ChatGPT
Claude
Gemini
WhatsApp
Gmail
Google Sheets
Google DriveA purchase team at a factory in Mumbai's Taloja belt or in Pune often gets three or four quotes for the same part. One comes as a PDF, one as an Excel sheet, and one as a photo sent on WhatsApp. Each vendor writes prices differently. Some quote ex-works, some add freight later, and some leave out GST. This guide shows you how to bring those quotes into one table with ChatGPT, then check the numbers yourself before anyone signs.
What you need
- Two or three quotes for the same item, as PDF, Excel or clear photos
- A paid business account in ChatGPT (Business or Team), or the same kind of plan in Claude or Gemini
- Google Sheets or Excel open beside the chat, for the final table and the arithmetic
- Your must-have list: delivery date, payment terms, warranty, minimum order quantity (MOQ)
Step 1: Set up a project for the purchase
Create a project in ChatGPT and name it after the purchase, for example "Bearing purchase Q3". OpenAI's help article on Projects says project instructions apply only inside that project, so you can save your standing rules once. Upload the quotes to the project rather than to a loose chat. One project per purchase keeps the quotes from mixing with other work.
Step 2: Ask the AI to build one table
Start a chat inside the project and paste this prompt. Each vendor becomes one row.
Read the attached quotes. Make one table with one row per vendor and these columns: vendor name, quote date, valid until, unit price in ₹, quantity, lead time in days, payment terms, freight, packing and forwarding, GST rate, GST amount, and total payable in ₹. If a value is not stated in a quote, write "not stated" instead of guessing.
Keep the "not stated" rule. A missing freight charge is a finding, and a guessed number hides it.
Step 3: Check the numbers in a sheet
Do not trust the AI's arithmetic. Copy the table into Google Sheets or Excel and calculate totals with formulas such as =C2*D2 for the line value and =SUM(F2:F5) for a column total. Compare each sheet total with the total printed on the quote. If they differ, check the quote itself, not the AI's answer. Keep GST, freight, and packing and forwarding in separate columns, so you can see what each vendor includes. Put the landed cost (the goods plus freight, packing and GST) in its own column, and compare vendors on that figure, not on unit price alone. If you are unsure how GST applies to a vendor's invoice, ask your accountant.
Step 4: Find what is missing
Next, ask the AI to list the gaps against your own requirements. Paste your must-have list in the square brackets.
Compare these quotes against our requirements: [paste your requirements, one per line]. For each vendor, list what is missing, unclear, or different from a requirement. Quote the exact sentence from the quote where you found each point.
Ask for the exact sentence. If the AI cannot point to it, the point is probably wrong.
Step 5: Ask vendors to confirm in writing
Use the gap list to write one clarification email per vendor. Read every email before you send it, and send it from your company mailbox, not a personal address.
Draft a short, polite email to [Vendor A contact name] asking them to confirm the following in writing: [list the gaps]. Keep it under 120 words, in plain English. Sign off as [your name], [your role], [company name].
Change "Vendor A" to the real contact name before sending. Use Vendor A and Vendor B in internal notes if you want to keep names out of shared chats.
Step 6: Write the decision note
When the vendors have replied, update the sheet, then ask for a short note your manager can read in two minutes.
Using the comparison table I paste below, write a one-page decision note for [manager name] recommending one vendor. Show the landed cost for each vendor, the main risks, and the reason for the recommendation. Use only figures that appear in the table: [paste table].
Check each figure in the note against the sheet before it goes anywhere.
Tips
- Upload the original quotes, not only your summary, so you can ask the AI to point back to the source.
- Use the same requirement list for every vendor. Changing the list between vendors biases the result.
- Note the quote validity date. Prices often change after it.
- Save the final Sheet, not only the chat, with the purchase order number in the file name.
- Run the process once with a purchase you have already closed. You will learn which columns your team needs.
Keep it safe
Vendor prices and terms are confidential business information. Use your company's paid business account, not a personal login. Check the vendor's NDA before you upload their quote. Remove your bank details and the personal phone numbers of vendor staff before you paste anything. OpenAI's help article on ChatGPT Business describes how business workspace data is handled, and Google's help page on Gemini in Workspace says Workspace data is not used to train the underlying models. Read your provider's current business terms before you decide what your team may upload.
Sources
More for Manufacturing: see what AI can do for your industry →
