Mobile App Proposal Brief Template (Enterprise)

If you want to collect proposals for an enterprise mobile app, the biggest time-waster is this:
"Everyone understands it differently, so the proposals cannot be compared."

My advice: prepare a clear one-page brief before asking for quotes. That way:

All incoming proposals have the same scope,
Timeline and budget deviations shrink,
"Surprise" items are discussed up front.

The mobile app proposal brief template below is a practical starting point for enterprise projects. You can copy and fill it in directly if you like.

1) Project Summary (1 paragraph)

Project name:
Purpose (why are we building it?):
Success criteria (what makes us say "we succeeded"?):

Example: "Reporting field sales team visits with photo and location evidence, and pushing them to the ERP in real time."

2) Target Users and Roles (RBAC)

User types (role list):
- Admin / Manager
- Field staff
- Dealer / customer representative
What will each role do? (short bullets)

3) Platform and Scope

Platform: iOS / Android / Flutter
Language: TR / EN / multilingual?
Estimated number of users:
Region: Turkey / global

4) Core Features (Must / Should / Nice)

Split them into three groups like this:

Must Have (Non-negotiable)

Login / SSO
Role-based authorization
Listing / detail / form flows
Photo / file upload
Location capture + timestamp
Offline mode (yes/no)
Push notifications (yes/no)

Should Have (Good to have)

Route / task management
Map
Reporting screens
Admin panel

Nice to Have (Can wait for later)

AI-powered suggestions
Automatic tagging etc.

5) Workflows (2-5 main scenarios)

Write each one as 3-6 steps:

Scenario 1: Field visit

Check-in
Take photo
Fill form
Check-out
Report goes to ERP

6) Data and Integrations

Is there an integration? ERP / CRM / other system:
Is there an API? (documentation if available)
Data flow:
- What goes from the app to the ERP
- What comes from the ERP to the app
Integration method: REST / SOAP / middleware / file transfer?

7) Offline Mode and Synchronization (Critical in enterprise)

Is offline mode required? (Yes/No)
Which operations should work while offline?
When should syncing happen?
- automatic / manual / on wifi
What is the rule on conflicts? (last write wins etc.)

8) Security / KVKK / Logging

Is there sensitive data in terms of KVKK? (yes/no)
Authorization: JWT / OAuth2 / SSO
Where will logs be kept?
Retention period for evidence data such as photos and location?

9) Performance and SLA (maintenance expectations)

Operating hours: 24/7 or not?
SLA expectations:
- response time for critical bugs
- normal bugs
Maintenance model: monthly maintenance package / per request

10) Deliverables (a must for comparing proposals)

Source code delivery (Git repo)
Test environment / staging
Documentation
Admin panel (yes/no)
App Store / Google Play publishing support

11) Timeline and Milestones

Target start:
Target go-live:
Preferred approach:
- MVP -> iteration
- Final in one go

12) Budget and Proposal Format (this section makes proposal quality skyrocket)

Ask the vendor for the following:

Estimated duration (weeks)
Estimated team: PM/BA, mobile dev, backend dev, QA
Line-item price breakdown:
- analysis & design
- development
- testing
- launch
- maintenance

The 5 most common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Saying "10 screens" without writing the flows -> add the scenarios
Leaving the offline requirement vague -> make a clear decision
Asking for proposals without integration docs -> share the API documentation
No delivery definition -> specify source code, docs, and test environment
Maintenance/SLA is never discussed -> state the maintenance model up front

NOTE: This template can generally be used in all software projects, whether developed in-house or outsourced, and in non-enterprise projects too. You can adapt it to your own needs while staying true to the outline. That way you describe what you want more clearly and get a better proposal or output.

If there is a topic you would like me to help with, you can reach me via the contact page.