Costs are indispensable to doing business. These are like input in a system, where we hope for an output that is many times the input. Thus checking and accounting for costs is an important business skill. Especially, when project cost runs in billions of dollars, the best way to win a potential client is to prepare a project cost proposal account and it's done for three reasons: 

 

  1. An accurate project cost estimate assures investors that you are well-versed well-familiar with the project
  2. The detailed distribution of costs informs them about their money’s planned use 
  3. This cost distribution also keeps the inventors updated on processes that consume a lot of resources.

 

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Hence, most well-run businesses prepare a separate document entailing estimated project costs. While a project proposal will offer a general overview, a project cost proposal explores the financial aspect in detail. By categorizing costs as direct, indirect, fixed or variable, all rough estimates must be reported upfront. 

 

The first step in this is performing a work breakdown analysis of your project activities. Furthermore, your analysis of cost estimates should also account for any contingencies and other miscellaneous costs. Therefore, a project expense estimate report must be innately cost-intensive and each expense justified under a proper header.

 

To give a definite form to this detailed project financial data, your search for appropriate project cost proposal templates, therefore, sounds a much-need, legitimate activity. 

 

But why surf the internet when you have SlideTeam's expert-designed project cost proposal templates at your disposal?

 

In the following section, we have identified primary slides from our project cost proposal presentation that are a must-have. Each of these templates is 100% editable and customizable. You get both structure, a starting point and the capability to tailor these to audience profile.

 

Let’s explore these templates now. 

 

Template 1: Cover Letter

 

Any proposal is bland without a cover letter and a purpose statement. This is why in our dedicated project cost proposal presentation, we have reserved a cover letter design as one of the opening slides. This PPT Slide is a letter addressed to the potential clients. A cost proposal can either be shared upon request or submitted with the primary proposal and the same can be mentioned in the cover letter. Moreover, you can talk about your older project successes and how you expect this new project to succeed.

 

Cover Letter

 

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Template 2: Project Description

 

Even if you have shared the primary proposal before sending the cost proposal, the project description needs to be revised in the introductory slides. You don’t need to share the details, just enough information for clients to connect the relevance of this project cost report to its detailed version. Use this template to specify benefits, area of impact, and the projected budget among other key features.

 

Project Description

 

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Template 3: Total Budget Estimated

 

The first important slide of a cost proposal has to be an overview of the total budget estimate. With this PPT Slide, you can achieve this as you summarize the major work breakdown structure items and mention its estimated budget alongside. Project items related to the management, software, hardware, testing, and reserves can be included, with their quantity and total cost mapped to it. Fill this editable budget estimate sheet with these details as an important slide of your project cost proposal template. 

 

Total Cost or Budget Estimated

 

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Template 4: Budget For Direct Labor

 

Once you have shared an estimate of the total budget, it’s time to dig deep into its components, explaining costs involved and their subcategories. Start with the direct labor costs as shown in this PPT Layout. Highlight the main labor costs, their contractor, burdened hourly rate, number of working hours and finally the estimated amount of labor. Sum up the types of labor costs and generate the net amount to be requested. 

 

Budget for Direct Labor

 

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Template 5: Budget of Material and Equipment

 

The next important expense to be mentioned in a cost proposal is the material and equipment cost. Within this slide, summarize material, pieces of equipment and their quantities corresponding to their costs. Mention the price of the single unit and the number of units desired and do the math accordingly. Finally,report the total material and equipment cost.

 

Budget of Material and Equipment

 

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Template 6: Travel and Miscellaneous Expenses

 

In this slide, you can point out the expenses due to travel and other miscellaneous purchases required. For research purposes, expenses involved in logistics will all be reported in this and the final amount computed from the data collected. The airfare, or the cost of traveling from any means of transportation should be accurately reported. 

 

Travel and Misc. Expenses or Budget

 

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Template 7: Budget for Hardware and Software Services

 

In projects, there’ll be requirements of hardware and software that may not be previously in use or are required afresh with the best versions and upgrades. To purchase these crucial requirements, create an estimated expense sheet with the items specified against their quantity and unit price. These could include, user workstations, cable installations among hardware services, and software purchase, license purchase, etc, among software expenses. 

 

Budget for Hardware and Software Service

 

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Template 8: Salary Benefits

 

Project owners can also include salaries of their team members as part of the project expenses especially, if it requires the team to work over time. List employees that will represent your project and mention their labor category. Then list their hourly rate, followed by the working hours to justify their project salary. Calculate the individual salaries and then sum up the total salaries of all professionals, involved in all parts of the project. 

 

Salary Benefits

 

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Template 9: Other Benefits

 

List all the major benefits of the project under consideration and point out investment required to secure these benefits. Benefits such as effective promotion campaigns, better customer retention, higher quality databases are a few of the benefits that accrue. This information will also keep the investors updated on your project goals and track success metrics. 

 

Other Benefits

 

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Template 10: Project Budget Cost Summary

 

For all major costs covered in this project cost proposal template, create a final tally scorecard of total estimated expenses with this PPT Layout. This PPT Slide will remind your readers of the previously discussed individual project costs and bring these together as you estimate the total project estimated expense.

 

Project Cost or Budget Summary

 

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Template 11: Revenue Forecast

 

Here is another bonus slide that you can include in your project cost proposal presentation. Showcase the revenue statements of conducted projects over the years. Use this PPT Template to create a data of financial statements like that of balance sheets, cash-flow, etc along with expenses, and earnings made to hint at your success stories that you hope to recreate. 

 

Revenue Forecast 

 

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UNDERSTAND YOUR COSTS 

 

Understanding costs and their nature is critical to doing profitable business. All of these project cost proposal templates are put together in a presentation format that you can download from here to pitch a convincing proposal.

 

PS: Amid cost estimation, project managers must have the schedule for implementing project activity aligned. With this guide replete with project management schedule templates, you can master planning and allocating tasks with much ease.

FAQs on Project Cost Proposal

What is the project cost with an example?

Project cost refers to the total amount of money required to complete a specific project. It includes all expenses incurred during the project's lifecycle, such as labor, materials, equipment, overhead costs, and any other direct or indirect costs associated with the project.

 

Project costs can vary widely depending on the nature, scale, and complexity of the project. Let's consider the construction of a residential building as a project. The project cost would includes: 

 

  1. Land acquisition: The cost of purchasing the land on which the building will be constructed.
  2. Design and planning: Expenses related to architectural and engineering services, such as creating blueprints and obtaining necessary permits.
  3. Construction materials: Costs for purchasing materials like cement, steel, bricks, electrical wiring, plumbing fixtures, etc.
  4. Labor costs: Wages and benefits for the construction workers involved in the project.
  5. Equipment and machinery: Expenses associated with renting or purchasing construction equipment and machinery like cranes, excavators, etc.
  6. Subcontractors: Payments made to specialized contractors for specific tasks like electrical work, plumbing, or HVAC installations.
  7. Project management: Costs for project managers, supervisors, and administrative staff overseeing the project.
  8. Utilities and services: Fees for temporary utilities like electricity, water, and waste management during the construction phase.
  9. Permits and inspections: Expenses related to obtaining necessary permits and undergoing inspections throughout the project.
  10. Contingency funds: A portion of the project cost set aside for unexpected expenses or changes during construction.
How do you write a cost in a project proposal?
  1. Introduction: Start the cost section with a brief introduction that explains the purpose of the section 
  2. Project Budget Summary: Begin by providing an overview of the total project budget. State the total estimated cost for the project and specify the currency.
  3. Cost Categories: Common categories include personnel costs, materials, equipment, subcontractors, travel and accommodation, overhead costs, contingencies, and any other relevant cost categories specific to your project.
  4. Cost Details: For example, under personnel costs, list the positions or roles required for the project, along with the associated salaries, benefits, and the duration of their involvement.
  5. Cost Estimates: Use accurate and up-to-date market prices, quotations, or previous project costs to support your estimates. It's important to be realistic 
  6. Subtotals and Grand Total: Calculate the grand total by adding up all the subtotals. Ensure that the totals are clear and easy to understand.
  7. Justification and Explanation: This helps the reader understand why the expenses are necessary for the successful completion of the project.
  8. Contingency: This demonstrates that you have considered the possibility of unexpected expenses and have allocated funds to address them.
What is the formula for project cost?
  1. Bottom-Up Estimation: This approach involves breaking down the project into individual tasks or work packages and estimating the costs associated with each task. The costs of all tasks are then added together to calculate the total project cost.
  2. Analogous Estimation: This method involves using historical data from similar past projects to estimate the costs of the current project. By comparing the current project to past projects with similar characteristics, you can extrapolate the cost based on the known costs of the previous projects.
  3. Parametric Estimation: It establishes relationships between project variables and costs, allowing for more accurate cost estimation. For example, in construction projects, the cost per square foot or cost per unit can be used as parameters to estimate the overall cost.
  4. Three-Point Estimation: This approach takes into account optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely scenarios for each task or activity. By assigning values for each scenario, such as best-case, worst-case, and expected durations or costs, a weighted average or a range can be used to calculate the project cost.
  5. Reserve Analysis: It is common to include contingency reserves to account for uncertainties and risks associated with the project. The contingency amount is typically a percentage of the total project cost.