Request for Proposals

Assignment:

Read the Request for Proposals (RFP) below.  Create a proposal of approximately 300-500 words that follows all of its specifications. Whatever format, organization, and rhetorical approach you use must not violate the RFP specifications. See sample proposals in Proposals on Canvas; also rely on lecture and discussion and readings in our textbook.

 

Purpose:

To create several key components of a clear, persuasive, detailed, well-organized proposal to carry out a pilot project or pilot study requiring funding, with audience awareness. A pilot project or pilot study is a small-scale project with a limited budget designed to demonstrate the need for a larger project and/or further research on the same topic, and/or for more funding for the same project.

 

Audience/Context:

Proposals often have multiple audiences.  For this assignment, your audience is an internal grant-approval staff responsible for funding worthy pilot projects, including one chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee at UC Davis who changes from year to year. This committee of administrators and faculty reads hundreds of similar proposals and chooses only six to fund.  Other unknown campus administrators may have input on the final decision. Some readers will scan abstracts for compelling projects, others will focus on the budget. If you make the first cut, others may evaluate the overall feasibility of and need for the proposed project, based on the rationale and plan—parts that you do NOT have to write for this assignment. Using at leave five of the Rhetorical Moves of Proposals (see “Elements of Proposals” on Canvas) will be crucial to your success. (NOTE: In a full-length proposal, some strategic redundancy is necessary to make a project’s key aims clear throughout to audiences who scan proposals quickly, while a thoughtful rationale and detailed plan are crucial as well, for higher levels of review.)

 

Pitch Your Idea

In pitching your idea to your classmates on the Discussion board as part of Discussion Task #5, simply sketch the project in one paragraph. What will its goals be? How will you achieve them? Why is the project needed? How will it connect to the RFP’s Goals? How does it connect to your research area, or your major, or improve upon existing programs or resources, or does it propose a service, for instance, that does not exist? What will it cost? Who will carry it out—what personnel will be needed, and how will you select them? How will you evaluate its success if it is funded and carried out? What doubts or concerns do you have about the project? Be as specific as possible.

 

Responding to Pitches

Respond honestly and constructively to the idea. Does it seem needed? Do you have suggestions as to how to carry it out, or ways to adjust it to make address a clearer need? Are you aware of existing research, programs or resources the writer doesn’t mention? Are the costs for the project realistic? If it seems too ambitious and large-scale for a pilot project, point that out. Address the writer’s doubts or concerns.

 

Rhetorical Analysis.

• Draft Rhetorical Analysis (due with the Full Draft Proposal and the Final Proposal). Write one page that explores some of the thought processes you are going through in writing the Proposal. The purpose of the Rhetorical Analysis is to understand your audience and purpose and your writing process, track your progress as a writer, and to develop your sense of yourself as a writer. What challenges are posed by your audience and purpose? How are dealing with them? In what order? How are you approaching this assignment differently and similarly to earlier assignments?

 

• Final Rhetorical Analysis (due with the Final Proposal). What feedback did your peers give you, and how did you apply it in your revision, or not? Which rhetorical moves did you use in your abstract, and why? What aspects do you feel most confident about in the proposal? What would you work on further if you had time?

 

Works Cited and Consulted

Keep careful track of all sources you consult while preparing the Proposal. Research similar programs/projects/studies and try to find examples of successful programs/projects/studies at other universities to help argue for funding of your proposal. Include this list when you turn it in on Canvas. You do not need to follow a particular citation format, such as APA style, but be sure to include the publication, title of the piece, author, and date of publication.

 

 

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Pilot Projects

 

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee, University of California, Davis, invites proposals from all current undergraduates. The goal of this program is to support pilot projects or pilot studies ending by Sept. 1, 2021, that target one or more of the five Strategic Plan Goals, described here: https://leadership.ucdavis.edu/strategic-plan. Activities, workshops and events can include:

• Conducting research or providing professional development related to the applicant’s major field or future career
• Increasing opportunities for students to participate in experiential/workplace learning
• Encouraging innovation and leadership through focused workshops or other activities
• Improving or making existing campus resources or services more available to students*
• Supporting equity, diversity, inclusion and community
• Connecting UC Davis to the larger Davis/Sacramento community

 

*No proposals will be accepted that deal with infrastructure (parking, bike racks, construction of buildings or facilities) or food services.

 

The Steering Committee will provide up to $15,000 for pilot projects or pilot studies, provided that the project will be managed and overseen by a current undergraduate. Oversight of the award will be handled by relevant UC Davis staff.  Successful proposals will address one or more of the Strategic Plan Goals, along with an opportunity for growth of the student.

 

In the past, competitive proposals have addressed career development, support for international students and other specific student demographic groups, mentoring programs, workshops on important topics, innovative research projects, etc.

 

Format: Proposals must adhere to the following format in the following order:

• Project Abstract. (100-200 words)
• Budget and Budget Justification. What are the costs of the project? Why are they necessary? (100-200 words)
• Timeline, including dates for implementation and/or dissemination. (50-100 words)

• Other requirements: Use at least sourced one image (photograph or drawing, with source credited) inserted into the text AND at least two other visualizations (tables, graphs, etc.) that you create to illustrate relevant information. A timeline in the form of a table counts.
• Works Cited and Consulted.

 

Submission Information

• All sections must be combined into a single document with pages numbered sequentially, as a DOC or DOCX file or RTF file.
• Files must use this naming convention: LastName_FirstName_Proposal.doc (or .docx or .rtf).

 

Grading Criteria for Proposal (+,ü,-)

 

“A” papers will do all of the following things successfully (+), with no more than two areas that might be improved or be done more consistently (ü).

“B” papers will do all of the following things well, with no more than four areas to improve or do more consistently (ü) and/or one area not done successfully (-).

“C” papers will do most of the following things with multiple areas to improve and one or two areas that are not done successfully (-), or will fail to do one or two of the things completely while doing others very successfully.

“D” papers will do some of the following things adequately, but will have multiple areas that require substantial improvement (often in more than one area), or will fail to do specific things (under page requirement, use of unacceptable source) that typically result in a “D”.

“F” papers will do some things adequately or even successfully, but the number of areas that are not done or need major improvement will outnumber those positive aspects.

 

Context and Audience

___Does the assignment use an appropriate persuasive tone for the audience?

___Does the assignment fully address the audience’s needs (including connecting to Strategic Plan Goals)?

___Is each section fully developed, at the appropriate length, into a compelling proposal overall?

___Is each section organized logically?

___Is any information relying on research presented ethically and clearly?

___Does the assignment clearly make at least five rhetorical moves common to proposals in the abstract?

Content 

___Are the sentences clear and concise, avoiding problems like wordiness, vagueness, awkward or misused words?

___Is the amount of detail appropriate for the assignment?

___Are the format and design successful, with adequate white space, arrangement, etc.?

___Is the content correct, without mistakes in proper names, formatting, etc.?

___Is the assignment well-edited, that is, free of grammatical errors?

___Is the assignment carefully proofread, and thus free of typos?

___Does the assignment meet and not exceed the word count?

Assignment Specifications

___Does the assignment have the clear sections required by the RFP?

___Does the assignment include at least one sourced image and two other visuals created by the author?

___Does the assignment follow “Submission Information” instructions?

___Was the assignment submitted correctly, in correct document format, specifications and word count, including a Rhetorical Analysis that addresses all questions, include rhetorical moves used?

NOTE: papers under word count will typically not receive higher than a C.