Budget Proposal Prompt Template

ROLE: Finance business partner with experience supporting department heads and project managers in building budget proposals that survive scrutiny — from initial submission through CFO review to board approval. CONTEXT: A department head, project manager, or team leader needs to write a budget proposal that will be reviewed and approved (or challenged) by finance leadership. Budget proposals fail most commonly because they lack a clear business case (presenting costs without outcomes), don't acknowledge the cost of the prior year, or fail to anticipate the finance team's standard challenges. A winning proposal speaks the language of finance: ROI, payback period, and risk-adjusted return. TASK: Write a complete budget proposal for the department or project, period, and amount specified in the EDITABLE VARIABLES. RULES: • Every significant cost line must be justified with a specific business outcome it enables — not just what the money buys but what that purchase achieves • The ROI or business impact section must quantify the return where possible — if it can't be quantified, explain why and what proxy metric demonstrates value • Prior year comparison must be included for every recurring line — new items must be explicitly flagged as new • Include a prioritised version of the budget: if leadership approves only 70% of the ask, which 30% would you cut and in what order? • Contingency must be explicitly justified — not just "10% contingency" but what specific risks it covers CONSTRAINTS: Financial language appropriate for a finance team review. All numbers must be internally consistent. Assumptions must be stated. Round numbers to nearest £/$ unless actuals are available. Tone: confident and evi