How to Write Roofing Proposals That Close Jobs Fast

Winning a roofing job often comes down to one simple thing: the proposal. Homeowners are usually reviewing several bids, and the contractor who delivers a clear, professional, and timely proposal almost always has the upper hand.

The problem is, many roofers still spend hours trying to piece together proposals in Word or Excel. Others rush through it, leaving out important details that confuse the customer. Either way, the result is the same: lost time and lost jobs.

The good news is, writing a strong roofing proposal doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right structure and tools, you can create proposals that not only look sharp but also help you close more deals.

What Every Roofing Proposal Should Include

1. Scope of Work: ****Outline exactly what will be done. Include details about the tear-off, underlayment, flashing, ventilation, and cleanup. A detailed account of the scope of work goes a long way in showing customers you are going to provide the best experience.
2. Materials: Specify the type and brand of shingles, underlayment, and accessories. Customers want to know what they’re paying for.
3. Timeline: Provide a realistic start date and estimated duration.
4. Pricing & Payment Terms: Be clear and transparent about costs, deposits, and final payment. Inform the customer about potential change orders, and how they are processed to avoid surprising them down the road.
5. Warranty Information: Spell out what’s covered and for how long.
6. Visuals: Adding a roof diagram or before/after images goes a long way toward building trust. This also helps prevent miscommunications about which sections of the roof are included in the scope of work.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Vague language. Homeowners need specifics, not “roofing labor and materials.”
• Overly technical jargon. Keep it simple.
• No breakdown of costs. Customers feel more confident when they understand where their money is going.
• Slow turnaround. Waiting days for a proposal signals disorganization.

How BidEngine Makes Proposals Simple

This is where BidEngine really shines. Instead of fighting with spreadsheets or word processors, roofers can build professional proposals in just a few clicks. There are two ways to make a proposal in BidEngine, the simple way, and the manual way.

Easiest Proposals: The easiest and quickest way to get a proposal using BidEngine is to just have the BidEngine team handle it. Simply go to the Dashboard and click “New Request” and select the option for “Proposals & Measurement.”

Then all you need to do is input the address and provide any other information that is needed, like the customer’s name, and details about the scope of work. The BidEngine measurement team will measure the roof, input the details into the platform, and generate a professional looking proposal based on the details you selected. In just a few minutes, you have gone from requesting a proposal to receiving a high-quality, electronically signable proposal right to your email inbox. For best results, it is recommended that you update the branding information for your company in the Settings, and update the pricing and product descriptions for the different materials that you install.

Manual Proposals: If you have the time or don’t want to spend $9 for the report and proposal, BidEngine allows you to create proposals yourself. Here are the steps to do that:

1. Create a Lead

1. Creating a lead in BidEngine is simple, all you need to do is go to the ‘Leads’ tab on the side bar, and click “Create Lead.”
2. Fill in the lead details such as the property address, and customer contact info.

1. Update the Measurement

1. To create a proposal, we first need to create a measurement that the proposal is based on. As of now, BidEngine does not have the capability to allow you to measure a roof from satellite or aerial images yourself. You will either needs to request a measurement from the BidEngine Team, measure the roof by hand, or use a third-party measurement service to get the dimensions and pitch of the roof.
2. Assuming you are not requesting a measurement from the BidEngine team, you will need to input the measurement details. Click on “Add Measurement” and fill out any details that you have. IMPORTANT: make sure you add an image of the roof to the measurement in order for the proposal to look its best.

1. Create a Proposal

1. After creating a measurement, you are now able to create the proposal. Go to the Proposals tab on the lead, and click “Create Proposal.”
2. Select the scope of work that you want to include, and answer any questions.

1. Review the scope of work
   1. After creating the proposal, it is recommended that you review the document to verify that everything looks right and the scope of work is correct.
   2. Click on the proposal and then “Edit Proposal.”
   3. Make sure the pricing and scope of work descriptions are correct. You can edit line items by clicking on the pencil icon next to them.
   4. You can add line missing or custom line items as well, depending on what is needed for your project.

1. Dictate Payment Schedule

1. At the bottom of the proposal, there is a section for you to specify the terms in which you expect to be paid out for the project. Feel free to break the project cost down however you’d like, but be sure to make it clear when each payment is due based on clear project milestones.

1. Send to Customer
   1. After you are done reviewing the document, you may choose to send out to the customer via email. BidEngine has a handy ‘Send to Customer’ button that allows you to send the proposal to the customers email, and attach a personalized message if you’d like.
   2. You and the customer will be automatically notified when the proposal is signed, and presented with a copy in your email for your records.

Why use BidEngine to create proposals?

• Do it yourself in minutes: Pick the job, select the scope, and let BidEngine generate a polished proposal ready to send.
• Let the BidEngine team handle it: Don’t want to build it yourself? Submit the project details and have BidEngine’s quoting team create a custom proposal for you. It’s fast, accurate, and ready to share with your customer.
• Consistent, professional look: Every proposal is formatted cleanly, with your branding, so you look organized and trustworthy.
• Track customer engagement: Know when your proposal has been opened, giving you the perfect moment to follow up.

By taking the manual work out of the process, BidEngine helps contractors spend less time behind a desk and more time closing jobs.