Separate the thinking from the artwork.
A proposal may include audience research, positioning and messaging as well as design. Ask which of those are included and what you receive from each stage. A short discovery conversation and a written strategy document represent different amounts of work.
Describe the business problem in your brief. That helps the provider recommend the level of research and design needed. It also gives you a fair way to evaluate whether a concept is solving the right issue.
Name the identity components.
The agreed set may include a primary logo, alternative layout, symbol, colour palette, typography and supporting graphic elements. Explain how those parts will be used. An identity for packaging has different requirements from an identity used mainly in proposals and email.
Ask for examples of the proposed applications. Seeing a concept in context is useful for judging legibility, hierarchy and consistency. Final applications and concept mockups should be distinguished in the handover.
Specify the files and working tools.
Agree editable files, export formats, software requirements and the scope of the usage guide. Identify any print specifications with the production supplier. Include font and image licensing responsibilities in the written agreement.
For templates, say who will edit them and how often. A complicated file that staff cannot update is unlikely to remain consistent. Keep the first set focused on recurring business needs.
Make approval and rollout part of the brief.
Name the decision-maker, concept stages and feedback rounds. Set out how extra revisions or new applications are authorised. Then assign responsibility for updating the website, documents, social profiles and physical materials.
Before accepting a proposal, check that you understand what is excluded. Printing, website development, photography, registrations and ongoing design are included only when specified. The completed project should leave a clear inventory of what was delivered.