Predictika · Industrial distribution order quotes

An AI sales agent's trade account order quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a trade order quote for an RS (RS Components) customer with a payment method, a delivery option, a procurement channel, Product Plus sourcing and calibration services. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of those services and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.

Scope: RS trade order quotes: RS Credit Account, card or pro forma payment, delivery options, PurchasingManager, PunchOut and eOrdering with eInvoicing, Product Plus sourcing and Calibration services. See everything this validator covers

This validator models RS trade order quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Payment and channel — RS Credit Account, card or pro forma payment, and the web, PurchasingManager, PunchOut and eOrdering procurement channels with eInvoicing, so an integration quoted for a customer without a credit account is flagged.
  • Delivery — next working day, same day, scheduled, call-off, consolidated and Click and Collect from a local branch, each with the limits that apply to it.
  • Sourcing, calibration and approvals — Product Plus sourcing of products not listed on the website, Calibration of thermometry equipment, test meters and measuring devices (new pre-calibrated or recalibrating your own), the contract discount, large orders and batches, and the total the quote states against the total computed.

Any RS trade order quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. The service names come from public RS pages. The rules, limits and every price are modeled from comparable products and are not published by RS Group: the delivery, setup, Product Plus and calibration charges are illustrative amounts in pence, and RS contract pricing is customer-specific. Not covered: RS PRO product configuration, Integrated Supply, kitting, vending, export, DesignSpark and the Allied Electronics & Automation (US) business.

The AI sales agentBuilds the trade order 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.

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
Integrations and delivery options that only some payment methods allowOnly with care
Each integration and delivery option needs its own rule that looks up the payment method, and the rule list grows with every channel and option.		The payment method, channel, eInvoicing and delivery option are in one request and checked together on every call.
Limits that depend on the delivery option or the payment methodOnly with care
Same-day line limits, Click and Collect and card value limits and the Product Plus exclusion each need a separate rule tied to the option chosen.		The delivery option, payment method, lines and order value are fields of one request and compared on every call.
Sourcing and calibration choices that must agree with their countsOnly with care
The Product Plus option and its line count, and the calibration service and its quantity, each need a rule that keeps the pair consistent.		Each choice and its count are in the same request and are cross-checked on every call.
A discount, large orders and big batches that need approval above a thresholdOnly with workarounds
Approval routing usually sits in a separate workflow, so a quote can be saved before anyone reviews the discount or the size.		Each threshold is a rule over the request and returns a block or an approval on every call.
A stated total that must match the computed total, with every problem returned togetherOnly with workarounds
The total is built from several charges, so a separate rule recomputes it, and errors often surface one at a time as steps are completed.		The stated total is a field of the request, compared with the computed total, and all findings come back together.

  

  

    
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 order is on an RS Credit Account but the credit application is not approved.
2PunchOut and eOrdering integrations are modeled only for credit account customers.
3EInvoicing is modeled only for credit account customers.
4Call-off delivery is modeled only for credit account customers.
5Scheduled delivery needs a delivery date at least 1 day ahead; the quote has 0 days.
6Same-day delivery is limited to 10 order lines in this model; the quote has 12.
7Product Plus sourced items are not available for same-day delivery or Click and Collect.
8Same-day delivery is limited to 10 order lines in this model; the quote has 11.
9Click and Collect orders are limited to 3,000 pounds in this model; the quote has 3,001 pounds.
10Card payment is limited to 5,000 pounds per order in this model; the quote has 5,001 pounds.
11The order needs at least 1 line; the quote has 0.
12The Product Plus sourcing option and the Product Plus line count disagree (0 lines).
13The Product Plus sourcing option and the Product Plus line count disagree (4 lines).
1421 Product Plus lines need a sourcing review.
15The calibration service and the calibration quantity disagree (0 items).
16The calibration service and the calibration quantity disagree (6 items).
1726 items for calibration is a large batch; the laboratory should confirm turnaround.
18The requested contract discount of 13 percent is above the 12 percent limit.
19The requested contract discount of 12 percent is above 5 percent; an account manager should approve it.
20An order of 10,001 pounds is large; a sales manager should approve it.
21The quote states a total of 249,201 pence; the quoted items add up to 249,200 pence.
22The requested contract discount of 8 percent is above 5 percent; an account manager should approve it.
23The quote states a total of 249,200 pence; the quoted items add up to 307,400 pence.

  

  

    
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. Payment, channel, delivery and discount: A card-paid PunchOut order with eInvoicing, call-off delivery and a 14 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote an order of £6,500 across 14 lines on card payment, ordered through PunchOut with eInvoicing, with call-off delivery, 6 Product Plus lines, recalibration of 8 thermometry items, a 14 percent contract discount, for a total of £5,773.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • PunchOut and eOrdering need a credit account. PunchOut and eOrdering integrations are modeled only for credit account customers.
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  • eInvoicing needs a credit account. EInvoicing is modeled only for credit account customers.
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  • Call-off needs a credit account. Call-off delivery is modeled only for credit account customers.
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  • Card payment value limit. Card payment is limited to 5,000 pounds per order in this model; the quote has 6,500 pounds.
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  • Discount above 12 percent. The requested contract discount of 14 percent is above the 12 percent limit.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of 577,300 pence; the quoted items add up to 607,300 pence.
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2. Payment, channel, delivery and discount: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote an order of £6,500 across 14 lines on an RS Credit Account, ordered through PunchOut with eInvoicing, with call-off delivery, 6 Product Plus lines, recalibration of 8 thermometry items, a 5 percent contract discount, for a total of £6,658.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Goods 617,500 pence after discount, delivery 0 pence, setup 30,000 pence, Product Plus 3,900 pence, calibration 14,400 pence; estimated total 665,800 pence (illustrative prices).
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3. Same-day delivery and Product Plus: A same-day order with Product Plus lines and a 13 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote an order of £2,400 across 12 lines on an RS Credit Account, ordered on the web, with same-day delivery, 4 Product Plus lines, 6 new pre-calibrated test meters, a 13 percent contract discount, for a total of £2,553.95. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Credit account not approved. The order is on an RS Credit Account but the credit application is not approved.
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  • Same-day limited to 10 lines. Same-day delivery is limited to 10 order lines in this model; the quote has 12.
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  • Product Plus items cannot ship same day or collect. Product Plus sourced items are not available for same-day delivery or Click and Collect.
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  • Discount above 12 percent. The requested contract discount of 13 percent is above the 12 percent limit.
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  • Large same-day order. A same-day order of 2,400 pounds needs warehouse confirmation.
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4. Same-day delivery and Product Plus: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote an order of £2,400 across 12 lines on an RS Credit Account, ordered on the web, with scheduled delivery 3 days ahead, 4 Product Plus lines, 6 new pre-calibrated test meters, a 5 percent contract discount, for a total of £2,726.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Goods 228,000 pence after discount, delivery 0 pence, setup 0 pence, Product Plus 2,600 pence, calibration 42,000 pence; estimated total 272,600 pence (illustrative prices).
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5. Large order, calibration batch and total: A large eOrdering order with Product Plus lines, a calibration batch and a stated total

    
The agent's request. Please quote an order of £12,500 across 40 lines on an RS Credit Account, ordered through eOrdering with eInvoicing, with next working day delivery, 24 Product Plus lines, recalibration of 30 measuring devices, a 9 percent contract discount, for a total of £13,191.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of 1,319,100 pence; the quoted items add up to 1,269,100 pence.
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  • Discount needs approval. The requested contract discount of 9 percent is above 5 percent; an account manager should approve it.
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  • Large order value. An order of 12,500 pounds is large; a sales manager should approve it.
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  • Many Product Plus lines. 24 Product Plus lines need a sourcing review.
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  • Large calibration batch. 30 items for calibration is a large batch; the laboratory should confirm turnaround.
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6. Large order, calibration batch and total: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote an order of £9,800 across 38 lines on an RS Credit Account, ordered through eOrdering with eInvoicing, with next working day delivery, 18 Product Plus lines, recalibration of 24 measuring devices, a 5 percent contract discount, for a total of £10,395.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Goods 931,000 pence after discount, delivery 0 pence, setup 20,000 pence, Product Plus 11,700 pence, calibration 76,800 pence; estimated total 1,039,500 pence (illustrative prices).
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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 trade order quote for an RS (RS Components) customer with a payment method, a delivery option. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of those services and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.
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  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote an order of £6,500 across 14 lines on card payment, ordered through PunchOut with eInvoicing, with call-off delivery, 6 Product Plus lines, and more. It is ready to send. 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 six findings, all in one answer. PunchOut and eOrdering integrations are modeled only for credit account customers. EInvoicing is modeled only for credit account customers. Call-off delivery is modeled only for credit account customers. The other three are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned six 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 a discount, large orders and big batches that need approval above a threshold, 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 payment method to RS Credit Account, the contract discount to 5 percent and the total stated on the quote to 665,800 pence.
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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 six earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Six problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.