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Contract & Proposal Generation with AI (Step‑by‑Step)

  • How to set up AI-assisted proposal and contract generation from scratch
  • Which steps stay human – and which can be automated reliably
  • A full walk-through of a working automation using Make.com
  • How to reduce risk and keep control over your client-facing docs
  • Tips on tracking effectiveness (and how to adjust as you scale)

Why Automate This Workflow?

Proposals and contracts are essential business documents, but endlessly rewriting them? That’s predictable—and time-consuming. Small teams often waste hours editing templates or juggling email threads just to prepare a standard proposal.

The real problem? Manual edits lead to version control issues, copy-paste errors, and inconsistent messaging. Automation solves this by letting AI assemble the structure while you manage key decisions.

Bonus: Using templates and automation actually makes it easier to personalize consistently—so each client still feels unique, without reinventing your process every time.

What Needs to Be in a Proposal or Contract?

Before automating, make sure you know what your docs need to include. Here’s a quick checklist:

  • Objectives or goals — What’s this project aiming to solve?
  • Scope and deliverables — What’s getting done, and what’s not?
  • Pricing and payment terms — Fixed fee, hourly, retainer?
  • Timeline — Key milestones or delivery dates
  • Authority and sign-off — Who approves and who signs?

Automation doesn’t create your business logic—it wraps it in a clear, branded, professional format. You stay in control of what goes in. For more templates and tools, check out our AI for Small Business Operations Hub.

The Minimum Stack You Need

You don’t need expensive tools or custom software to set this up. Here’s a simple, no-code-friendly stack:

  • Form or CRM to gather client/project info (Tally, Airtable, Notion, etc.)
  • AI language generator like OpenAI to write drafts
  • Document template in Google Docs or PDF builder to format output
  • Workflow tool like Make.com or Zapier to connect the dots

Optional add-ons: e-signature (HelloSign, DocuSign), cloud storage (Drive, Dropbox), direct email delivery.

Best of all, you can probably use tools you already have—no need to migrate your whole system.

How to Build This in Make.com

Here’s a step-by-step guide to designing a simple, repeatable AI-powered proposal generator using Make.com. Total setup time: ~1–2 hours, depending on your familiarity with the tools.

Step 1 – Start With a Data Trigger

  1. Create a form in Tally or Typeform (or use your CRM like Airtable/Notion).
  2. Include fields like:
    • Client name
    • Service type or project
    • Key deliverables
    • Pricing
    • Start date/deadline
  3. In Make.com, use a Form Submission or Webhook module to trigger the scenario.

Step 2 – Add AI to Draft the Core Body

  1. Use a Text Generator module via OpenAI or other GPT-based plugin.
  2. Sample structured prompt: 
    "Write a friendly, professional proposal for [ClientName] including:
- Deliverables: [List]
- Total project fee: [$X]
- Estimated timeline: [Timeline]
"
  3. Set tone preferences and keep prompt fields consistent for predictable results.

Step 3 – Merge Generated Text Into Your Template

  1. Create a doc template in Google Docs with merge tags like:
    • [[ClientName]]
    • [[ProjectSummary]]
    • [[Pricing]]
  2. Use the Google Docs: Create a Document from Template module.
  3. Feed in both your form data and the AI-generated content to auto-fill placeholders.

Step 4 – Convert and Send

  1. Use Google Docs: Export as PDF to finalize the proposal.
  2. Add routing to:
    • Email the PDF to the client or internal team (use Gmail module)
    • Upload to Google Drive or Dropbox
    • Optional: Trigger e-signature request using HelloSign/DocuSign modules

QA & Guardrails

Even the best AI isn’t perfect. Human review is essential before any proposal goes out. Some tips:

  • Set up a pause step in Make.com to save the draft and ping yourself for review.
  • Scan for common risks: wrong names, typos, outdated pricing.
  • Protect key sections (e.g., legal clauses) by leaving them out of AI generation.

This keeps the benefits of speed—but catches issues before your client sees them.

Metrics & ROI

Automation is only worth it if it delivers value. Here’s what to track:

  • Time saved per proposal — Are you spending less per client?
  • Proposal-to-contract conversion rate — Are more clients saying yes?
  • Reduction in edits or resends — Are clients emailing back “looks great!”?
  • Template reuse — Are your docs 80% repeatable now?

You can log these in Airtable, Sheets, or CRM to get a clear picture over time.

How to Evolve As You Grow

Once the basics are nailed, level up your setup:

  • Add multiple templates by service type
  • Pull in custom pricing or discounts from your CRM
  • Integrate calendar booking, payment links, or invoice generation
  • When automation gets complex, consider a managed workflow or external expert

Explore what’s possible in our Solutions Hub or get 1:1 setup support.

Conclusion: Make Your Contracts and Proposals Work Harder

You don’t need to hand your business over to AI—just let it handle the admin. With simple tools and guardrails, you can get proposals out faster, with fewer mistakes, and still stay in control.

Small improvements now can add up to big time savings over the course of a year. Start small, measure results, and scale up as you go.

Ready to Streamline?