For this assignment you will write a proposal describing the plan that you will

For this assignment you will write a proposal describing the plan that you will prepare this semester. Through this proposal you should identify the goals and objectives of your plan, develop a scope of work and timeline. This assignment will require you to define the topic and scope of your plan, identify the sequence of tasks needed to complete the plan, establish a schedule for completing all those tasks and submitting the required deliverables (existing conditions report, final report). The proposal should be approximately five to ten pages in length. The proposals should be typed in Times New Roman 12 pt font, single-spaced, with an extra space between paragraphs (i.e., formatted like this document). All tables, figures, and other graphics (if applicable) must be numbered, with appropriate titles in bold font. Tables should be numbered separate from the other graphics (charts, maps, photos), which should be referred to collectively as “Figures” (i.e., Table 1, Table 2, etc.; Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). All citations should appear as footnotes at the bottom of the applicable page (in Word, go to References > Insert Footnote). Successful professional writing, and in particular, RFP and proposal writing, requires paying attention to details and following directions explicitly. Your group proposal should include the following sections: Team Name: Come up with a name for your consultant team (i.e., your project group). Project Name: Give your plan a name that is concise yet descriptive. Client: Identify a real government entity, non-profit organization, or business in the Richmond region that would be responsible for implementing the project described in your plan (this should be the same as your RFP). This assignment should be approached as a proposal to that client, from your consultant team. Introduction: First, describe the opportunity or issue (i.e., the community need) that your plan will address. Provide URL links and/or other citations to support your argument. Second, describe in general terms the scope of the plan that you will prepare: the geographic area or location to which it applies, its goals and objectives, the information that will be gathered for the existing conditions report, the nature of the research and analysis that will be used to develop the final plan, and the type of recommendations that the final plan will contain. Scope of Work: Describe in detail the steps that you will take to prepare the plan. Each proposed scope of work should include three broad, general “phases” of the project: Phase 1: Research Existing Conditions; Phase 2: Analyze and Evaluate Alternatives; Phase 3: Prepare Recommendations. Within each phase the proposal should describe specific tasks (Task 1.1, Task 1.2, etc.) that you will carry out. For each task, identify the information that will be gathered and how it will be utilized. Where possible, describe how the different tasks relate to one another (for example, “using the information gathered in Task 2.2, I will…”). Schedule: Prepare a Gantt chart (see example on following page) summarizing your schedule for completing the scope of work within the allotted time this semester. For the purposes of the proposal we will consider the submission of that final plan to be the culmination of the project. Budget: A real consultant proposal would include a detailed budget that identifies how much the consultant team would charge to complete the project and breaks those charges down by task. Since no money is involved in these projects, your project “budget” will be described in terms of the total hours that you anticipate spending to complete the plan. The typical expectation for a three-hour undergraduate course at VCU is about six hours of out-of-class work per week. The total project timeline is about seven weeks, but we will round the total expectation for each student down to 40 hours to account for the occasional assigned readings. Your proposal should include a table (see example on the following page) that identifies the number of hours that each task should require. Personnel and Qualifications: Provide brief bio (totaling no more than one page). Identify your relevant experience (classes taken, internships, jobs, or volunteer work if applicable.