Have you looked to see if the company has set proposal/solicitation guidelines? If they do, you need to use them, if not you can go another way.
I use the Federal research proposal/solicitation guidelines. The papers I write go to organizations like, the National Science Foundation and various military research groups. The basic proposal guidelines usually differ for each, but there is a lot of uniformity.
Of course you do not have to use any of these, but if you are looking for a professional way to package your proposal, then I would follow at least one of them. I do these types of contracts a lot in my work, I would say that the SBIR format would be a simple way to start and would suggest the NSF route, if you have a good plan and one that can work with said guidelines.
You will know, rather quickly, if your proposal is up to muster when you start filling this out. Assuming that your proposal is up to par, then I would suggest doing the NSF format, as if you were planning on delivering it to the NSF.
(You might also want to see if the NSF has open solicitations on the subject in question, as they pay rather well)
These types of proposals/solicitations can be a pain in the ass, so, just let me know if you get stuck and I will help as I can.
Good luck.
Here is the National Science Foundation (NSF):
Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
Here is the DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) 12.3 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Proposal Submission InstructionsI am unsure if you need it, but here is the DOD/NASA
FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION information.
Also here is some basic information to help understand the whole process.
Federal Contracts Compliance: Understanding The Basic Rules