đ Overview
Proposals let you turn a finished estimate into a polished, client-facing document without re-entering a single number. Once an estimate is ready, you can build a proposal on top of it, choose from a library of reusable templates, and control exactly how much pricing detail the client sees, from a full cost code breakdown down to a single lump-sum total.
Every proposal lives on its own project and moves through a clear status lifecycle, from Draft through Pending Approval, Edits Requested, Approved, Declined, or Voided, so you always know where things stand. You can send a proposal directly to the client with a shareable link, schedule the send for a future date, set up a follow-up reminder, and let the client approve, decline, or request edits right from the document itself.
Proposals are fully customizable. You can reorder or hide sections, rename them, add your own custom sections, and save any proposal as a new template so your best work becomes the starting point for the next one. This guide walks you through managing templates, building a proposal, and sending it to the client.
Editing only happens in Draft. Once a proposal moves to any other status it becomes a read-only document. To change it, click Edit, which returns it to Draft and requires you to resubmit it. This is the single most common thing customers can't find.
đ Understanding Proposals
⥠What It Does
Proposals in Structur allow you to:
Build directly from your estimate - pricing, cost codes, and group totals carry over automatically instead of being re-entered
Use multiple reusable templates - keep one template per type of job, start from a saved template, switch templates mid-proposal, or save your current proposal as a new template
Customize every section - reorder sections, rename them, hide the ones you don't need, and add custom sections with your own title and content
Control how much pricing detail the client sees - show full cost code detail, group-level rows only, group totals only, hidden subgroups, hidden cost codes, or a single lump-sum total, plus independent controls for hiding or distributing overhead, profit, and tax
Track status end-to-end - Draft, Pending Approval, Edits Requested, Approved, Declined, and Voided
Send now or schedule for later - share a public link by email, pick the exact date it goes out, and set a follow-up reminder for clients who go quiet
Collect client responses in one place - clients can approve (with a signature, acknowledgement, and optional attachments), decline (with a required reason), or request edits (with item-level and general comments) directly on the proposal
đ When to Use It
You've finalized an estimate and are ready to present it to the client as a formal proposal
You want to reuse a proven template across similar projects instead of building each proposal from scratch
You bid different kinds of work and want a ready-made starting point for each one
You need to show a client a simplified price without exposing your full cost code breakdown
You want a single place to track every proposal's status across all your projects and leads
You'd rather have the system chase a client for a decision than follow up manually
You want client feedback and edit requests captured in the proposal instead of scattered across email
đ Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Manage Proposal Templates
Go to Proposals within a project, or select All Leads and Projects from the top of the page to see proposals across every project at once
Open Manage Templates
Review your existing templates, or click New Template to start one from scratch
Use the edit, duplicate, or delete icons next to any template to manage it
Note: Editing a template does not update proposals that are already in Draft. A template is copied into a proposal when it's applied, and the two are independent from that point on. To pull an updated template into an existing Draft, open the proposal and use Switch Template.
Note: If you're upgrading from the previous Proposals experience, your old default proposal settings were converted into a template called Legacy Default Template. Nothing was lost. You'll find it under Manage Templates, and you can keep using it as-is, rename it, duplicate it, or build new templates alongside it. Existing proposals keep working exactly as they are.
Permissions: Manage Templates, Settings, and Save as Template are only visible to users with full access to Proposals. If a teammate says a button is missing, check their permissions first.
2. Set Up Sections and Proposal Settings
Open Settings to configure two tabs:
Defaults - set the acknowledgement text shown next to the client's signature on the Approve popup, and the default expiration window, in days from creation, for new proposals. You can still set a custom expiration date on any individual proposal.
Section Templates - build reusable content blocks for Proposal Details, About Our Company, Scope of Work, CEO's Statement, Terms and Conditions, and Thank You. Each of these sections can hold multiple saved templates that you create, edit, or delete, and insert into any proposal with one click.
The acknowledgement text is what the client legally agrees to when they sign. Review your wording with whoever handles your contracts before you change it, and remember this setting applies to all new proposals, not just one project.
Note: Currently, the expiration date is displayed on the proposal but not enforced. An expired proposal can still be approved by the client. Treat it as a prompt for the client rather than a hard cutoff. Enforcement is on the Structur roadmap.
3. Create a New Proposal
From within a project, click New Proposal. This opens the Estimate module's New Estimate modal, because a proposal is always backed by an estimate. This is intended behavior, not a bug.
If the project doesn't have an estimate yet, you'll be prompted to create one first, since the proposal's pricing is pulled from it.
Creating a proposal is only available at the project level, not from the All Leads and Projects view.
The first time you open a new proposal, the Choose a Template window appears. Pick the template you want and click Use Template, or click Start Blank to build the document from nothing.
4. Work in the Proposal Editor
The editor is where you build and adjust a proposal while it's in Draft status. Any other status is read-only.
In the Draft editor, use the top bar to:
Return to the proposals listing page with the back arrow, or switch between proposals on the same project from the proposal name dropdown, which lists every proposal with its number and status and includes a search box
Click Approve Manually to mark the proposal approved yourself, without waiting on the client
Use Copy Link to grab the public link, or Download to save a PDF copy
Click Preview to see exactly what the client will see before you send it
Click Switch Template to replace all current content with a different template, or Save as Template to save the proposal's current content as a new reusable template
Click Open Estimate to jump straight to the linked estimate
Click Submit to open the send popup
In the read-only document view for Pending Approval, Edits Requested, Approved, or Declined, the top bar instead shows some combination of Edit, Void, Copy Link, Download, Preview, Save as Template, Open Estimate, and Open Budget.
How to get back into a read-only proposal. Click Edit. This reverts the proposal to Draft so you can make changes, and it has to be resubmitted afterward. Use Void instead if the proposal is no longer valid and shouldn't be edited or reused.
5. Customize Sections
In the left-hand Sections panel, click a section name to jump to it. Every section lives on one scrolling page.
Drag the six-dot handle to the left of any section to reorder it
Use the eye icon next to a section to hide it from the client-facing document and the PDF. Hidden sections collapse to a single row reading "Hidden from the client document" with a Show in document link to bring them back. Your content stays saved either way.
Click + New Section to add a custom section with its own title and content
Standard sections include Header, Proposal Details, Pricing, About Our Company, Scope of Work, CEO's Statement, Project Team, Testimonials, Photos, Files, Terms and Conditions, Thank You, and Contacts. You can hide, reorder, or supplement any of these.
To rename a section, click its heading in the document and type. The heading turns into an editable field. Renaming happens in the document, not in the Sections panel.
In the Header section, upload a company logo if you don't already have one on file, edit the proposal name and number, and set the expiration date. The Prepared By and Prepared For fields prepopulate from your company and client information, but you can update either one for a specific proposal. The banner image is also replaceable, hover it and click Replace.
For rich text sections like Proposal Details, About Our Company, Scope of Work, and CEO's Statement, type your own content or click Insert template to drop in a saved section template.
Photos accepts PNG or JPG up to 10 MB each. Files accepts PDF, DWG, XLSX, and images up to 25 MB each. Drag files onto the drop zone or click browse.
In Contacts, click New contact to add the people the client should reach out to.
Deleting a custom section is immediate and there's no undo. Copy the content somewhere safe first if there's any chance you'll want it back.
6. Configure the Pricing Table
The pricing table pulls its cost code detail directly from the tied estimate. You control how the pricing reads, not what it is.
Choose how much detail to show:
Show Only Groups - hides individual line items, showing only group-level rows
Hide Subgroup - removes the subgroup layer from the table while keeping groups and line items
Show Group Totals Only - keeps all the underlying line-item detail, but displays only the total at each group level
Hide Cost Codes - keeps line items and descriptions visible, but removes the cost code number, for example "01-100", from each row. This is a separate toggle from Show Only Groups.
Lump Sum - collapses everything to a single Total Project Price with no breakdown
Show or hide individual columns, Cost Code / Description, Quantity, Unit, Unit Price, and Total, using the eye icon in each column header. Any column you hide here is also hidden from the client.
In the totals section at the bottom, you get four independent controls: Hide on Total Cost, and a separate Distribute toggle for Overhead, Profit, and Taxes. Turning Distribute on for any of these hides that summary row and spreads the amount across the line items instead. The row then reads Distributed rather than a dollar figure. Total Project Price always displays and can't be hidden.
Line item descriptions are click-to-edit right in the pricing table. Click, edit, then press Enter or click away to save, or Escape to cancel. This writes back to the same description field the estimate uses, so the change carries over automatically. This only works in the editor; the client's read-only view can't be edited.
Click Open Estimate, available both in the editor's top bar and as a link inside the pricing table, any time you need to update pricing itself. Changes made in the estimate aren't pulled into the proposal automatically, so reopen the pricing table afterward to refresh it.
You can also rename the Pricing section title itself, the same way you can with other sections.
Amounts and cost codes can't be changed on the proposal. You can edit item descriptions, the table name, the grouping, which columns show, and how overhead, profit, and tax are presented. A wrong number is fixed in the estimate, not here.
Distributing markup can shift unit prices slightly. Spreading overhead, profit, or tax across many line items may produce minor rounding differences in the Unit Price column. If your client scrutinizes unit pricing, leave those rows visible instead.
Note: Cost codes without a description will show up blank in a detailed pricing table. Add a description to every cost code you plan to show at that level of detail, or edit it directly from the pricing table.
Note: When you're editing a proposal template rather than an actual proposal, the Pricing section only shows the column toggles, since a template isn't tied to a real estimate. The live cost code breakdown and the full set of display options appear once that template is used to build an actual proposal on a project, so plan to set those per proposal.
7. Send the Proposal to the Client
From the editor, click Submit. The Send to client popup opens.
Confirm the recipient, which is pulled from the client record, then fill in the subject, any CC recipients, and your message. The message is required. A preview note shows what the client will see, and an attachment banner confirms which file, such as the proposal PDF, will go out with the email.
Under Send Time, choose Send now or Schedule and pick the date it should go out
Under Reminder, turn on Send a follow-up email and set a date if you want Structur to nudge a client who hasn't opened or responded
Click Send to client
Note: Currently, the repeating reminder field is visible but not active. You can set a single follow-up date. Recurring reminders are on the Structur roadmap.
If you'd rather share the proposal yourself, by text, your own email client, or a client portal, use Copy Link in the top bar instead of sending from Structur.
8. Client Approval, Decline, and Edit Requests
The client can Approve the proposal: they enter their name and email, provide a signature, typed, drawn, or uploaded, optionally leave a feedback note and attach files such as a counter-quote, redlines, or photos, and check a required acknowledgement box showing the text you set in Proposal Settings.
The client can Decline: they're prompted to explain why it isn't a fit, and are told their reason will be shared with the preparer, who can revise the proposal or close out the lead.
The client can Request Edits: they can tag specific line items with comments, or leave a general note, and can see exactly who, name and email, their request is going to.
Once a proposal leaves Draft, it switches from the editable Draft view to a read-only document view.
Click Edit on any non-Draft proposal to revert it back to Draft so you can make further changes, then resubmit it. Use Void instead if the proposal is no longer valid and shouldn't be edited or reused.
To record an approval that happened outside Structur, open the proposal and click Approve Manually. Confirm the name and email, choose a signature with Type, Draw, or Upload, add optional feedback, attach any files up to 15 MB, and click Approve. The approval is recorded with name, email, signature, and timestamp.
What happens after approval: the approved proposal becomes the Original Estimate in the project's Budget and the Original Contract Amount on a pay-application Invoice. Keep only one proposal in Approved status per project so those figures stay accurate.
â Best Practices
Build a small library of templates - keep one per type of work you bid, and save your strongest proposals as templates so future proposals start from something proven, not a blank page.
Keep templates universal and use section templates for the rest - anything that changes per client belongs in a section template you insert on demand, not baked into the proposal template.
Add descriptions to every cost code - this keeps your pricing table readable no matter which display mode you choose later.
Match pricing detail to the client - use Lump Sum or Show Group Totals Only for clients who don't need a full cost breakdown, and reserve full detail for clients who expect it.
Set your acknowledgement text before your first send - it's the language the client agrees to when they sign, so get it right once rather than fixing it afterward.
Set an expiration date on every proposal - it keeps pricing time-bound and gives the client a clear reason to respond, even though it isn't enforced automatically.
Turn on a follow-up reminder at send time - it's one click while you're already in the popup, and it saves you remembering to chase the client two weeks later.
Review before sending - use Preview to see exactly what the client will see, including any hidden sections or columns.
Finish your edits before you submit - because editing a sent proposal reverts it to Draft and requires resubmitting, it's cleaner to get it right the first time.
â Common Questions
Q: Why can't I edit the price on the proposal?
A: The pricing table mirrors the tied estimate. You can change how the pricing reads, descriptions, grouping, which columns show, and how overhead, profit, and tax are presented, but not the amounts or cost codes themselves. Click Open Estimate to fix a number at the source, then reopen the proposal's pricing table to refresh it.
Q: Why does New Proposal open an estimate?
A: A proposal is always backed by an estimate, so New Proposal opens the Estimate module's New Estimate modal. This is intended behavior. Once the estimate exists, the proposal is built on top of it.
Q: Does the proposal update automatically when I change the tied estimate?
A: No. Pricing changes made in the estimate don't push into the proposal on their own. Click Open Estimate from the pricing table, then refresh the pricing table to pull in the latest numbers.
Q: If I edit a template, does it change proposals that already used it?
A: No. A template is copied into a proposal when it's applied, so the two are independent from that point on. Template edits only affect new proposals built from that template going forward. To update an existing Draft proposal, open it and use Switch Template.
Q: If I edit a proposal, does my template change?
A: No, and that's the point of the copy model. Customize a proposal as heavily as you want without affecting your template or anyone else's proposals.
Q: I saved a proposal as a template by mistake. How do I undo it?
A: Saving as a template creates a new template rather than overwriting anything. Open Manage Templates and delete it with the trash icon. Deleting a template has no effect on proposals already built from it, since those are independent copies.
Q: Can I create a proposal without an estimate?
A: No. A proposal's pricing table is sourced from an estimate, so you'll be prompted to create one first if the project doesn't have one yet.
Q: Can I still edit a proposal after I've sent it or the client has approved it?
A: Yes, but it reverts the status. Click Edit on any non-Draft proposal to return it to Draft, make your changes, then resubmit it. If you change anything meaningful after the client has already seen it, tell them what changed rather than letting them discover it.
Q: What's the difference between an approval by the client and Approve Manually?
A: Both land the proposal in Approved. A client approval means they completed the flow themselves, with a signature and the acknowledgement. Approve Manually is how you record an approval that happened elsewhere, by phone, in person, or over email, and it captures the name, email, signature, and timestamp you enter.
Q: A teammate says Manage Templates or Settings is missing. Why?
A: Manage Templates, Settings, and Save as Template are hidden for users without full access to Proposals. It's a permissions setting, not a bug.
Q: Can the client leave feedback without declining the whole proposal?
A: Yes. The client can choose Request Edits, which lets them comment on specific line items plus leave a general note, without declining outright. The proposal moves to Edits Requested so you can see it needs attention.
Q: Can I see proposals from every project in one place?
A: Yes. Select All Leads and Projects at the top of the Proposals page. Creating a new proposal, however, still needs to happen from within a specific project.
Q: What's the difference between Show Only Groups and Hide Cost Codes?
A: Show Only Groups collapses the table to group-level rows and hides all individual line items. Hide Cost Codes keeps every line item and its description visible, it just removes the cost code number from each row. Use them independently based on how much detail you want the client to see.
Q: If I edit a line item's description in the proposal, does it change the estimate?
A: Yes. Line descriptions are click-to-edit directly in the pricing table, and the change writes back to the same description field the estimate reads. This only works from the internal editor; clients can't edit anything in their read-only view.
Q: What's the difference between Edit and Void on a sent or approved proposal?
A: Edit reverts the proposal back to Draft so you can make changes and resubmit it. Void cancels the proposal outright, use it when a proposal is no longer valid and shouldn't be edited or reused.
Q: Does the expiration date stop a client from approving?
A: Not currently. The expiration date is displayed on the proposal but isn't enforced, so an expired proposal can still be approved. Use it as a prompt for the client and follow up if the date passes. Enforcement is on the Structur roadmap.
Q: I can only see one proposal in my project budget. Where are the others?
A: The budget reflects the approved proposal, which becomes the Original Estimate. If two proposals on the same project are in Approved status, only one feeds the budget. Filter your Proposals list by Approved, open the duplicate, and click Void. If your project genuinely covers two distinct scopes, use cost code groupings within a single proposal, or create two separate estimates.
â ď¸ Common Mistakes to Avoid
â Don't | â Do |
Hunt for an edit button on a sent proposal and assume it's locked forever | Click Edit to revert it to Draft, make your changes, then resubmit it |
Try to correct a wrong price on the proposal itself | Click Open Estimate, fix the number there, then refresh the proposal's pricing table |
Assume editing a saved template updates proposals already built from it | Open the specific proposal and use Switch Template to pull in the update |
Build one compromise template for every kind of job | Keep a separate template per type of work and pick the right one when the proposal opens |
Bake client-specific content into a proposal template | Keep templates universal and use section templates for content that varies |
Hide cost codes on a pricing table full of blank descriptions | Add descriptions to cost codes before switching to a summarized display mode |
Confuse Show Only Groups with Hide Cost Codes | Remember Show Only Groups hides line items entirely; Hide Cost Codes keeps them but drops the code number |
Delete a custom section you might still need | Copy the content out first, because deletion is immediate with no undo |
Rely on the expiration date to block a late approval | Treat it as a prompt and follow up yourself once the date passes |
Manually re-track who has and hasn't responded | Set a follow-up reminder date while you're already in the send popup |
Approve two proposals on the same project | Keep one proposal in Approved status and void the duplicate so the budget and contract amount stay accurate |
Try to create a new proposal from the All Leads and Projects view | Create new proposals from within the specific project |