Understanding Roles
Roles determine what team members can do in Proposal Forge. Assign roles based on responsibilities.
Available Roles
Owner
The organization creator with full access.
Can do everything, including:
- Manage billing and subscription
- Delete the organization
- Transfer ownership
- All admin capabilities
Note: There's only one owner per organization.
Admin
Full access to manage the organization.
Capabilities:
- Invite and manage team members
- Configure organization settings
- Access all RFPs and proposals
- Manage templates and assets
- View all analytics
- Approve proposals
Best for: Team leads, department heads
Manager
Oversees proposals and team output.
Capabilities:
- Create and manage RFPs
- Create and manage proposals
- Assign work to contributors
- Approve proposals
- View analytics
- Manage assets
Cannot:
- Invite team members
- Change organization settings
- Access billing
Best for: Proposal managers, project leads
Proposal Lead
Leads individual proposals.
Capabilities:
- Create and edit proposals
- Upload and manage RFPs
- Generate AI content
- Assign sections to contributors
- Export proposals
- View own analytics
Cannot:
- Approve proposals
- Manage team
- Access organization settings
Best for: Senior writers, proposal coordinators
Contributor
Creates and edits content.
Capabilities:
- Edit assigned sections
- View proposals they're assigned to
- Add comments
- Upload assets
- Update their CV
Cannot:
- Create new proposals
- Access unassigned proposals
- Approve content
- Export proposals
Best for: Subject matter experts, writers
Reviewer
Reviews and approves content.
Capabilities:
- View proposals for review
- Add comments and feedback
- Approve or request changes
- View read-only proposals
Cannot:
- Edit proposal content
- Create proposals
- Manage assets
Best for: Quality reviewers, executives
Viewer
Read-only access.
Capabilities:
- View proposals (if granted access)
- View analytics
- Export reports
Cannot:
- Create or edit anything
- Add comments
- Approve content
Best for: Stakeholders who need visibility
Permission Details
RFPs
| Action | Owner | Admin | Manager | Lead | Contributor | Reviewer | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View all | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Own only | Assigned | Assigned |
| Create | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Edit | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Delete | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Proposals
| Action | Owner | Admin | Manager | Lead | Contributor | Reviewer | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Edit | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Assigned | ✗ | ✗ |
| Approve | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Assets
| Action | Owner | Admin | Manager | Lead | Contributor | Reviewer | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View all | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Own CV | ✗ | ✗ |
| Edit | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Own only | ✗ | ✗ |
| Delete | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Organization
| Action | Owner | Admin | Manager | Lead | Contributor | Reviewer | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Settings | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Team | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Billing | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Own | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Choosing Roles
Consider
- What does this person need to do?
- What shouldn't they access?
- Are they managing others?
- Do they need approval authority?
Common Setups
Small Team:
- Owner (you)
- 1-2 Contributors
Medium Team:
- Owner
- 1 Admin
- 2-3 Proposal Leads
- Several Contributors
- 1 Reviewer
Large Team:
- Owner
- Multiple Admins
- Several Managers
- Proposal Leads per business line
- Many Contributors
- Review team
Changing Roles
Admins and owners can change roles:
- Go to Team
- Find the member
- Click Change Role
- Select new role
- Save
Changes take effect immediately.