# Vendor quote comparison prompt: free ChatGPT template > Compare vendor quotes side by side on price, what's included, timing and warranty, with "Not in quote" for gaps and the questions to ask before you choose. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/vendor-quote-comparison-prompt · Updated 2026-10-01 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Reports and planning](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#job-reports-and-planning) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 1, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Role, Context, Task and Format. Copy prompt ```text 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript). 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. Copy example ```text 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/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. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/prompt-writing-101) Also useful: [Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript) ## Terms used here [Structured output](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/structured-output) · [Grounding](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/grounding) · [Estimate, quote and bid](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/estimate-vs-quote) ## Related prompts - [Request for quote email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/request-for-quote-email-prompt): Ask suppliers for prices with one clear email: the same specs, quantity and deadline for everyone, and a list of what each quote… - [Vendor late order follow-up prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/vendor-late-order-follow-up-prompt): Write a short, firm follow-up to a vendor about a late, short or unshipped purchase order: the PO, the problem, one question and… - [Decision log prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/decision-log-prompt): Pull every settled decision out of meeting notes and messages into a dated log: who decided, why, and when to revisit, plus what… - [Budget variance explanation prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/budget-variance-explanation-prompt): Turn a budget-versus-actual report into a plain-English explanation of what moved and why, using only the reasons you give, plus… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)