For consultants
Your proposal is the first piece of consulting you deliver.
The scoping call went well. Now you write it up in Word, export a PDF, and email it to your contact — who has to sell it internally to a budget holder you have never met, using a document you cannot see them read. If the fee comes back challenged, you're negotiating against silence.
ApeiroCraft makes the proposal a working document instead of an attachment. You see every time it's opened and by how many separate sessions, so you know when it's circulating. They sign it in the browser, and the accepted scope becomes the first invoice without you re-typing a figure.
Where consulting engagements stall.
The internal handoff you can't see
Your contact isn't the buyer. Your PDF gets forwarded to a director, a finance lead, and sometimes procurement. You have no idea which stage it's at, so your follow-up is a guess dressed as a check-in.
Fees anchored to the wrong number
Priced as a day rate, your work is compared against a contractor's day rate. Priced against the annualised cost of the problem you're solving, the same fee reads as obvious. That reframing has to live in the document.
Scope that grows quietly
Without phase gates and an explicit exclusions list, 'while you're in here, could you also look at…' becomes three unpaid weeks. The exclusions list is the most valuable section in a consulting proposal, and most proposals don't have one.
From scoping call to first payment.
See it circulate internally
Timestamped read receipts, including repeat opens. Two opens in one afternoon usually means it reached the budget holder — that's your window to call, not day six.
Electronic signature on the scope
The phases, exclusions, deliverables, and fee are all signed together, with the signer's name, email, and timestamp captured immutably. No separate contract PDF to chase.
Invoice phase one in a click
The accepted proposal becomes the invoice — same client, same figures, your payment link. Milestone billing follows the phases you already wrote.
Notes and history on the client
Discovery notes, stakeholders, prior engagements, and every signed document live on the client record. Renewal conversations start from evidence.
Word, PDF, and email vs a tracked proposal.
A Word document is a perfectly good way to think. It is a poor way to sell, because the moment you export it you lose every signal about what happens next.
Presenting the fee
Word / Docs + PDF + email
A single number at the bottom of page seven, which invites a yes/no answer — and no is easier.
With ApeiroCraft
Two or three structured options. The client decides which scope, not whether to engage at all.
Tracking the decision
Word / Docs + PDF + email
Nothing. You learn the outcome when they email, or when they don't.
With ApeiroCraft
Read receipts with timestamps, so follow-up is triggered by evidence instead of a calendar reminder.
Defining exclusions
Word / Docs + PDF + email
Usually omitted, because a static document feels like it should stay positive.
With ApeiroCraft
A structured exclusions section that reads as rigour rather than defensiveness — and prevents the free extra phase.
Signing
Word / Docs + PDF + email
A separate contract or SOW, sent days later, often the point at which momentum dies.
With ApeiroCraft
Signed in the same document while the intent is still fresh, with identity and timestamp recorded.
Billing the first phase
Word / Docs + PDF + email
Open the invoicing tool, re-key the client and the amount, hope the figures match the proposal.
With ApeiroCraft
The invoice is generated from the accepted proposal, so the figures cannot drift.
- Flat pricing per workspace — not per seat.
- Free plan with no expiry and no card required.
- Your own payment links, in your own currency.
Common questions.
What is the best proposal software for independent consultants?
For solo and small consultancies the requirement is rarely more features — it's fewer disconnected tools. You need a proposal that can be read and signed in a browser, read tracking so you know when it reaches the decision-maker, and invoicing that inherits the accepted figures. ApeiroCraft does that plus CRM, notes, and tasks in one subscription, free to start and from $19/month.
Can I use it for statements of work as well as proposals?
Yes. A proposal in ApeiroCraft is a structured document with scope, phases, deliverables, exclusions, and commercial terms — which is what a statement of work is. Because it's signed electronically with identity and timestamp captured, it functions as the engagement record.
How should I structure fees so they don't get compared to a day rate?
Anchor to the annualised cost of the problem rather than the hours you'll spend. Offer two or three scoped options so the conversation is about which, not whether. The free consulting proposal template has this structure already built in, including a phased approach with a stop option.
Does it support milestone or retainer billing?
Yes. Invoice per phase as the engagement progresses, or set up a recurring monthly invoice for retainers. Both draw the client and figures from the signed proposal.
Is there a free consulting proposal template?
Yes — a free consulting proposal template with a sharpened problem statement, a phased approach with an explicit stop option, and value-anchored fees. No account or email needed to read it.
How does this compare to PandaDoc or Proposify?
Both are strong document tools. The difference is what happens after the signature: they stop at the document, ApeiroCraft continues into invoicing, CRM, and client notes on the same record. We keep honest, date-stamped comparison pages for both, including where they win.
Send a proposal that shows you when it lands.
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Start freeKeep reading
Free template
Consulting proposal template
A sharpened problem statement, phased approach with a stop option, and value-anchored fees.
Comparison
ApeiroCraft vs Proposify
Proposals are the overlap; what happens after the signature is the difference.
Guide
Proposal software, explained
What separates a proposal that gets signed from a PDF that gets ignored — and the tools that help.