The client lens: how buyers really read your proposal
We often think of proposals and pitches as linear documents - something you start at the front and read through, page by page. But that’s not how legal clients (especially panel evaluators or procurement officers) tend to approach them.
Buyers are busy, time-poor, and usually reviewing multiple proposals in a compressed timeframe. It’s a bit more like how you would approach a website, they scan, they skip, and they hone in on what matters to them.
Understanding how they read (and what they’re really looking for) can help you structure and emphasise your proposal content far more effectively.
1. They look for relevance first
The first thing most buyers want to know is: Is this for me?
If your proposal leads with a generic firm blurb or lengthy history, they may already start disengaging.
Instead:
Add a cover image (photography is safest) that is about them not a photo of your Brisbane office
Start with an executive summary that speaks directly to their context
Use their language by reflecting their terminology and concerns as presented in the RFT
Reassure them early that you understand their sector, situation, or brief.
2. They skip to the people and pricing
Most evaluators want to see:
Who will actually be doing the work
How much it will cost
What they’ll get for the money.
Make it easy to find and digest:
Team tables and visual CVs help
Summarise pricing assumptions and inclusions clearly
Avoid burying fee detail in appendices if pricing is a key evaluation criterion.
3. They’re scanning for risk
Legal procurement teams are highly attuned to risk — financial, reputational, operational.
Your proposal should:
Proactively address conflicts and independence
Outline QA, supervision, and escalation processes
Show a track record of handling sensitive matters well.
Reducing perceived risk is often more important than dazzling them with credentials.
4. They compare side by side
Even if your proposal looks great on its own, buyers will be comparing it against others.
This means you need to:
Be consistent and clear in structure
Highlight differentiators; not just what you do, but how you do it differently
Use section headers that mirror the RFT (if one exists) to aid comparison.
5. They may not be lawyers
Not all evaluators are legally trained especially in government or corporate procurement who are generally the first evaluation layer to pass.
That means:
Avoid overly technical language or unexplained acronyms
Focus on benefits and outcomes, not just legal process
Write for clarity, not cleverness.
Final thought: make it easy to say yes
The best proposals feel like they were written with the evaluator’s desk in mind.
If you want to stand out, don’t just write like a lawyer - write like a helpful and trusted advisor who understands how decisions are really made.
About the author
Amy Burton-Bradley is a legal tender strategist and the founder of Bidtique. Law Firm Tenders is her resource site for firms who want to sharpen their approach to tenders, bids, and proposals.