Predictika · Engineered wood floor package quotes

An AI sales agent's engineered wood floor quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an engineered wood floor package quote: the I-joist series, depth and spacing, the floor span and width, the joist count and length, the rim board, the LVL beam with its depth, plies and length, a discount and the total the quote states. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of how those choices fit together and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.

Scope: One engineered wood floor package quote: I-joist series, depth and spacing, floor span and width, joist count and length, rim board, LVL beam, discount and the stated total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models onCENTER engineered wood floor package quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • I-joists and floor — BLI 40, BLI 60 and BLI 80 joists in four depths and four spacings, each combination with its own maximum span, joists that must be long enough to bear, a stock-length limit, and enough joists to cover the width of the floor.
  • Rim board — a rim board in the same depth as the joists and long enough to close both ends of the floor.
  • onCENTER LVL beams — 1-3/4 in LVL 2.1E as a floor beam, header or ridge beam, with a depth that suits the span for its role, multiple plies for the deepest sizes, a four-ply limit and length enough to bear.
  • Discounts, credit and totals — a discount above 10 percent goes to a sales manager and above 20 percent is blocked, long joists and large orders go to a person, and the stated total is compared with the total computed from the line items.

Any floor package quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: Glulam, Advanced Framing Lumber and other BlueLinx product lines. The onCENTER brand, BLI joists, LVL 2.1E at 1-3/4 in wide, its depths and the multi-ply note for deep members follow public BlueLinx and onCENTER pages; the BLI 40 and BLI 80 series, span tables, limits, discount thresholds and all prices are modeled from comparable engineered wood products and are illustrative, not published by BlueLinx.

The AI sales agentBuilds the floor package quote from the conversation with the builder and says it is ready to send.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 2 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
A span limit that depends on series, depth and spacingOnly with care
Each series, depth and spacing has its own maximum span, so a table of limits has to be kept and checked against the span entered, and one change of spacing moves the limit.		The series, depth and spacing set the maximum span, and the span is checked against it in the same pass.
Joist length, count and rim board tied to the floorOnly with workarounds
The joists must be longer than the span, and the joist count must cover the width at the chosen spacing, while the rim board must match the joist depth and close both ends, so one floor size drives several separate checks.		Length, count and rim board are all checked against the floor size on every call.
A beam depth that depends on the span and the roleOnly with workarounds
A floor beam, a header and a ridge beam need different depth for the same span, and the deepest sizes need more than one ply but never more than four.		Depth, role, span and plies are checked against each other together.
A stated total that must match the computed oneOnly with workarounds
The total comes from joists, rim board, LVL and the discount, so a rule must recompute it and compare it with the stated figure.		The total is computed inside the model and compared with the stated one.
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, so the agent can fix them in a single pass.

  

  

    
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 19 ft span is exactly at the joist maximum; an engineer should confirm the floor design.
2The floor spans 20 ft; the chosen joist series, depth and spacing allow at most 19 ft.
3Joists of 18 ft are too short for a 18 ft span plus bearing.
4Joists of 42 ft exceed the 40 ft maximum length this quote can supply.
5Joists of 36 ft need special freight handling to be confirmed.
68 joists at the chosen spacing do not cover a 12 ft wide floor.
7The rim board depth must match the joist depth.
820 ft of rim board cannot close both ends of a 12 ft wide floor.
9The LVL depth is too shallow for a 12 ft span in this role.
101-3/4 in LVL members 16 in deep or deeper must be used in multiple plies.
115 LVL plies exceed the 4-ply maximum of this quote.
12LVL pieces of 10 ft are too short for a 10 ft span plus bearing.
13A discount of 12 percent needs sales manager approval.
14A discount of 25 percent is above the 20 percent limit.
15The quote states a total of $790.00; the line items give $806.00.
16The net total of $4,540.80 needs a credit review.

  

  

    
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. Two-story floor 21 ft by 24 ft: A 21 foot by 24 foot floor with 12 BLI 60 joists 21 feet long, 14 inch rim board, a one-ply 16 inch LVL floor beam, a 25 percent discount and a total that is too low

    
The agent's request. Please quote an onCENTER floor package for a floor that spans 21 feet and is 24 feet wide. It has 12 BLI 60 joists, 11-7/8 inches deep and 21 feet long, at 16 inches on center, and 48 feet of 14 inch rim board. For the floor beam it uses 1 onCENTER LVL 2.1E beam, 16 inches deep in 1 ply, 13 feet long over a 12 foot span. A discount of 25 percent is applied. The quote states a total of $593.77. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Floor span exceeds the joist maximum. The floor spans 21 ft; the chosen joist series, depth and spacing allow at most 19 ft.
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  • Joists too short to bear. Joists of 21 ft are too short for a 21 ft span plus bearing.
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  • Too few joists for the floor width. 12 joists at the chosen spacing do not cover a 24 ft wide floor.
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  • Rim board depth differs from joist depth. The rim board depth must match the joist depth.
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  • Deep LVL needs multiple plies. 1-3/4 in LVL members 16 in deep or deeper must be used in multiple plies.
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  • Discount over 20 percent. A discount of 25 percent is above the 20 percent limit.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of $593.77; the line items give $743.77.
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2. Two-story floor 21 ft by 24 ft: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote an onCENTER floor package for a floor that spans 21 feet and is 24 feet wide. It has 18 BLI 80 joists, 11-7/8 inches deep and 22 feet long, at 16 inches on center, and 48 feet of 11-7/8 inch rim board. For the floor beam it uses 1 onCENTER LVL 2.1E beam, 16 inches deep in 2 plies, 13 feet long over a 12 foot span. A discount of 12 percent is applied. The quote states a total of $1,391.10. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Span at the joist maximum. The 21 ft span is exactly at the joist maximum; an engineer should confirm the floor design.
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  • Discount over 10 percent. A discount of 12 percent needs sales manager approval.
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  • Maximum span. Maximum span for this joist series, depth and spacing is 21 ft.
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3. Two-story floor 21 ft by 24 ft: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote an onCENTER floor package for a floor that spans 21 feet and is 24 feet wide. It has 18 BLI 80 joists, 14 inches deep and 22 feet long, at 16 inches on center, and 48 feet of 14 inch rim board. For the floor beam it uses 1 onCENTER LVL 2.1E beam, 16 inches deep in 2 plies, 13 feet long over a 12 foot span. A discount of 10 percent is applied. The quote states a total of $1,655.46. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Maximum span. Maximum span for this joist series, depth and spacing is 24 ft.
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4. Great-room floor with 42 ft joists: A 27 foot span great-room floor with 13 BLI 80 joists 42 feet long, a shallow five-ply LVL floor beam and a 14 foot LVL piece

    
The agent's request. Please quote an onCENTER floor package for a floor that spans 27 feet and is 13 feet wide. It has 13 BLI 80 joists, 16 inches deep and 42 feet long, at 12 inches on center, and 26 feet of 16 inch rim board. For the floor beam it uses 1 onCENTER LVL 2.1E beam, 11-7/8 inches deep in 5 plies, 14 feet long over a 14 foot span. The quote states a total of $2,805.90. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Joists over the stock length. Joists of 42 ft exceed the 40 ft maximum length this quote can supply.
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  • LVL beam too shallow for its span. The LVL depth is too shallow for a 14 ft span in this role.
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  • Too many LVL plies. 5 LVL plies exceed the 4-ply maximum of this quote.
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  • LVL too short to bear. LVL pieces of 14 ft are too short for a 14 ft span plus bearing.
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5. Great-room floor with 42 ft joists: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote an onCENTER floor package for a floor that spans 27 feet and is 13 feet wide. It has 13 BLI 80 joists, 16 inches deep and 36 feet long, at 12 inches on center, and 26 feet of 16 inch rim board. For the floor beam it uses 1 onCENTER LVL 2.1E beam, 14 inches deep in 3 plies, 15 feet long over a 14 foot span. The quote states a total of $2,386.30. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Joists over 32 ft. Joists of 36 ft need special freight handling to be confirmed.
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  • Maximum span. Maximum span for this joist series, depth and spacing is 28 ft.
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6. Great-room floor with 42 ft joists: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote an onCENTER floor package for a floor that spans 27 feet and is 13 feet wide. It has 13 BLI 80 joists, 16 inches deep and 32 feet long, at 12 inches on center, and 26 feet of 16 inch rim board. For the floor beam it uses 1 onCENTER LVL 2.1E beam, 14 inches deep in 3 plies, 15 feet long over a 14 foot span. The quote states a total of $2,180.90. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Maximum span. Maximum span for this joist series, depth and spacing is 28 ft.
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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 an engineered wood floor package quote: the I-joist series, depth and spacing, the floor span and width, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of how those choices fit together and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote an onCENTER floor package for a floor that spans 21 feet and is 24 feet wide. It has 12 BLI 60 joists, 11-7/8 inches deep and 21 feet long, at 16 inches on center, and 48 feet of 14 inch rim board. The rest of the request is on screen. The quote states a total of $593.77.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with seven findings, all in one answer. The floor spans 21 ft; the chosen joist series, depth and spacing allow at most 19 ft. Joists of 21 ft are too short for a 21 ft span plus bearing. 12 joists at the chosen spacing do not cover a 24 ft wide floor. The other four are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned seven 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 joist length, count and rim board tied to the floor, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the joist series to BLI 80, the joist count to 18, the joist length to 22 ft, the rim board depth to 11-7/8 and the total stated on the quote to $1,391.10. Two more changes are on screen.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. Not blocked, but held for a person.
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  12. The seven blocking findings are cleared; two approvals remain for a person: span at the joist maximum and discount over 10 percent.
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  13. The agent resubmits once more.
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  14. The revised request. It changes the joist depth to 14, the rim board depth to 14, the discount to 10 percent and the total stated on the quote to $1,655.46.
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  15. It calls the validator once more.
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  16. This time the validator clears it.
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  17. Both earlier findings are cleared.
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  18. Seven problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean $1,655.46 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    19.