AI System for Separating Supplier Quotations into Technical and Commercial Fields

The problem

When quotations, specifications, prices, delivery details and deviations are held in different sources, their fields must be matched manually before a technical and commercial comparison can be prepared.

The procurement lead must compare every suggestion in the technical and commercial comparison with the source record; missing or conflicting evidence must not replace the final decision.

If prices stated in different currencies or tiers are not referred for separate review, non-equivalent terms may be compared; the record must not proceed without a human decision.

What we set out to improve

• Time taken for the technical and commercial comparison draft to reach the procurement lead for review with its supporting evidence
• Outcomes of records referred for human review because prices are stated in different currencies or tiers
• Number of suggestions corrected after identifying the risk of comparing non-equivalent terms

How the system works

1. 01 Retrieve the quotation, specification, price, delivery details and deviations from authorised sources using the record identifier
2. 02 Link source, date and version details to the shared work record
3. 03 Validate fields and units
4. 04 Prepare the technical and commercial comparison with its supporting evidence
5. 05 Check for the exception: prices are stated in different currencies or tiers
6. 06 The procurement lead accepts, amends or rejects the draft
7. 07 Write the approved decision and its source to the audit log

Methods we used

• A source-referenced shared data schema for the quotation, specification, price, delivery details and deviations
• A decision structure that separates deterministic rules from AI suggestions
• A review screen showing the technical and commercial comparison alongside the underlying evidence
• A mandatory human review queue when prices are stated in different currencies or tiers
• An event identifier that prevents duplicate processing

Where people stay involved

Data and security

Only the fields required for this decision should be processed from the quotation, specification, price, delivery details and deviations. Access to source systems should be authorised separately from the procurement lead role; personal, commercial and technical secrets should not be passed into the model context unnecessarily. Reads, suggestions and human decisions should be logged separately.

Who this suits

Frequently asked questions