How to Write Proposals for Office Computer Equipment
Keeping the office computer equipment up-to-date and efficient requires replacements every three to five years. This can become costly over time. Some businesses elect to update computer systems rather than purchasing new ones. At some point though, a business must realize new equipment is needed. You can let them know by writing a proposal.
- Find out what type of computer equipment is needed. Look at your work station and decide what items are outdated and need to be replaced.
- Talk with co-workers to find out what needs to be replaced in their workstation. You may find other problems, besides your own, that need to be address by the business administration.
- Research office equipment that may work better than the current equipment. You can use a reputable search engine to find items or look through a business supply catalog.
- Make notes of specific pieces of equipment and why they are better than the current equipment being used. You will also want to jot down why new equipment is more cost-effective than updating or repairing the old equipment.
- Compare the best supplies and determine what will work best for everyone in the business, not just your work station. You should supply a printout of equipment descriptions and prices.
- Calculate the total expense for replacing the equipment. You may want to create two proposals. The first would be everything you could possible want or need and the second one showing more reasonable options. You never know, administration just might throw in a few of those added items.
- Create a list of all the reasons the company should purchase this new equipment. Of course it will look better, but what will the new equipment do to improve sales, benefit customers and make work more efficient. For instance: you may ask for a new printer even though the one you have still works. You would say that a new printer will print faster and use less ink. Less time will be wasted waiting for a document to print and less money will be spent for ink.
- Make a cover sheet for the proposal. This sheet should have the request simplified such as “New Equipment Proposal” and include the company's name. You should also put a date along with your name and the names of any other employees that helped get this information.
- Introduce the proposal with a short paragraph that states the problem and the possible solutions to the equipment problems.
- Include all of your research, with examples, pictures and prices in the body of your proposal. The length of the proposal will correlate with the amount of new equipment requested.
- Conclude the proposal with a brief summary that highlights the main issues.
- Submit your proposal to your supervisor for approval.