Lesson 3: Making Proposals and Offers

Key Phrases

Basic patterns:

We could offer [solution]

What we can do is [action]

If you're open to X, we could consider Y

As an alternative, [proposal]

We'd be willing to [action]

Conditional offers:

If [condition], we could [action]

Provided that [condition], we would [action]

We might be able to [action], if [condition]

We could consider [action], as long as [condition]

Additional expressions:

One option would be to [action]

We're prepared to [action]

Instead, we could [alternative]

Would it help if we [action]?

We'd be prepared to propose [solution]

Example Sentences

We could offer additional support during the final phase.

What we can do is extend the warranty period by six months.

If you're open to a longer timeline, we could consider reducing the cost.

As an alternative, we could include extra user support and training at no additional cost.

We'd be willing to explore alternative specifications.

If delivery is flexible, we could offer a volume discount.

Provided that payments are made on schedule, we would extend the payment period.

We might be able to adjust the scope, if the budget allows.

We could consider that, as long as the overall timeline stays the same.

One option would be to phase the delivery over two months.

Instead, we could include additional support during the launch phase.

We're prepared to propose alternative specifications that could still satisfy your core needs.

Dialog: Scope, Features, or Workload

Client: From our perspective, the project scope doesn't fully meet our needs.

Provider: I understand your point; however, expanding the scope would be difficult under the current agreement.

Client: Would it be possible to adjust the scope slightly?

Provider: As an alternative, we could include additional support during the final phase.

Client: That could work for us, provided the overall timeline stays the same.

Provider: That makes sense. Let's move forward with that adjustment.

Variation:

Client: From our side, the current project scope does not completely meet our needs. We would like to add payment processing.

Provider: I understand your concern. However, adding that feature would be difficult under the current fixed agreement and budget.

Client: Is it possible to make a small adjustment to the scope?

Provider: Instead, we could include extra user support and training during the launch phase at no additional cost.

Client: That could be acceptable for us, as long as the overall timeline remains the same.

Provider: That works. Let's proceed with the additional support included.