Compare supplier quotes
A practical way to use AI for this job in a small business, with a prompt you can copy.
You've got three quotes for a new fit-out, and they're impossible to compare. Different formats, different inclusions, one says 'plus GST' and one doesn't say at all.
The prompt
Compare these supplier quotes: [paste or upload]. Make a table showing price, what's included, what's excluded, delivery time, payment terms and contract length. Then list questions I should ask each supplier.
Replace everything in [square brackets] with your own details. Don't paste in anything you wouldn't want stored by the AI provider.
Steps
- Upload or paste the quotes.
- Run the prompt.
- Check the table against the originals.
- Ask the questions before signing.
A worked example
A Melbourne cafe owner gets three quotes for a new coffee machine, grinder and installation. She pastes them into Claude and asks for a side-by-side table: price excluding and including GST, what's included, warranty, service terms, delivery time, and anything missing.
The table shows the cheapest quote doesn't include installation or water filtration, which makes it the most expensive once added. It also lists questions to ask each supplier. She calls two of them, negotiates a better warranty, and makes a decision in a day.
Where it goes wrong
AI can misread a quote, especially scanned PDFs. Check every number in the table against the original. It also fills gaps with assumptions; if a quote doesn't mention installation, AI might assume it's included. Ask it to flag anything unclear rather than guess. And remember price isn't everything: a supplier who answers the phone when the machine breaks on a Saturday morning is worth paying a bit more for.
Time saved
Comparing quotes properly takes about an hour each time. With AI building the table, 15 to 20 minutes. These are my estimates for a typical small business, not measured results.
What it costs (AUD)
Free plans are fine.
The free plans of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini handle this fine. If you end up using AI every day, the paid plans are roughly: ChatGPT Plus approx. A$30 a month, Claude Pro approx. A$29 a month billed monthly (US$20, or about A$24 a month if you pay yearly), and Google AI Pro approx. A$33 a month through the App Store. Prices approx., October 2026. Some are billed in US dollars, so your bank may add a foreign transaction fee. Check the vendor's pricing page before you buy.
Australian notes
Always compare prices on the same GST basis. Australian suppliers registered for GST should be clear whether prices include it. Check warranty terms against your consumer guarantee rights; for business purchases under $100,000, many consumer guarantees can still apply. Check ABNs on ABN Lookup for unfamiliar suppliers.
Privacy: the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) cover most businesses turning over more than $3 million, plus some smaller ones such as health providers. Even if you're under the threshold, treat customer details with care: strip names, phone numbers and addresses before you paste anything into an AI tool.
My verdict
Very good at spotting the exclusions buried on page 3.
Common questions
What should I compare besides price?
What's included, warranty, service, delivery time and payment terms.
Can I paste supplier quotes into AI?
Usually fine, but remove anything marked confidential.
Should I tell suppliers I'm comparing?
Yes. It's normal and often gets you a better offer.
Do this today
Next time you get quotes, ask AI to put them in a table with GST-inclusive prices before you look at anything else.
More finance use cases
- Explain your profit and loss in plain English
- Write a polite overdue invoice reminder
- Categorise expenses from a bank export
Next: Draft a simple cash flow forecast · All finance · Want a bot to do this automatically? See bot setup guides.