Ask HN: Getting New Business

I have some experience with a large company's totally inadequate search solution, and would like to put myself forward as the person to fix it.

The way I would think to do it is to write a large proposal, going into depth how the current solution is bad and how it should be improved.

But of course this is also a lot of unpaid work, preferably I would like to get paid for it, but my experience is in having companies ask me to build things, not suggesting to companies what I should build for them.

The company under question is also very compartmentalized/arranged under sort of feudal lines, I have some connections in the company but not in the area that needs to be improved so I wonder if my best entry should be to contact someone at the top of the organization and make my pitch.

Suggestions on how to proceed appreciated.