Predictika · MRO contract orders

An AI sales agent's MRO contract order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an MRO contract order for a fictional customer: an item, a quantity, a ship method, a contract tier, and the order total it states. Before the order goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of item, shipping and contract rules, compares the order total the agent states with the one it computes, and returns a verdict with every reason.

Scope: MRO contract orders for six items (respirators, a multimeter, drills, acetone, brake cleaner and sump pumps): pack sizes, hazardous shipping, contract tier pricing, discount authority, fees and the stated total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models a Grainger-style MRO contract order, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Order and fulfillment eligibility — quantity as a multiple of the pack size, hazardous items barred from next-day air, a safety data sheet acknowledgement for chemicals, a purchase order number for government accounts, and will-call limited to the stock at the branch.
  • Contract pricing and discount authority — per-item contract tier discounts (Gold, Silver, Bronze, with some categories excluded on some tiers), a 2 percent rep authority with a 5 percent maximum for extra discounts, and a $50 line minimum.
  • Fees, credit and the stated total — hazardous-item, freight and small-order fees computed from the order value and ship method, credit review above $25,000, and a check that the order total the agent states matches the total the validator computes.

Any MRO contract order that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. All items, prices, discounts, fees and thresholds are estimates for demonstration, not Grainger or manufacturer data. Not covered: other items, taxes, real stock levels, real customer contracts and one-time or negotiated pricing. The validator shows computed figures but no line-item table.

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

6 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
Shipping that changes what else appliesOnly with workarounds
Moving an order from next-day air to will-call removes the hazmat and freight rules but brings in the branch stock rule and changes the fees, so a rep fixes one error and meets the next.		Ship method, quantity and item are in one request and every rule is checked together on every call, so a fix that exposes another problem shows up at once.
Fees that depend on the order value and ship method togetherOnly with workarounds
Hazardous-item, freight and small-order fees depend on the computed order value and the ship method at once, so price rules chain and must run in the right order.		The order value is computed first and every fee reads it.
Pack size, hazard class and safety data sheet per itemOnly with care
Each is a validation rule keyed to the item; keeping them complete as items are added is the work.		The pack size, hazard class and sheet requirement are read from each item and checked on every call.
Discount authority and credit reviewOnly with care
A rep limit, a hard maximum and a credit threshold on a computed value need separate approval rules.		All thresholds are evaluated together and returned with the reason.
A stated total that must match the computed totalOnly with workarounds
The total is built from the price and several fees, so a separate rule is needed to recompute it and compare it with the stated figure.		The stated total is a field of the request and is compared with the computed order total on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the order is saved, 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 order; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1Order value $25,896.0 exceeds $25,000; credit review required.
24 percent extra discount is above the 2 percent rep authority.
3Zep acetone 1 gal sells in packs of 4; 6 is not a multiple.
4CRC Brakleen aerosol case of 12 is hazmat class 2 and cannot ship next-day air; use ground or will-call.
5CRC Brakleen aerosol case of 12 requires a safety data sheet acknowledgement before ordering.
6Government accounts require a purchase order number.
7Will-call of 5 exceeds the 3 on hand at the branch.
88 percent extra discount exceeds the 5 percent maximum beyond contract pricing.
9Order value $28.8 is below the $50 line minimum.
10The order total the agent states ($1,125.65) differs from the total the validator computes ($1,184.9).
115 percent extra discount is above the 2 percent rep authority.
126 percent extra discount exceeds the 5 percent maximum beyond contract pricing.
13Order value $25,099.2 exceeds $25,000; credit review required.
14Zep acetone 1 gal is hazmat class 3 and cannot ship next-day air; use ground or will-call.
15The order total the agent states ($1,186.9) differs from the total the validator computes ($1,184.9).
16Will-call of 30 exceeds the 25 on hand at the branch.
17Zep acetone 1 gal sells in packs of 4; 2 is not a multiple.
18Zep acetone 1 gal requires a safety data sheet acknowledgement before ordering.
19Order value $49.28 is below the $50 line minimum.
20The order total the agent states ($49.28) differs from the total the validator computes ($111.78).
21Order value $26,493.6 exceeds $25,000; credit review required.

  

  

    
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. Hazardous shipping and the total: A government shop orders 2 gallons of acetone by next-day air, with seven problems at once

    
The agent's request. Please order 2 Zep acetone (1 gallon) on the Gold contract tier for a government account, shipped by next-day air, with an extra discount of 8 percent, for an order total of $49.28. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Quantity is not a multiple of the pack size. Zep acetone 1 gal sells in packs of 4; 2 is not a multiple.
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  • Hazardous item cannot ship next-day air. Zep acetone 1 gal is hazmat class 3 and cannot ship next-day air; use ground or will-call.
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  • Safety data sheet not acknowledged. Zep acetone 1 gal requires a safety data sheet acknowledgement before ordering.
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  • Purchase order number missing. Government accounts require a purchase order number.
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  • Extra discount above the maximum. 8 percent extra discount exceeds the 5 percent maximum beyond contract pricing.
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  • Order below the line minimum. Order value $49.28 is below the $50 line minimum.
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  • Stated total differs from the validator total. The order total the agent states ($49.28) differs from the total the validator computes ($111.78).
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2. Hazardous shipping and the total: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please order 8 Zep acetone (1 gallon) on the Gold contract tier for a government account, shipped by ground, with an extra discount of 2 percent, with the safety data sheet acknowledged, with a purchase order number, for an order total of $247.48. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
3. Shipping and branch stock: A shop orders 30 cases of brake cleaner by next-day air without the safety data sheet

    
The agent's request. Please order 30 CRC Brakleen aerosol cases on the Gold contract tier for a commercial account, shipped by next-day air, for an order total of $1,989.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Hazardous item cannot ship next-day air. CRC Brakleen aerosol case of 12 is hazmat class 2 and cannot ship next-day air; use ground or will-call.
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  • Safety data sheet not acknowledged. CRC Brakleen aerosol case of 12 requires a safety data sheet acknowledgement before ordering.
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  • Stated total differs from the validator total. The order total the agent states ($1,989.0) differs from the total the validator computes ($2,554.0).
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4. Shipping and branch stock: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please order 25 CRC Brakleen aerosol cases on the Gold contract tier for a commercial account, shipped by will-call, with the safety data sheet acknowledged, for an order total of $1,657.50. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
5. Approvals: 140 drill kits with an extra discount of 4 percent

    
The agent's request. Please order 140 DeWalt DCD791 drill kits on the Gold contract tier for a commercial account, shipped by ground, with an extra discount of 4 percent, for an order total of $26,493.60. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Extra discount needs approval. 4 percent extra discount is above the 2 percent rep authority.
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  • Credit review needed. Order value $26,493.6 exceeds $25,000; credit review required.
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6. Approvals: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please order 125 DeWalt DCD791 drill kits on the Gold contract tier for a commercial account, shipped by ground, with an extra discount of 2 percent, for an order total of $24,277.50. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

  

  

    
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 MRO contract order for a fictional customer: an item, a quantity, a ship method, and more. Before the order goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of item, shipping and contract rules, compares the order total the agent states with the one it computes, and returns a verdict with every reason.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please order 2 Zep acetone (1 gallon) on the Gold contract tier for a government account, shipped by next-day air. It is ready to send. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with seven findings, all in one answer. Zep acetone 1 gal sells in packs of 4; 2 is not a multiple. Zep acetone 1 gal is hazmat class 3 and cannot ship next-day air; use ground or will-call. Zep acetone 1 gal requires a safety data sheet acknowledgement before ordering. The other four are on screen.
    6. 
      
  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 order are checked against each other and against the stated total.
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  7. What this shows: for pack size, hazard class and safety data sheet per item, 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 quantity to 8, the ship method to ground, the extra discount to 2 percent and the order total stated on the order to $247.48. It sets the safety data sheet acknowledged to yes and the purchase order number to yes.
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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. All seven earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Seven problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $247.48 order. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer.
    14.