DASS · STATISTICAL CONSULTING

Consulting Proposal Checklist

Compare the work each proposal includes before comparing price. Record unclear items and resolve them before the project begins.

This planning aid helps prepare a scope discussion. It does not replace your institution’s requirements or the agreement for your project. No participant records are needed to complete it.

A fictional comparison

Two providers quote a training study. Proposal A includes one model and a results table using an analysis-ready file. Proposal B also includes reconciling data exports, documenting missingness, a sensitivity analysis, reproducible scripts, and a handoff meeting. Their totals cover different work.

Ask whether the cleaning and extra outputs are necessary, whether they can be added to A, and what B excludes. Do not assume the lower total offers the same scope or the higher total is the better fit.

Resolve these questions first

What question and comparison will the work address?
What data condition is assumed, and who resolves discrepancies?
What files, explanations, and revision support will you receive?
What requires additional approval or a new fee?

Prepared October 10, 2026 · Print this checklist or save it as PDF. The HTML download can be opened in a browser.

DASS · SCOPE WORKSHEET

1. Question, data, and deliverables

Project / provider / proposal version / review date

Research question, target population, outcome, and intended comparison

Intended use and audience; claims the design cannot support

Data files, codebook, missingness, clustering, and readiness assumptions

Cleaning and analysis tasks included; decisions still requiring review

Deliverables: tables, figures, methods, interpretation, scripts, and formats

Software requirements, reproducibility, handoff, and client responsibilities

DASS · AGREEMENT WORKSHEET

2. Fees, schedule, and boundaries

Fee structure, estimate or cap, payment milestones, and exclusions

Milestones, deadline, feedback windows, and dependencies

Revision rounds, corrections, committee / reviewer support, and time limits

Scope-change triggers and process for approving additional work

Data access, approved transfer / storage, retention, and deletion

Deliverable ownership, permitted use, contribution credit, and authorship review

Open questions to resolve; agreed next step and responsible person

Read the proposal guide and the consultant selection guide. Discuss a project at statisticalsolutions.org/work.