As of 13 August 2026, AI can compare prices from office suppliers.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 30 minutes until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open a blank spreadsheet and create columns for supplier, product or model, pack size, quantity, unit price, VAT treatment, delivery charge, total, availability, delivery date, minimum order and source reference.
   2. Write the exact specification you need, including the product or model, quality, pack size, quantity, delivery location and required delivery date.
   3. Gather the current quotations, price lists, product pages or invoices from each office supplier and keep the original files or links with the date received.
   4. Paste or attach the specification and all supplier material to a chatbot with the supplied comparison prompt.
   5. Copy the resulting comparison into the spreadsheet and check every product description, pack size, price, VAT status and delivery charge against the original supplier material.
   6. Recalculate each total in the spreadsheet, resolve missing terms with the supplier, and mark any offer that is not genuinely like for like.
   7. Send the checked comparison and the unresolved assumptions to the authorised budget holder for approval before placing the order.

   Prompt

   Compare the office-supplier prices in the material below. Do not browse, guess or fill gaps with assumptions. First identify the exact product or service, brand or model, pack size, quantity, unit price, VAT treatment, delivery charge, delivery date, contract terms, minimum order, availability and any other condition stated by each supplier. Convert the offers into a like-for-like comparison, showing the calculation for each total and keeping prices in pounds sterling. Separate prices that include VAT from prices that exclude VAT, and do not compare them as if they were the same. Flag missing, ambiguous, incompatible or out-of-date information instead of choosing an interpretation. State which offer is lowest only where the offers are genuinely comparable, then list the non-price reasons that could change the decision. End with a short procurement checklist of facts I must confirm with each supplier before ordering. Use only the supplied material and cite the supplier and page, row or quotation reference for every figure.
   
   Required specification:
   [product or service, model, quality, pack size, quantity, delivery location and required delivery date]
   
   Supplier material:
   [Paste or attach supplier quotations, price lists, product pages, spreadsheets or invoices here]

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.