Document formatting support: proposals that look right

Key takeaways

Document formatting support applies your templates and styles to proposals, reports, tenders and letters: headings, numbering, tables, contents pages, accessibility and final checks. It is repetitive and rule-based, but often done by senior staff at the last minute. A template and a dedicated formatter make every document consistent and save the late nights.

• Use styles, not manual formatting, so changes apply everywhere.
• One template per document type.
• Check accessibility: headings, alt text, contrast.
• Content and pricing stay with the author.

What does document formatting involve?

It involves applying the right template, setting heading styles, fixing numbering and cross-references, formatting tables, inserting the contents page, checking images and captions, making the document accessible, and running final checks on fonts, spacing and page breaks. Each document type has its own rules, but the steps repeat.

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Why do styles and templates matter?

Styles let a document change consistently: one edit to the heading style updates every heading. Manually formatted documents break when edited, which is why they take so long to tidy. Templates with built-in styles also make accessibility easier, because screen readers rely on real headings.

• Heading styles for structure and navigation.
• Numbered lists and captions that update.
• Tables with header rows.
• Alt text on images and charts.

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What does formatting take?

In an illustrative example, a 30-page proposal with tables and images takes about 2 to 4 hours to format properly from a rough draft. A firm sending eight a month spends 16 to 32 hours, often senior. These are example figures. Moving that to a dedicated formatter returns the hours and reduces errors in the final version.

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When should formatting stay in-house?

Keep it in-house for documents that change until the last minute and need the author's hands on them, or for highly confidential material. Content, pricing and commitments in any document should always stay with the author; a formatter should not edit meaning.

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What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a professional firm's proposals all look slightly different because each partner formats their own. A shared template and one formatter make the firm look consistent and save partner time.

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Formatting checklist

Check every document against these points.

• Correct template and styles.
• Headings, numbering and contents update.
• Tables and images captioned.
• Accessibility checks passed.
• Final read for page breaks and fonts.

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Next step

Send us one of your standard documents. We will suggest a template and say plainly what a formatter could take on each month.