Try it with fictional data first.
Read the complete sample input
Supplier,Quantity,Unit USD,Shipping USD,Setup USD,Goods discount pct,Delivery business days,Volume mL,Logo colors,Notes Aster,120,8.40,65,40,0,12,500,1,Second logo color not quoted Birch,120,7.90,120,75,5,18,500,2,Discount applies to goods only Cedar,120,9.10,0,0,0,8,500,2,Delivery estimate starts after proof approval
Documentation-based recipe. The sample arithmetic and the $50 shipping change were independently checked; no Claude workflow, procurement savings or model accuracy were measured.
Know what you need.
Sonnet 5.5 is a reasonable starting point for quote notes and a small workbook. Calculation code and spreadsheet formulas should do the arithmetic, not prose from the model.
- Three comparable quotes, an agreed specification, budget and deadline
- An approved Claude browser account with Create and edit files enabled
- Excel or LibreOffice for checking the downloaded workbook
The small CSV can fit Claude Free usage; paid plans increase allowances. This browser recipe does not require an API subscription. Check current limits before using large or scanned quotes.
From input to something usable.
Set the brief and enable file creation
Choose Sonnet 5.5 in a new Claude chat. In Settings → Capabilities, enable Create and edit files. Attach supplier-quotes.csv with + → Add files or photos. The sample brief is 120 × 500 mL stainless-steel bottles, a two-color logo, at most 10 business days after proof approval, and a $1,200 pretax budget.
Official instructionsExtract first when the inputs are PDFs
For real quotes, ask for a preview with supplier, page, original currency/amount, quantity, discount scope and delivery wording. Correct it against the source. Unreadable is not zero. The clean practice CSV skips this extraction stage.
Generate an editable comparison
Send the prompt below. Download the XLSX and open it in Excel or LibreOffice. Inspect the formula bar for a total and confirm numeric inputs are numbers. With the sample’s input-column order, this is the total formula:
=B2*C2*(1-F2/100)+D2+E2Test a changed assumption
Change Cedar shipping from 0 to 50. Its total must change from $1,092 to $1,142. Restore 0 afterward. A static pasted table will fail this check.
Read the exceptions before choosing
Cedar is provisionally the only quote meeting the numerical brief; its eight-day delivery is an estimate after proof approval. Aster’s second print color is unquoted. Confirm missing charges and delivery guarantees before any order.
Start with an explicit request.
Compare the attached fictional supplier quotes for 120 stainless-steel
500 mL bottles with a TWO-color logo. Budget: USD 1200 before tax.
Delivery: at most 10 business days after proof approval.
Preserve the input rows and notes. Do not browse or invent missing fees.
Calculate goods subtotal, goods discount, shipping, setup and total
using code, then create an XLSX with working, editable formulas.
Discount pct applies ONLY to quantity × unit price.
Show pretax landed total and cost per bottle, plus separate checks for
volume, logo colors, quoted delivery and budget. Keep estimated versus
guaranteed delivery distinct. Unknown means unknown, not zero.
Use one compact comparison sheet. Put editable assumptions above the
table and a short recommendation below it. Include each rejected
supplier's actual reason; do not average incompatible specifications.
Tell me what still needs confirmation before an order. Return the
calculation code too so I can audit the numbers independently.Check this before calling it done.
Illustrative expected output, not output observed from a model run.
| Supplier | Pretax total | Per bottle | Meets the sample brief? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aster | $1,113.00 | $9.275 | No: 12 days; second print color unquoted |
| Birch | $1,095.60 | $9.13 | No: 18 days |
| Cedar | $1,092.00 | $9.10 | Provisional: 8-day estimate; numerical specification matches |
Birch has the lowest unit price, but Cedar’s known total is lower after fees. Aster’s known total is not a complete two-color price. $9.275 may display as $9.28; do not multiply the rounded display to reconstruct the total.
- Discount applies only to quantity × unit price
- Cedar shipping +$50 produces a $1,142 total
- Delivery remains an estimate, not a guarantee; unquoted fees remain unknown
Fix the failure, not the wording.
5% becomes $5
Label it as a percentage of the goods subtotal.
Missing freight becomes zero
Keep an empty value and Not quoted; only an explicitly quoted zero is zero.
Totals do not update
Request working formulas rather than pasted totals and inspect the formula bar.
Currencies differ
Stop and specify a dated exchange-rate policy instead of letting the model choose one.
When another approach is better
For clean structured quotes, a spreadsheet plus the formula may be simpler than AI. For scanned quotes, manually verify extracted numbers before calculating.
Sources & what was checked.
Documentation-based recipe. The sample arithmetic and the $50 shipping change were independently checked; no Claude workflow, procurement savings or model accuracy were measured.
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