Company profile
A reusable introduction shaped around the business’s services and credible evidence. It should remain easy to update when details, projects or offerings change.
BUSINESS SUPPORT · SOUTH AFRICA
Present your business with clarity and credible evidence
Make it easier for a prospective customer or buyer to understand what your business can deliver. Vatco helps develop company profiles and focused proposals around your real services, experience and requirements, with the writing, design and final approval organised as a clear process.
Your requirements · A clear scope · Your next step
YOUR SERVICE GUIDE
Business profiles and proposal writing
Business profiles and proposal writing
01
Choose the documentDefine the reader and the decision you want to support.
02
Build the contentUse accurate services, experience and supporting evidence.
03
Review and presentApprove the facts and prepare the agreed final formats.
Start with the details that matter.
A clear place to start.Tell us what your business needs.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT DOCUMENT
A profile introduces you; a proposal answers a specific need
A company profile gives readers a concise, structured understanding of what the business does, who it serves and what evidence supports its capability. It can support introductions, supplier onboarding and relevant tender packs. It should make the business understandable rather than give every part of its history equal detail.
- Specific opportunity: A proposal responds to the customer’s actual requirements, explains the proposed approach and makes the scope, responsibilities and commercial assumptions clear to the recipient.
- Supporting profile: A general company profile can accompany a proposal, but it cannot replace a response addressing what the particular customer or tender invitation requested.
- Drafting instruction: Identify which document the recipient has asked for and share their instructions before writing begins, so the brief reflects the purpose and expected content.
START WITH YOUR SITUATION
Find the right starting point for your business
A new business without a company track record
Describe the team, resources and intended service approach honestly. The document can establish capability without inventing completed projects or client endorsements.
An established profile needing an update
Supply the existing document and identify changed services, contacts and evidence. Keep relevant proof and retire claims that no longer describe the business.
A proposal for a named opportunity
Provide the complete brief and approved scope, pricing and delivery commitments. A generic profile can support the response but cannot replace those opportunity-specific answers.
COST AND INCLUSIONS
What affects the cost of business profiles and proposal writing?
Swipe across to compare all columns.
| Cost item | Amount or pricing basis | What this covers |
|---|---|---|
| Company profile writing | Quoted against the source material and agreed document scope | Explains the business, services, team and supportable capability in a reusable format. |
| Opportunity-specific proposal | Quoted after the full customer or tender brief is reviewed | Covers the agreed response structure and writing. Prices and technical commitments require business approval. |
| Design, research and assets | Itemised where included | Document layout, extensive research, photography, licensed imagery or a new brand system should not be assumed part of basic writing. |
| Attachments, printing and later versions | Separately agreed where needed | Official certificates and applications are separate from writing. Confirm editable files, print work and substantial later revisions in the scope. |
Vatco’s professional fee is confirmed in your written quotation. The total depends on the agreed work; any VAT treatment should be stated in the quote.
MAKE THE CONTENT USEFUL
Show what the business can actually deliver
The strongest material is specific and supportable. Explain the services in language a buyer understands, identify the types of work the business undertakes and show relevant experience where it exists. Avoid broad claims such as “all industries” or “the leading provider” unless there is a clear basis and they help the reader make a decision.
Company overview
Introduce the business, its operating focus and the customers it serves. Keep the legal name, trading identity and contact information accurate, and distinguish incorporation history from the experience of individual team members.
Services and delivery
Describe the actual offering, the work included and how it is delivered. Organise related services so a buyer can find the capability relevant to their requirement rather than reading an undifferentiated list.
Experience and evidence
Use approved project summaries, relevant qualifications, references or images with permission. Clearly attribute a person’s prior experience and do not present it as a completed project of a newly formed company.
Practical next step
Make the contact route or requested decision clear. A profile should tell a reader how to continue the conversation, while a proposal should make the action and any validity or response conditions understandable.
PREPARE THE SOURCE MATERIAL
Documents and information to prepare
For a proposal, include the full brief, tender pack or customer request, deadlines and required format. Identify who approves prices, technical promises and delivery dates. Those commitments must come from the business; the writer should not invent them to make the response more persuasive.
- Every documentCompany and service information
Provide the name, contacts, services, short history, relevant team information and permitted project examples so the writer has a factual source.
- Existing materialEarlier profiles, brochures and website
Share source documents and mark outdated claims. Previous wording should be checked before it is reused in the new version.
- Evidence for publicationClient, image and project permissions
Confirm which client names, testimonials, photos and project details may be used. Keep confidential information out unless disclosure is authorised and appropriate.
- Established identityLogo files and presentation guidance
Supply usable logos and existing colours or fonts. Where no brand system exists, agree the visual scope rather than assuming a complete rebrand is included.
- Tailored proposal or tenderCustomer brief and attachment list
Provide the full request, deadline, required format and official evidence list. Identify who approves prices, technical promises and delivery dates.
KEEP THE DOCUMENT CREDIBLE
Make it easy to verify and maintain
Help the reader distinguish current capability from aspiration. A new business can describe its team, resources and intended approach without inventing a track record. An established business can select relevant projects rather than crowding the profile with every past activity. The aim is an accurate document that supports a real conversation.
- Current version: Keep a controlled copy and update it when services, contacts or evidence change. Review tender attachments against each opportunity rather than assuming one version always fits.
- Quoted work: Pricing depends on the source material, writing, research and design included. Identify the actual document and preparation required before agreeing the scope.
- Presentation and proof: A profile or proposal can improve presentation, but it cannot guarantee a contract, replace mandatory qualifications or make unsupported capability claims acceptable.
THE WORKING PROCESS
Approve the substance before final design
We begin by agreeing the reader, purpose and deliverables. The scope should identify whether the work is a profile, a proposal or both, the expected depth, the design requirements and the review process. There is no universal ideal page count; length should follow the information needed and any recipient limit.
- 01
Build the outline
Organise the content around the reader’s questions. For a proposal, map the requested response areas so that important requirements are not lost behind a generic company introduction.
- 02
Draft from the evidence
Turn the supplied information into clear, consistent writing. Mark missing facts and unresolved claims for confirmation rather than filling the gaps with fabricated clients, statistics or credentials.
- 03
Review business commitments
The authorised business contact checks facts, services, experience and any prices or delivery promises. Consolidate feedback so the document does not contain conflicting instructions from different reviewers.
- 04
Design and deliver
Apply the agreed branding and prepare the required final formats after the content is approved. Check page order, contact information, links and attachments. Editable files and future updates should be specified in the scope.
CONNECT THE NEXT PIECE.
Related support
for your business.
YOUR QUESTIONS. A CLEARER NEXT STEP.
Business profiles and proposal writing:
frequently asked questions.
01How long should my company profile be?
The appropriate length depends on the reader, the business and any stated limit. A simple introduction may need less detail than a capability document for a complex supplier review. The goal is enough information to explain the offer and evidence without repetition. We agree the structure around that purpose rather than imposing a fixed page count on every company.
02Can a new company have a profile without completed projects?
Yes. It can present its actual services, team capabilities, resources and delivery approach honestly. Where individuals have previous experience, attribute it accurately rather than claiming those projects were completed by the new company. A credible profile does not need invented clients, testimonials or years of trading to explain what the business is prepared to offer.
03Is proposal writing included in a company profile?
Only if the scope says so. A reusable company profile and an opportunity-specific proposal require different work. The proposal needs the customer’s brief, response requirements and business-approved commitments. If you need both, provide the full request so the quotation can separate the shared company information from the additional writing and review needed for the specific opportunity.
04Will you decide my tender price or delivery commitments?
Those decisions must be approved by the business and supported by its capacity and commercial assessment. Writing support can help present the information clearly, but it should not invent prices, delivery periods or technical promises. Identify the person responsible for each commitment and provide the relevant inputs before the proposal is finalised.
05Can you use information from my old profile or website?
Yes, as source material, subject to checking that it is accurate and that you have the right to reuse it. Mark outdated services, former staff, expired evidence and claims that need revision. The process should preserve useful facts while correcting inconsistencies, rather than copying every old paragraph into a new design without review.
06Will I receive an editable file as well as a PDF?
The agreed deliverables should specify the formats. A PDF is useful for sharing, while an editable version can support future updates if it is included and the business has the appropriate software. Clarify file access, licensed assets and any ongoing editing service before work begins so that maintaining the document later is straightforward.
Have a question about your situation?
USEFUL INFORMATION, CLOSE TO HAND.
Resources for
your next step.
Go deeper with guidance from the relevant authorities.
OFFICIAL RESOURCE
National Treasury: supplier registration information
Review the official supplier information that may need to align with company documents.
Open the resource OFFICIAL RESOURCENational Treasury: eTenders Portal
Read the actual opportunity documents before preparing a tender-specific response.
Open the resource OFFICIAL RESOURCESouth African Government: business planning guidance
Understand how a fuller business plan differs from an introductory profile.
Open the resourceLET’S FIND YOUR NEXT STEP.
Ready to discuss
business profiles and proposal writing?
Share your requirements with Vatco.
Confirm the scope, documents and fees before proceeding.