Proposals
Generate professional proposals with PDF output and delivery tracking.
Creating a proposal
- Open an item's detail view
- Go to the Proposals tab
- Click "Create Proposal"
- Add line items if needed (description, quantity, unit price). Line items are optional.
- Save and preview
You can also create proposals from templates with layouts and field mappings that automatically fill from item and contact data.
Proposal templates
Templates define the PDF layout and which fields to pull from the item:
- Go to Settings → Proposals → Templates
- Use the PDF designer to customize the layout
- Map template variables to pipeline fields
- Create multiple templates for different use cases (quote, contract, SOW)
Template presets are available for common formats. Variables like {contact_name}, {contact_email}, and {item_title} are resolved automatically from the item's linked contact.
Discounts and taxes
Proposals support both discounts and taxes at two levels.
Line level. Each line item can carry its own discount percent and its own list of named taxes (for example a single "Sales Tax 8%", or split entries like "Tax 1 4%" plus "Tax 2 4%"). The discount is applied before the line taxes, so the tax is calculated on the discounted amount.
Document level. You can also set a single discount percent and one or more named taxes for the whole proposal. These apply on top of the line totals. The document discount is applied first, then the document taxes are calculated on the remaining amount.
Which level is used is controlled by the proposal template:
| Enable discount | Turn document or per-item discounts on for proposals created from this template |
| Per-item discount | When on, each line carries its own discount. When off, a single discount applies to the whole proposal |
| Enable tax | Turn document or per-item taxes on |
| Per-item tax | When on, each line carries its own taxes. When off, a single list of taxes applies to the whole proposal |
The totals panel at the bottom of a proposal shows the subtotal, any discounts, each tax broken out by name, and the final total. The same breakdown is stored with the proposal and used on the PDF, so the numbers your customer sees today will still match if you reopen the proposal later.
PDF preview
Click "Preview" on a proposal to generate and view the PDF in a new browser tab. If the proposal already has a saved PDF, it opens directly.
Sending proposals
Once a proposal is ready:
| Send by email | The contact receives a link to view the proposal |
| Copy link | Share the public proposal URL directly |
When a proposal is sent, stock is automatically placed on hold for any tracked products in the line items. See Inventory for details.
E-Signatures
Slate supports two e-signature providers:
| SES (Simple Electronic Signature) | Built-in. The signer receives a consent page, acknowledges what data is collected, and signs |
| AES/QES (Advanced/Qualified Electronic Signature) | Available via DocuSign. Bring your own DocuSign credentials to enable |
To send a proposal for signature:
- Click "Send for Signature" on a proposal
- The signer receives a link to a consent page
- The consent page shows what data will be collected (name, email, IP, timestamps)
- After acknowledging, the signer is redirected to sign
Track signature status: pending, signed, declined, or voided.
Converting to invoice
When a proposal is accepted, a "Convert to Invoice" button appears in the proposal detail. Clicking it creates an invoice with all line items carried over. Only one invoice can be created per proposal.
If the proposal template has auto-create invoice enabled, an invoice is generated automatically when the customer accepts.
Compliance & retention
Proposals are retained for 7 years in accordance with compliance requirements. Signature requests associated with proposals follow the same 7-year retention period. After the retention period expires, records are purged automatically.