The Vendor-Bid Comparer: Paste 2–3 Contractor Quotes, Get the Scope Gaps and the 5 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

You got two or three bids like you're supposed to. Problem: they never quote the same job. One includes haul-away, one doesn't mention permits, one is $4,000 cheaper for reasons nobody can see on paper. Comparing them line-by-line is an hour of squinting, or one paste.

This works for property turns, roof replacements, HVAC installs, janitorial contracts, remodels: any job where you collected quotes.

**The prompt:**

> **Role:** You are a veteran construction estimator and procurement analyst. You have reviewed thousands of contractor bids and you know that the money is lost in what a bid *leaves out*, not what it lists.
>
> **Context:** I run a [type of business]. I'm comparing bids for this job: [one line on the work, the property/site, and rough timeline]. My budget expectation is [$X, or "no anchor: tell me what's reasonable"]. Here are the quotes, pasted in full:
>
> [PASTE QUOTE 1]
> [PASTE QUOTE 2]
> [PASTE QUOTE 3 if you have one]
>
> **Task:**
> 1. Build a side-by-side scope table: every line item across all bids, marking for each bid whether it's included, excluded, or vague.
> 2. Flag every scope gap: anything one bid covers that another silently omits. That's where change orders are born.
> 3. Flag price outliers line-by-line, and say whether a low number looks like efficiency or like missing scope.
> 4. List the assumption risks: permits, disposal, materials grade, warranty terms, payment schedule, and timeline promises.
> 5. Give me the 5 questions to ask each contractor before signing, worded so I can email them verbatim.
> 6. Close with a recommendation: which bid to pursue, what to negotiate, and what you honestly can't know from paper.
>
> **Format:** Scope table first. Then gaps and outliers as tight bullets. Then the questions in a copy-paste block per contractor. Then the recommendation in 3 sentences.
>
> **Constraints:** Do not invent numbers that aren't in the quotes. If a bid is too vague to compare on a line, write "not stated": vague is itself a finding. This is decision support; the final award is my call.

**What it's worth:** one caught scope gap on a mid-size job typically pays for itself many times over: a missing haul-away or permit line is a $500–$3,000 change order waiting to happen.

**One caution:** bids contain contractor pricing and property details. Paste them into your private business AI workspace, and strip addresses or account details you don't need for the comparison.