Predictika · Utility structures quotes

An AI sales agent's utility pole quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a utility that wants spun prestressed concrete poles or steel poles in a chosen length and load class, with options and delivery. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of pole offering rules and illustrative prices and returns a verdict, every reason, a line-item quote and the figures it computed.

Scope: Utility pole quotes for spun prestressed concrete and steel poles: length and load class limits, options, order size, delivery distance, truckloads, discount and the total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models pole quotes from Arcosa Utility Structures, not just the scenarios shown below. Arcosa's pole families are public: spun prestressed concrete poles and steel poles, including the Ameron Pole Products line that Arcosa added. The lengths, load classes, per-foot prices, freight and discount rules in this model are modeled from comparable utility pole products and are not published by Arcosa.

  • Spun prestressed concrete poles — 25 to 90 feet in four load classes, Light, Medium, Heavy and Extra Heavy. Galvanizing does not apply to them.
  • Steel poles — 25 to 120 feet in the same four load classes, with optional galvanizing priced for each foot of pole. Poles over 100 feet go to an engineering review.
  • Load class and options — the Light class is offered up to 60 feet, a crossarm needs a pole of 30 feet or more, and a ground lug is available on any pole.
  • Order rules — 1 to 2,000 poles on one quote (more than 500 goes to production scheduling), delivery up to 2,500 miles, truckloads that depend on the total pole length, a discount a rep can give by order size, a further 10 percent with sales leadership approval, and the total compared with the amount the agent states.

Any pole quote for these two families is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: wind towers, telecom, traffic and lighting structures, transmission structures, foundations and installation, custom drilling, taxes and negotiated terms. The prices are illustrative.

The AI sales agentBuilds the pole quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Maximum lengths that differ by pole materialOnly with care
Concrete and steel have different ceilings, and a taller pole adds a review step; each is another rule to keep in step.		The ceiling follows the material and the review threshold is applied in the same pass.
Load classes that are only offered up to a heightOnly with care
A class and height grid maintained by hand, easy to let drift from the catalog.		The class limit is checked against the length on every call.
Options that apply to one material or one heightOnly with workarounds
Galvanizing is steel only and a crossarm needs a taller pole, so an option can be valid in one quote and invalid in the next.		Each option is checked against the pole type and length it is quoted with.
Freight built from truckloads of pole lengthOnly with workarounds
Truckloads depend on total feet and the material, rounded up, then priced by distance, which is easy to get wrong by hand.		Truckloads are rounded up and priced by distance, and the total is compared with the amount the agent states.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The quote has poles of 24 feet; lengths from 25 to 120 feet are offered.
2Poles of 121 feet need an engineering review of the load class and foundation before pricing is released.
3Spun prestressed concrete poles are offered up to 90 feet; the quote has poles of 91 feet. Steel poles are offered up to 120 feet.
4The Light load class is offered up to 60 feet; the quote has poles of 61 feet. Medium or heavier classes are offered above that.
5Galvanizing applies to steel poles only; spun concrete poles are not galvanized.
6A crossarm is offered on poles of 30 feet or more; the quote has poles of 29 feet.
7The quote has 0 poles; 1 to 2,000 poles are offered on one quote.
8An order of 2,001 poles needs a production scheduling review before a delivery date is committed.
9The quote has a delivery distance of 2,501 miles; 0 to 2,500 miles is offered.
10A discount of 6 percent is above the 5 percent that a rep can give for this order size; sales leadership should approve it.
11The quote has a discount of 16 percent; an order this size can be discounted up to 5 percent without sales leadership and 10 percent more with approval.
12The quote states a total of $35,899; the modeled prices give $35,900.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Large spun concrete order: A 400-pole spun concrete order with over-length poles, galvanizing, a discount above the limit and a total that does not match

    
The agent's request. Please quote 400 spun prestressed concrete poles of 95 feet in the Heavy load class, delivered 1,800 miles, with a crossarm, a ground lug and galvanizing and a 30 percent discount. The quote states a total of $1,519,600.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Spun concrete too long. Spun prestressed concrete poles are offered up to 90 feet; the quote has poles of 95 feet. Steel poles are offered up to 120 feet.
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  • Galvanizing only on steel. Galvanizing applies to steel poles only; spun concrete poles are not galvanized.
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  • Discount above what can be approved. The quote has a discount of 30 percent; an order this size can be discounted up to 15 percent without sales leadership and 10 percent more with approval.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of $1,519,600; the modeled prices give $1,980,400.
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2. Large spun concrete order: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 400 spun prestressed concrete poles of 90 feet in the Heavy load class, delivered 1,800 miles, with a crossarm and a ground lug and a 12 percent discount. The quote states a total of $2,052,120.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Poles $1,824,000, freight $447,000 over 60 truckloads, discount $218,880, total $2,052,120; $4,560 for each pole before discount.
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3. Light class steel poles: Steel poles of 70 feet in the Light load class

    
The agent's request. Please quote 30 steel poles of 70 feet in the Light load class, delivered 300 miles, with a crossarm and a ground lug. The quote states a total of $103,950.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Light class too tall. The Light load class is offered up to 60 feet; the quote has poles of 70 feet. Medium or heavier classes are offered above that.
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4. Light class steel poles: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 30 steel poles of 70 feet in the Medium load class, delivered 300 miles, with a crossarm and a ground lug. The quote states a total of $127,050.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Poles $122,700, freight $4,350 over 3 truckloads, discount $0, total $127,050; $4,090 for each pole before discount.
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5. Discount authority: A 20-pole order with a 30 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote 20 spun prestressed concrete poles of 45 feet in the Medium load class, delivered 150 miles and a 30 percent discount. The quote states a total of $25,640.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Discount above what can be approved. The quote has a discount of 30 percent; an order this size can be discounted up to 5 percent without sales leadership and 10 percent more with approval.
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6. Discount authority: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 20 spun prestressed concrete poles of 45 feet in the Medium load class, delivered 150 miles and a 12 percent discount. The quote states a total of $31,796.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount needs sales leadership approval. A discount of 12 percent is above the 5 percent that a rep can give for this order size; sales leadership should approve it.
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  • Quote summary. Poles $34,200, freight $1,700 over 2 truckloads, discount $4,104, total $31,796; $1,710 for each pole before discount.
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7. Discount authority: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 20 spun prestressed concrete poles of 45 feet in the Medium load class, delivered 150 miles and a 5 percent discount. The quote states a total of $34,190.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Poles $34,200, freight $1,700 over 2 truckloads, discount $1,710, total $34,190; $1,710 for each pole before discount.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a utility that wants spun prestressed concrete poles or steel poles in a chosen length and load class, with options and delivery. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of pole offering rules and illustrative prices and returns a verdict, every reason, a line-item quote and the figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote 400 spun prestressed concrete poles of 95 feet in the Heavy load class, delivered 1,800 miles, with a crossarm. The quote states a total of $1,519,600.00. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with four findings, all in one answer. Spun prestressed concrete poles are offered up to 90 feet; the quote has poles of 95 feet. Steel poles are offered up to 120 feet. Galvanizing applies to steel poles only; spun concrete poles are not galvanized. The quote has a discount of 30 percent; an order this size can be discounted up to 15 percent without sales leadership and 10 percent more with approval. The other one is on screen.
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  6. The validator returned four blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other and against the stated total.
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  7. What this shows: for load classes that are only offered up to a height, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the length to 90 feet, the options to Crossarm, Ground lug, the discount requested to 12 percent and the stated total to $2,052,120.00.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. The validator also returns the line-item quote. It starts with Spun prestressed concrete pole and Crossarm; the other line is on screen.
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  13. All four earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's total, $2,052,120.00, matches the quote.
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  14. Four problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $2,052,120.00 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    15.