Let’s cut to the chase—having your hard-earned proposals shared with rival integrators is more than annoying. It’s costly, demoralizing, and all too common.
You invest time walking through a client’s home, specifying products, creating a tailored proposal in D-Tools, and maybe even drafting a design in AutoCAD or Visio. Then the client takes your blueprint and shops it around to find someone cheaper. Worse still, your competitor might show it to suppliers or use it to gain an edge with pricing, processes—or even poach your staff.
And you’re left with nothing but wasted time and a sense of betrayal.
So, what can you do? Not a lot legally, but there are a couple of moves you can make.
You can add a line like this to your proposals or emails:
“The terms and conditions of this proposal are confidential and shall not be disclosed to third parties except as necessary to effectuate its terms.”
This isn’t legally binding unless the client has already signed something. It’s more of a psychological nudge than legal armor. Think of it as a polite warning sign—one that might make clients think twice before forwarding your work.
This is the most effective tactic. It changes the tone of the engagement and discourages time-wasters.
Yes, some prospects will push back. But serious clients will respect your time—and your expertise. Many integrators charge $100 to S250 for a residential design. If the job moves forward, that fee is credited back to the client. It also filters out the tire-kickers.
Here’s another reason to consider it: According to the recent D-Tools 2024 Year-in-Review Report, only 53% of the 175,000+ proposals created in D-Tools Cloud software in 2024 were converted to contracts—down from 59% in 2023. That dip says it all... competition is fierce.
A design fee can increase your close rate by weeding out clients who were never serious to begin with. Besides, if a client won’t pay a design fee and is happy to shop your hard work to the lowest bidder… is that really the kind of client you want?