ProposalVault guide

From source material to reviewed response

Follow the core workflow for preparing RFP and security questionnaire answers with your team.

  1. 1

    Choose how to start

    Use the Dashboard to create a blank response, import a spreadsheet, or use AI to extract questions from a PDF.

    • Select Start New RFP to create a blank RFP or security questionnaire.
    • Use Import CSV/Excel for a questionnaire in CSV, XLS, or XLSX format.
    • Growth users can select AI PDF Shredder to extract questions from a PDF questionnaire.
  2. 2

    Build your Answer Library

    Upload the approved source material ProposalVault should use when it drafts answers.

    • Open Answer Library from the sidebar or select Update Security Policy on the Dashboard.
    • Choose the category that best matches the source content: Security, Legal, Product, or General.
    • Under Document scope, leave the selection empty to share the document across the workspace, or select one or more projects to restrict where ProposalVault can use it.
    • Drop a readable, text-based PDF or TXT file into the upload area, or select Choose File. Files can be up to 25 MB; scanned image-only PDFs are not supported.
    • Keep the page open while the file uploads, its text is extracted, and the content is processed for search.
    • Confirm that the document appears in Your Documents with the intended category and project scope before generating answers.
  3. 3

    Import questionnaire questions

    Bring an existing questionnaire into a project without recreating every question by hand.

    • Choose Import CSV/Excel on the Dashboard and upload your CSV, XLS, or XLSX file.
    • Review the automatic column mapping. Question Text is required; you can also map category, priority, pre-filled responses, IDs, status, notes, and owner or department.
    • Enter the project name, client name, and project type. ProposalVault imports the questions and starts AI answer generation using your Answer Library.
    • For PDF questionnaires, Growth users can select the PDF tab, upload a readable text-based PDF, and wait while AI PDF Shredder extracts the questions.
    • Review the extracted question text, reference IDs, and categories, then select Continue to enter the project details.
  4. 4

    Select a question

    Open a project from My Projects or the Dashboard, then work through its questions in the editor.

    • Use the progress bar to see how many questions are complete and open Export Project when the project is ready.
    • Review the question text, category, external ID, department, status, and notes when they were included in an import.
    • Use the department filter to focus on an assigned team, or add a question manually when the questionnaire changes.
  5. 5

    Prepare source material for AI

    Before generating a draft, make sure the Answer Library contains approved information relevant to the selected question.

    • From the project editor, identify the policy, product document, or approved response material that supports the question you want to answer.
    • Open Answer Library, choose a matching category, and select the current project under Document scope. Leave the scope empty only when the document is suitable for every project in the workspace.
    • Upload a readable PDF or TXT source document and wait until processing reaches Upload complete. Do not leave the page while processing is still running.
    • Verify that the source appears in Your Documents. Check its category and confirm that the current project is listed in its scope, or that it is marked as shared across the workspace.
    • Return to My Projects, reopen the project, and select the question's answer field. ProposalVault can only generate a grounded draft when relevant processed source content is available to that project.
  6. 6

    Generate an AI draft

    Generate a suggested answer from relevant content in your Answer Library.

    • Confirm that the relevant source document has finished processing in the Answer Library and is shared with the workspace or assigned to this project.
    • Select the question's blank answer field, then select the wand icon or Generate Answer with AI in the AI Assistant.
    • Read the one-time AI processing notice, including the human-review requirement and Terms of Service link, then select I understand - Generate to continue.
    • Wait for generation to finish. If ProposalVault cannot find relevant source material, return to the Answer Library and upload or re-scope a suitable document instead of treating the warning as an answer.
    • Review the generated draft, cited source documents, confidence score, and warnings. Use Shorten, Expand, or Formal only after checking that the underlying facts are supported.
  7. 7

    Review, save, and approve

    Treat every AI response as a draft and verify it against your approved source material before use.

    • Read the draft and compare it with the cited Answer Library source. Check names, dates, control descriptions, commitments, and any claims before accepting it.
    • If the source is missing, irrelevant, or outdated, update the Answer Library and generate the answer again. Do not approve an unsupported draft.
    • Select Use This Answer to apply the reviewed AI draft to the question, then edit the answer field when your response needs clarification or buyer-specific wording.
    • Select Save Draft to preserve manual edits, added questions, and restored versions.
    • Open version history to compare or restore an earlier answer. The project activity log records work completed in the project.
    • When Human Review Mode is enabled in Team Settings, approve each reviewed AI answer before treating it as final.
  8. 8

    Export and collaborate

    Finish a complete project, download it in the format you need, and keep the workspace ready for the next response.

    • Answer every question before exporting. Export is available on Starter and Growth plans; choose CSV, PDF, or copy all answers to the clipboard.
    • In the PDF export dialog, create the standard PDF with an optional logo or upload a Word template for a custom document export.
    • Open Team Settings to invite a teammate as a Viewer, Editor, or Admin. You can resend or cancel pending invitations.
    • Use Human Review Mode when AI-generated answers require explicit approval, and keep the Answer Library current between projects.

Need help with a workflow or account?

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