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Consultant Proposals for Leads
The Consultant Proposals feature streamlines the process of gathering quotes and availability from external partners. By sending requests directly from a lead, firms can move away from scattered email threads and automatically integrate consultant bids into their preliminary budgets. 💡
Sending a Proposal Request
Firms can initiate a proposal request while building a lead budget. This ensures that the proposal is accurately captured during the initial planning phase. Navigate to Pipeline > Access the Lead > Go to the Lead's Budget page.
How to Send a Request
1. Add Consultant Work: On the Lead Budget page, navigate to the consultant section and add the Phase and/or Project consultants.
2. Generate Request: Once the consultants' budgets are added, a prompt will appear to create a proposal request.
Clicking the "Create proposal request email" prompt opens a section containing:
Recipient (Consultant contact): Defaults to the primary contact for the consultant company.
Message: An AI-generated message is provided by default. This can be edited as needed before sending.
3. Save and end the request: Once sent, the consultant receives an email containing the project details.
🚨 Note: If the consultant company is changed during this process, the panel will close, and the request must be regenerated for the new company.
After the proposal request is sent, a list of proposal requests will be displayed in the Consultant's section. You will see different indicators:
A yellow Sent text box indicates that a proposal request has been sent.
A grey Not requested text box indicates that a proposal request has not been sent.
Additionally, if the firm did not send a request when they initially added the consultant to the project, they can send it at a later time by clicking on Create proposal request email in the proposal requests section.
Receiving and Processing Proposals
Consultants can respond to requests by replying directly to the email. The system is designed to handle responses from the original recipient or any colleague to whom they may have forwarded the request.
Automated Budget Updates
When a consultant replies with a quote (either in the email body or as an attachment), Monograph attempts to identify the proposed budget:
Successful Detection: The lead budget is automatically updated, and the user who initiated the request receives an in-app notification and a confirmation email.
Manual Review: After a successful upload, users can view the received proposal, the associated email thread, and any relevant attachments directly within the lead UI.
Errors: If a budget cannot be determined, or if the lead has been closed or archived, an error email is sent back to the sender.
Manual Uploads
If a proposal is received outside of the Monograph email thread (e.g., via text or a separate conversation), users can manually upload the file to the lead.
🚨 Note: Self-uploaded proposals do not trigger automated budget updates or notifications; they serve as a record within the lead.
Managing Requests
Resending and Updating
Resend Request: If no proposal has been received, the request can be resent. Users can select a different contact at this step if needed.
Send New Request: If a proposal was already received but a new version is required, a "New Request" can be initiated. This cancels previous uploads and restarts the process.
File Hub Integration
When a lead is converted into an active project, the most recent proposal attachments are automatically added to the File Hub.
🚨Note: These files cannot be deleted from the File Hub, as they are permanently associated with the closed lead for auditing purposes.
Important Considerations
Lead-Specific: This feature only impacts the Lead's budgets. It does not affect the consultant's budget in the Project Planner.
Permissions: Only users with Edit All Project or Edit All Projects permissions can send or manage consultant proposal requests.
Deletions: If a consultant work item is deleted from a lead that has an active request or proposal, a warning will appear to prevent accidental data loss.