# Writing a project brief that gets accurate quotes

> A clear brief gets you accurate, comparable quotes and a faster start. Here is what to include, with prompts for each section.

Web page: https://oravol.com/insights/writing-a-project-brief

## About this article

- **Published:** 4 October 2026
- **Topic:** Growth & Strategy
- **Publisher:** ORAVOL

## Key takeaways

- Explain the business goal, not just the deliverable.
- Describe audience, scope, constraints and success measures.
- Share your budget range: it helps agencies propose the right solution.

## Article

Agencies quote what they understand. A vague brief produces quotes based on guesses, which are hard to compare and often change later. A clear brief gets accurate proposals faster.

### 1. About your business

- What you do, who your customers are and where you operate
- What makes you different
- Your current situation: existing website, brand and marketing

### 2. The goal

What should this project achieve for the business? For example: generate more qualified enquiries, launch a new product, enter a new market, reduce admin time. Business goals help agencies recommend the right solution, which may differ from what you first imagined.

### 3. The audience

Who is the project for? Their needs, questions and what would make them act. Include customer types if you have several.

### 4. Scope

List what you think you need:

- Deliverables, such as pages, features, brand elements or campaigns
- Integrations with other tools
- Content: who will provide copy, photos and videos
- Languages and markets

Mark what is essential and what is nice to have.

### 5. References

Share examples you like and dislike, with a sentence on why for each. Include competitors.

### 6. Constraints

- Brand guidelines to follow
- Technology or platform requirements
- Legal, accessibility or industry requirements
- Internal approval processes

### 7. Budget and timeline

Give a budget range and any fixed dates, such as a launch event or season. Explain whether the date or the scope is more flexible.

### 8. Success measures

How will you judge the project? For example, enquiries per month, conversion rate, time saved or launch date met.

### 9. Practicalities

- Who is the main contact and decision-maker
- How you prefer to communicate
- What information you need in proposals

### Send the same brief to everyone

Comparable proposals need the same starting point. Ask each agency to list assumptions and exclusions.

You can share your brief with us through our [start a project](https://oravol.com/start-project) form, which walks through these questions step by step.

## Questions

### What if I don't know exactly what I need?

Describe the problem and goals. A good agency can recommend solutions, and may suggest a short discovery phase to define scope.

### Should I share my budget?

Yes, at least as a range. It lets agencies propose an approach that fits rather than guessing high or low.