Vendor quote comparison prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this when you have two to four quotes for the same job and they are written in completely different ways: one hourly, one flat, one with a diagnostic fee. The AI lines them up on the same rows, marks what each quote doesn't say, and lists the questions to ask each vendor. The rule that matters most: a missing warranty or fee is "Not in quote," never "included."
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are helping [BUSINESS] compare vendor quotes before we decide. Context: We need [WHAT WE NEED]. What matters most to us, in order: [PRIORITIES]. Below are the quotes, copied in full. Use only what each quote says. If a quote doesn't mention something (warranty, fees, timing), write "Not in quote". Never assume it's included or free. Show any math you do. Task: Compare the quotes on the same rows. Then list the questions to ask each vendor, and say which quote best fits my priorities and what would change that answer. Format: A table with one column per vendor and rows for total price, what's included, extra costs, timing, warranty and anything unusual. Then "Questions to ask" by vendor, then a recommendation under 60 words. Here are the quotes: [QUOTES]
Fill in the blanks
[BUSINESS]- Your business name and what it does.
[WHAT WE NEED]- The job in a sentence, including any deadline. It keeps the comparison on what you're actually buying.
[PRIORITIES]- What matters, ranked: speed, total cost, warranty, a vendor you know. The recommendation follows this order.
[QUOTES]- Each quote in full with the vendor's name on top. Copy them rather than summarizing, so nothing gets lost.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT. Harbor Street Bakery is the made-up bakery in the meeting summary lesson, where Luis mentions oven two clicking again. He got three repair quotes; the vendors and prices are made up.
Role: You are helping Harbor Street Bakery, a neighborhood bakery, compare vendor quotes before we decide. Context: We need oven two repaired; it makes a clicking noise, and we need it working before holiday pie orders start. What matters most to us, in order: back in service soon, a warranty on the repair, total cost. Below are the quotes, copied in full. Use only what each quote says. If a quote doesn't mention something (warranty, fees, timing), write "Not in quote". Never assume it's included or free. Show any math you do. Task: Compare the quotes on the same rows. Then list the questions to ask each vendor, and say which quote best fits my priorities and what would change that answer. Format: A table with one column per vendor and rows for total price, what's included, extra costs, timing, warranty and anything unusual. Then "Questions to ask" by vendor, then a recommendation under 60 words. Here are the quotes: Ridge Oven Service: $95 diagnostic visit, credited toward the repair if we go ahead. Likely the convection fan motor, $380 parts and labor. Can come Thursday. 90-day warranty on parts and labor. Metro Bakery Equipment: Replace convection fan motor, $450 flat, includes the service call. Earliest visit next Tuesday. QuickFix Appliance: $65 an hour plus parts, about 2 to 3 hours. Available tomorrow.
What a good answer looks like
- QuickFix's labor shown as math: $130 to $195 plus parts, with parts and warranty "Not in quote."
- Ridge's total as $380 if the fan motor is the problem, with the $95 credited, and a note that "likely" means not yet diagnosed.
- Questions that close the gaps: "What warranty do you give?" for QuickFix, "Is the fan motor confirmed?" for Metro.
- A recommendation that follows your order (soon, warranty, cost) and says what would change it.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Re-type each price from the original quotes. A transposed number in a table looks just as official as a right one.
- Redo the math: 2 to 3 hours at $65 is $130 to $195. Don't trust a sum you didn't check.
- Look at every "Not in quote" cell and every "included." Each "included" should trace to words in that quote.
- Call the vendors with the questions before you decide. The table is a start, not the answer.
Practice it in the free lesson
Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format: Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT
Terms used here
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