How to set up a proposal library in SharePoint: A definitive guide

We’re often asked to assist bid teams in setting up a proposal-specific library. For businesses that use Microsoft 365, SharePoint is a great tool to ensure crucial content is kept safe in the cloud while offering a central place for teams to manage and maintain subject matter. SharePoint has a triple benefit of offering security, easy access to information for global teams and remote workers, and fantastic risk-free management systems which can help teams easily locate files.

With expert insight from our Strategic Customer Success Manager, Glen Pankhurst, we’ve developed an easy-to-follow guide for setting up a classic proposal library in SharePoint.

In the guide, you will learn how to:

1. Set up a proposal library with helpful navigation

   They say you should start the way you mean to finish, so we suggest you start setting up your library with minimalism in mind. The more simply you set up your systems, the easier you will find navigation later!

2. Set up an effective folder structure for easy storage

   When it comes to folders, we stand by one golden rule: Less is always more. If there are too many layers of folders, it can be difficult to locate a piece of content quickly. In the guide, we show you the best way to set up a simple folder structure.

3. Optimize the searchability of your content (through the magic of metadata!)

   Using metadata is a wonderful way to help you classify your content and ensure that it contains relevant terms for searching and filtering. If your metadata is well structured, then users will be able to find relevant content easily, making searching the entire library a breeze. 

5. Create a content suggestion feedback loop

   Proposal managers often edit content as they go through it. Unfortunately, these changes aren’t usually redirected back into your library for future use. With our nifty tricks, you can avoid this and ensure your content is always up to date.

6. Connect your proposal library to your proposal automation platform

   When your SharePoint library is set up, you can easily direct your proposal automation platform to connect to it as a valuable content source.

You can get your copy of the full guide by following the link below. We’d also like to invite you to a free trial of Qorus Content Hub. It’s a proposal automation platform designed to instantly connect users to your SharePoint library so that they can produce proposals up to five times faster.