The task
The lowest headline price may exclude installation, freight or a required warranty. An agent can organize differently formatted quotations against the same request and show which terms are comparable. Buyers receive a source-backed comparison and a list of clarifications, while supplier selection remains their decision.
What you provide
Request for quotation
An RFQ for 100 office chairs, including delivery, installation, warranty and the required delivery date.
Supplier responses
Three fictional quotes use different price formats: a delivered unit price, a base price with freight, and a quote without freight terms.
Evaluation criteria
Provide required specifications, weighting if applicable, accepted currencies and the rules for interpreting optional items.
Give the agent a clear brief
Use these instructions as a starting point, alongside your approved sources and permissions.
Compare these quotations against the RFQ. Extract quantities, unit prices, delivery charges, lead times, exclusions and warranty terms with source references. Normalize costs only when scope and currency match. Mark missing terms as not stated. List the clarification questions required for a fair comparison. Do not select a supplier or create a purchase order.
How the work comes together
Build one comparison structure
Read the RFQ first and turn its requirements into a common set of fields. This prevents a supplier’s presentation from determining what the comparison includes.
Normalize only comparable terms
Extract the amounts, units and commercial conditions. Show the calculation behind any normalized total, and keep currency, tax and scope differences visible.
Surface the questions that matter
Flag missing freight, unclear lead times and departures from the specification. Return a comparison table and supplier-specific questions for the sourcing team.
Illustrative example · fictional data
The cheapest quote is not yet comparable
All amounts below are fictional USD quotes for 100 chairs, excluding tax. Installation is included in each quote.
| Supplier | Comparable cost | Open point |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier A · quote §2 | $120 × 100 = $12,000, delivered | 4-week lead time |
| Supplier B · quote §3 | $110 × 100 + $1,500 freight = $12,500 | 2-week lead time |
| Supplier C · quote §1 | $105 × 100; freight not stated | Request delivered total |
No supplier is selected. The buyer still needs to assess specifications, delivery constraints and the missing commercial terms.
The human review
A procurement reviewer confirms scope equivalence and resolves missing terms. The sourcing committee applies its approved evaluation process and authorizes any award.
Set it up for your team
Supply the buying criteria
Include the actual RFQ and the requirements that make an offer acceptable. A price-only comparison is insufficient when scope differs.
Define normalization rules
Choose units, tax treatment and any approved exchange-rate source. Without these, report the original values without inventing conversions.
Restrict access to bid material
Limit each agent and reviewer to the procurement workspace and the relevant sourcing event.
Check the result before scaling
Review examples with bundled pricing, optional line items, alternate currencies and missing terms. Check calculation accuracy and whether the agent identifies non-comparable offers rather than forcing a ranking.
Keep the data in the right place
Supplier bids may contain negotiated prices and confidential specifications. Keep them in a restricted workspace with local inference where required, and disclose any external source used for exchange rates or supplier information.
Explore deployment optionsQuestions & answers
Can it compare quotations in different formats?
The workflow can extract common fields from PDFs, scans and structured documents. It needs the original RFQ and a defined comparison structure to identify differences reliably.
How are different currencies or exclusions handled?
Keep them explicit. Normalize currencies only with an approved rate and date, and do not calculate a comparable total when required charges or scope are missing.
Does the agent choose the winning supplier?
No. It prepares the evidence, calculations and clarification questions. The buyer or sourcing committee evaluates the tradeoffs and makes the award decision.