 first release
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On this page
  1. What to include
  2. The template
  3. See it as your client will
  4. What to charge
  5. After you send it
  6. Word and PDF
  7. Questions

What should a software development proposal include?

A software development proposal should say what the client told you and the goals you'll both check after launch, how you'll build it and when they'll see it working, what's included and what isn't, who owns the code, the price and when it's paid, and exactly how to say yes. The template below has a section for each.

  1. 1 Introduction
  2. 2 What we heard
  3. 3 How we'll work
  4. 4 Results for businesses like yours
  5. 5 What's included
  6. 6 Investment
  7. 7 Support after launch
  8. 8 Next steps

The software development proposal template, section by section

Copy one section or the whole thing. Under each section: what it's for, and one thing we've learned from the proposals sent with Nusii.

[Yellow] you write [Green] Nusii fills in when you send it

1. Introduction

The whole plan in two sentences, and who you are. Partners and colleagues read it too, often without having been on the call. Working on your own? Write "I" instead of "we".

Hi [Client first name],

Thanks for the call on [date of your call]. You told us that [the problem in one sentence, in the client's words, such as "we type every web order into the accounting system by hand, and it takes two people most of Monday"].

In short: we build a first release that [does the one job that fixes it, such as "sends every web order straight into your accounting system"] in [eight] weeks. You see it working every two weeks along the way, and the price is fixed.

[Your studio] is a [number]-person software studio in [city]. We've built [order and stock systems for wholesalers] since [year].

[Your name]
[Your role], [Your studio]

Software companies' proposals in Nusii got their first look in a median of 30 minutes (762 proposals, November 2025 to October 2026), and about a third of all first views are on a phone. Leave the tech stack out unless the client asked about it: they care what the software does for them.

2. What we heard

Shows you listened, turns what the client told you into goals you can both check after launch, and puts a number on what it's worth to them. Only you can write this one: replace the examples with your client's words.

Each goal below answers something you told us. If we got anything wrong, tell us before you accept and we'll fix it.

  • You said [your team retypes every web order into the accounting system, about 15 hours a week]. We'll build [a link that sends each order there on its own], with a screen for the few that need a check.
  • You said [the ready-made connectors you tried can't handle your customer-specific prices]. We'll build only that part and keep [your web shop and accounting system] as they are.
  • You said [your team likes how the order screen works today]. We'll keep [its layout], so nobody has to relearn their week.

What success looks like: [a result you can both check after launch, such as "no orders typed by hand by the end of the second month"], measured in [your accounting system].

What it's worth: you told us [those 15 hours] cost about [$450] a week. That's about [$23,000] a year, before the mistakes retyping causes.

Ask on the call why a ready-made tool won't do. "Why not build something with WordPress and WooCommerce, or Shopify?" is the example in our 2015 book on proposals. The client's answer is the reason custom software is worth paying for, so it belongs in the proposal.

3. How we'll work

The plan in steps, so the client knows when they'll see something working and what you need from them to launch on time.

You see working software every two weeks, on a copy of your own data. If something isn't right, we change it while it's still cheap to change.

  1. Week 1: discovery. We sit with [the two people who handle orders], map how an order moves today and agree on what the first release does. You approve a one-page plan before we build.
  2. Weeks 2 to 7: build, in two-week steps. Each step ends with a demo you can click through. After the week 4 demo you tell us what to change, and we change it.
  3. Week 8: launch. We move [your customer and price lists], train your team in [one session] and go live on [a quiet morning].
  4. After launch: 30 days of fixes. If something doesn't work the way we agreed, we fix it at no cost.

Timing: launch in week [8] holds if we get your feedback on each demo within [three working days]. If a date is fixed for you, such as [a trade show], tell us and we'll plan back from it.

Keith Perhac, a developer interviewed for our 2015 book, says "development budgets are always woefully underscoped" and adds about 25% to his estimate. Do that before you set the fixed price, not after the client asks for one more feature.

4. Results for businesses like yours

Short proof for the people who weren't on the call: what you built for clients like this one, and what changed.

  • [Past client], [kind of business]: [what you built and what changed, with a number, such as "orders now sync on their own, and Monday's backlog went from a day to 20 minutes"].
  • [Past client], [kind of business]: [what you built and what changed].

"[A one-line quote from one of those clients.]" [Name, role, company]

Proposals to a repeat client were accepted 62.5% of the time in Nusii, against 42.8% for a first proposal to a client (July to September 2026). A new client hasn't seen your work yet: one result from a business like theirs does more here than a list of logos or technologies.

5. What's included

Draws the line between what you'll build and what you won't, says how changes work and who owns the code. Most software disputes start with "I thought that was included".

Included

  • Discovery: [two] working sessions and a one-page plan
  • The first release: [the features, such as web orders into your accounting system, a screen for orders that need a check, and an email when one fails]
  • Testing on a copy of your data, and moving [your customer and price lists]
  • Training for [your team], a short how-to guide and 30 days of fixes after launch
  • [Building an app? Add iPhone and Android, and the store submissions in your client's own accounts.]

Not included

  • Features outside the plan. New ideas go on a list for the next release, priced before anything starts.
  • Hosting and third-party fees, such as [your server and your accounting system's API plan]. You pay those directly, in your name.
  • [Changes to your web shop's design]

What we need from you: access to [your web shop and accounting system] in week 1, one person who answers our questions within [two working days] and joins the demos, and feedback on each demo within [three working days].

How changes work: if you want something that isn't in the plan, we write it up with its price and what it does to the launch date. Nothing extra starts until you say yes.

What you own: once the last invoice is paid, the code and everything we built for you are yours, in a [GitHub] repository in your name. The accounts stay in your name too.

[Using a separate agreement? Say so here, such as "Our development agreement comes with the first invoice."]

Building an app? Put the App Store and Google Play listings in your client's own developer accounts, not yours, so the app stays theirs. Apple and Google review a new app before it goes live, so leave time for that before the launch date.

6. Investment

One fixed price for the first release, paid in three parts tied to what the client has seen. This is an example price; the table further down shows what software firms charge.

First release of [your order link]

$18,000

Discovery, design, build, testing, launch, training and 30 days of fixes, at a fixed price. Invoiced in three parts: 40% ($7,200) when you accept, 30% ($5,400) after the week 4 demo and 30% ($5,400) at launch.

Total: $18,000

Software companies' accepted proposals in Nusii had a median value of $2,538 (April to September 2026), and across all industries, proposals over $15,000 got a yes less often. Calling it a first release keeps the first decision smaller: the next release gets its own proposal.

7. Support after launch Optional

An optional monthly line for the question clients ask: who looks after it once it's live? Your client ticks it to add it, and it starts only when the 30 days of fixes end.

Monthly support

$750 a month

Up to [8] hours a month of fixes and small changes, security updates and a check that it's running. Starts when the 30 days of fixes end. Invoiced monthly; stop any month with 30 days' notice.

Not in the total. In Nusii your client ticks it to add it.

In Nusii, proposals with a recurring fee were accepted less often than one-off ones (39% against 55% for the same senders, July to September 2026). Keeping support optional, and after launch, lets the client decide on the build by itself.

8. Next steps

Tells the client exactly what to do to say yes, what happens after, and when you'll call. No expiry date, no "limited availability".

  1. If the plan works for you, accept and sign this proposal.
  2. We'll send the first invoice (40%) and book the discovery sessions for [a date in the next two weeks].
  3. Before the first session, you give us access to [your web shop and accounting system].

I'll call you on [a day two working days from now] to answer any questions. Or go through it with me on a 20-minute call: [your booking link].

If you have a question before then, call me on [phone number] or reply to the email this proposal came with.

Software companies' accepted proposals in Nusii got their yes in a median of 1.2 days, and 47.1% of them within a day (November 2025 to October 2026). A call two working days after you send it lands while the client is still deciding.

See it as your client will

Every page of the PDF, printed by Nusii. Sent as a link, it's one scrolling page on any device: your client accepts with one button and signs with their name.

Page 1 of the software development proposal template Page 2 of the software development proposal template Page 3 of the software development proposal template Page 4 of the software development proposal template Page 5 of the software development proposal template Page 6 of the software development proposal template Page 7 of the software development proposal template
Open the live preview

The template in Nusii, the way your client will see it. It opens in a new tab.

What custom software development costs

What clients of software firms paid, from the sources we could check at the source. The template's example price, $18,000 for a first release, is about 240 hours at $75 an hour and sits in the most common project size.

What Price
Custom software project, the most common size $10,000 to $49,999 what most projects reviewed on Clutch cost Clutch
Custom software project, average $132,480 pulled up by large projects that run about 13 months Clutch
Hourly rate, US software firms $50 to $99 an hour the most common US range on Clutch Clutch
Hourly rate, all countries $25 to $49 an hour the average range on Clutch, with firms in India, the Philippines, Ukraine and Mexico Clutch
Software developer's pay $135,980 a year median for employed US developers, May 2025; what a developer earns, not what a studio charges US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Sources: Clutch, software development pricing guide, from verified client reviews, September 2026; US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, software developers, May 2025. Clutch's figures come from reviews by clients of the software firms it lists. The BLS figure is the US government's wage survey.

How often proposals got a yes, by price

Proposals over $15,000 got a yes about a third of the time. Software companies' accepted proposals had a median value of $2,538 (April to September 2026): most of what they send is smaller than a first release. From 1,713 proposals first sent with Nusii, July to September 2026.

Under $1,000
67.1%
$1,000 to $5,000
50.6%
$5,000 to $15,000
48.9%
$15,000 to $50,000
36.1%
Over $50,000
33.3%

Share accepted, by the total the client saw. Bigger proposals are bigger decisions, so this shows what happened, not that a lower price would win. Method: The State of Proposals 2026.

What happens after you send it

From 762 proposals software companies first sent with Nusii, November 2025 to October 2026.

55.8%
were accepted
30 min
median time to the client's first look
1.2 days
median time to a yes
70.4%
of the yeses came within a week

Clients rarely say no. Of all proposals sent with Nusii from July to September 2026, 6.4% were rejected and 45.4% got no answer either way. Silence is the usual no, so a follow-up is worth sending.

Follow up after a week. Most yeses come within seven days. In Nusii you see when the proposal was opened and get an email when it's accepted, so you can follow up when they've read it, not when you guess they have.

More numbers and the method: The State of Proposals 2026.

Get the Word and PDF files

The same template as a Word file you can edit (it opens in Google Docs too) and a PDF printed by Nusii. We'll email you both, plus a few emails with proposal tips. Unsubscribe any time.

Or send it with Nusii

This template is in the gallery of every Nusii account. Send it as a link: you get an email when your client opens it, and they accept and sign online, on any device.

For the first couple of years, we struggled to send, format, and track proposals. We tried a few options, then happily settled on Nusii.

Colin Gillespie
Colin Gillespie
CTO, Jumping Rivers

Now we build from reusable sections, so every proposal looks professional and on-brand, and the team spends less time formatting and more time on the actual scope.

Aswin Kumar
Aswin Kumar
Integrator, CRMified
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Questions about software development proposals

What is a software development proposal?

A document that tells a prospective client what software you’ll build for them, how and by when, what it costs and how to start. It usually covers the problem and the goals, the plan with its demos, what’s included and what isn’t, who owns the code, the price and the next steps.

What should a software development proposal include?

What the client told you and the goals that follow from it, how you’ll work and when they’ll see it working, short proof from similar clients, what’s included and what isn’t, the price and the next steps. The template on this page has a section for each, plus an optional one for support after launch.

How much does custom software development cost?

It depends on the scope, but most projects reviewed on Clutch cost $10,000 to $49,999, and US firms there charge $50 to $99 an hour (Clutch’s pricing guide, September 2026). This template uses $18,000 for a first release as an example price: about 240 hours at $75 an hour.

Should I quote a fixed price or bill by the hour?

A fixed price for a defined first release works best for most client projects, with what’s not included spelled out and a short change process for the rest. The client knows what they’ll pay. Estimate the hours first, add about 25% for what you can’t see yet, then set the price.

Who owns the code?

Whatever you agree, write it in the proposal. In this template the client owns the code once the last invoice is paid, in a repository in their name. If you reuse your own code across clients, say which parts you keep.

How do I handle change requests?

Agree on it before you start. Write down what’s not included, then write up each new request with its price and what it does to the launch date, and start nothing extra until the client says yes. Ideas that can wait go on a list for the next release.

Can I use this template for a mobile app?

Yes. Add the iPhone and Android versions to what’s included, and the App Store and Google Play submission in your client’s own developer accounts. Leave time before the launch date for Apple’s and Google’s review of a new app.

Should I include a contract in the proposal?

Keep the proposal plain: what you’ll build, when, the price and how it’s paid, how changes work and who owns the code. If you use a development agreement, attach it or send it with the first invoice, and have a lawyer check it.

Can my client accept and sign the proposal online?

Yes, if you send it as an online proposal. In Nusii, your client opens a link, accepts with one button and signs with their typed name, on any device, and you get an email when they do. The Word file and the PDF need signing the old way.

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