Predictika · LC-MS system quotes: instrument, LC, source, software, site and discount

An AI sales agent's mass spectrometry system quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an LC-MS system quote for a fictional laboratory, with the total price it expects. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika’s validator, which checks it against instrument, LC, ion source, software, site power, lead time and discount rules, compares the total the agent states with the one it computes, and returns a verdict with every reason. All prices are illustrative estimates in US dollars.

Scope: Orbitrap and triple quadrupole LC-MS systems with a Vanquish LC, software and service, for academic, government and commercial labs. See everything this validator covers

This validator checks and prices LC-MS system quotes built from Orbitrap and triple quadrupole instruments, Vanquish LC front ends, ion sources, analysis software and service plans. It handles any quote built from those parts, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Configuration — Orbitrap and triple quadrupole instruments with a Vanquish LC, ion source, application and software, checked for fit.
  • Site and service — GxP service plan, dedicated circuits, nitrogen supply and lead time against the customer need date.
  • Pricing and approvals — Instrument, LC, per-seat software, academic or government pricing, discount authority by customer type, multi-year service, and a check that the total price the agent states matches the validator figure.

It does not cover other instrument makers, real prices, specifications or contracts, or any real customer.

The AI sales agentBuilds the quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks the quote against the product and contract rules and returns every finding it has.

8 scenarios in 4 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
Click to expand
    
Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ or Revenue Cloud) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator catchesTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Instrument, LC and source togetherOnly with care
Source-to-LC flow matching, and instrument capabilities such as resolution, scan speed and mass range against the application, are individually simple but interact on every quote.		All limits are evaluated together on every call and each failure is returned with its reason.
Software that matches the applicationOnly with care
Each application has one valid software package, which is a product rule per application that has to be kept in step with the catalog.		The application selects its software and a mismatch is a finding.
GxP service and site powerOnly with workarounds
A regulated lab needing a qualified service plan, and circuit counts that depend on the instrument class, combine quote fields with catalog attributes.		Service plan and circuit needs are computed from the choices and checked in the same pass.
Lead time against the need dateOnly with care
Comparing a catalog lead time with a customer date means one more rule per product line.		Lead time is a catalog attribute checked against the need date.
Approval stepsOnly with care
Discounts above rep authority, and Orbitraps on nitrogen cylinders, need a person to sign off, and the release must stay blocked until they do.		Approval items are returned with the verdict and the release step is refused until the approval is recorded.
Customer pricing, discount and a total that reconcilesOnly with workarounds
Academic and government pricing, a requested discount, per-seat software and multi-year service are easy to get out of step with the quote total.		The same computed figures feed the line items and the total.
The total the agent statesOnly with workarounds
Comparing a stated figure with a computed one means a separate rule per quote layout, and price rules rarely run on stated figures.		The stated total is a field in the request and is checked against the computed total.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote 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
Click to expand
    
Every rule is checked on every call, in whatever order the choices arrive, and one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
RuleEffectWhat it checks
1blockThe ion source must match the LC: EASY-Spray needs a nano or capillary LC, HESI and APCI need an analytical-flow LC
2blockAny application other than targeted quantitation needs a high-resolution accurate-mass Orbitrap, not a triple quadrupole
3blockTMT multiplexing needs an instrument with at least 480k resolution
4blockHigh-throughput DIA proteomics needs 40 Hz or faster MS2 scanning
5blockIntact protein analysis needs an instrument that reaches m/z 6000
6blockThe software must match the application (for example Proteome Discoverer for proteomics, TraceFinder for targeted quantitation)
7blockA GxP lab cannot be on warranty-only service; it needs a Unity plan with IQ/OQ qualification
8blockThe lab needs dedicated circuits: 4 for an Orbitrap system, 3 for a triple quadrupole, each including the LC
9approvalAn Orbitrap on nitrogen cylinders needs field-service sign-off
10blockThe instrument lead time cannot be longer than the customer can wait
11block, approvalThe discount ceiling depends on the customer type (10 percent academic, 12 percent government, 15 percent commercial); above the 5 percent a rep can give it needs approval
12computedPrice is the instrument, the LC and per-seat software, with academic or government customer pricing and the requested discount, plus yearly service as a percentage of the instrument price
13blockThe total price the agent states must match the validator figure within USD 1

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
Click to expand
    
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. Ion source and LC: EASY-Spray on Horizon

    
The agent's request. An Orbitrap Exploris 480 with a Vanquish Horizon LC, an EASY-Spray source and Proteome Discoverer software for DIA proteomics, at academic pricing: 4 dedicated circuits in the lab, needed in 16 weeks, Unity Standard service for 3 years. Total price USD 1,071,000.00. Ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Ion source does not match the LC. Ion source EASY_Spray does not match the flow regime of Vanquish Horizon; EASY-Spray needs a nano/capillary LC and HESI or APCI need an analytical-flow LC.
    • 
    

    
2. Ion source and LC: Vanquish Neo

    
The agent's request. An Orbitrap Exploris 480 with a Vanquish Neo LC, an EASY-Spray source and Proteome Discoverer software for DIA proteomics, at academic pricing: 4 dedicated circuits in the lab, needed in 16 weeks, Unity Standard service for 3 years. Total price USD 1,079,000.00. Ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
3. GxP lab and site: Warranty only, 2 circuits

    
The agent's request. An Orbitrap Exploris 240 with a Vanquish Flex LC and Compound Discoverer software for metabolomics, at commercial pricing, for a GxP lab: warranty-only service, 2 dedicated circuits available, needed in 16 weeks. Total price USD 755,000.00. Ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • A GxP lab cannot be on warranty only. A GxP lab needs a Unity service plan with IQ/OQ qualification; warranty only is not allowed.
    • 
      
  • Not enough dedicated circuits. The system needs 4 dedicated circuits; the lab has 2.
    • 
    

    
4. GxP lab and site: Unity Standard, 4 circuits

    
The agent's request. An Orbitrap Exploris 240 with a Vanquish Flex LC and Compound Discoverer software for metabolomics, at commercial pricing, for a GxP lab: Unity Standard service for 3 years, 4 dedicated circuits available, needed in 16 weeks. Total price USD 930,500.00. Ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
5. Lead time and discount: 12 weeks, 15 percent

    
The agent's request. An Orbitrap Astral with a Vanquish Neo LC, an EASY-Spray source and Proteome Discoverer software for DIA proteomics, at academic pricing with a 15 percent discount: 4 dedicated circuits available, needed in 12 weeks, Unity Standard service for 3 years. Total price USD 1,618,600.00. Ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Lead time is longer than the customer can wait. Orbitrap Astral lead time is 20 weeks; the customer needs it in 12.
    • 
      
  • Discount beyond the ceiling for this customer type. 15 percent discount exceeds the 10 percent ceiling for Academic customers.
    • 
    

    
6. Lead time and discount: 24 weeks, 8 percent

    
The agent's request. An Orbitrap Astral with a Vanquish Neo LC, an EASY-Spray source and Proteome Discoverer software for DIA proteomics, at academic pricing with an 8 percent discount: 4 dedicated circuits available, needed in 24 weeks, Unity Standard service for 3 years. Total price USD 1,716,320.00. Ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount above rep authority needs approval. 8 percent discount is above the 5 percent rep authority; approvable up to 10 percent.
    • 
    

    
7. The total the agent states: Stated total too low

    
The agent's request. An Orbitrap Astral with a Vanquish Neo LC, an EASY-Spray source and 2 Proteome Discoverer seats for DIA proteomics, at academic pricing with a 5 percent discount: 4 dedicated circuits available, needed in 24 weeks, Unity Standard service for 3 years. Total price USD 1,510,620.00. Ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Stated total differs from the validator figure. Stated total price does not match: the agent stated USD 1510620.0 for the system and 3 years of service; the validator computes USD 1777200.0.
    • 
    

    
8. The total the agent states: Stated total corrected

    
The agent's request. An Orbitrap Astral with a Vanquish Neo LC, an EASY-Spray source and 2 Proteome Discoverer seats for DIA proteomics, at academic pricing with a 5 percent discount: 4 dedicated circuits available, needed in 24 weeks, Unity Standard service for 3 years. Total price USD 1,777,200.00. Ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

  

  

    
Narration transcript
Click to expand
    
The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares an LC-MS system quote for a fictional laboratory, with the total price it expects. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika’s validator, which checks it against instrument, LC, ion source, software, site power, lead time and discount rules, compares the total the agent states with the one it computes, and returns a verdict with every reason. All prices are illustrative estimates in US dollars.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. An Orbitrap Exploris 480 with a Vanquish Horizon LC, an EASY-Spray source and Proteome Discoverer software for DIA proteomics, at academic pricing: 4 dedicated circuits in the lab. Total price USD 1,071,000.00. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with one finding, all in one answer. Ion source EASY_Spray does not match the flow regime of Vanquish Horizon; EASY-Spray needs a nano/capillary LC and HESI or APCI need an analytical-flow LC.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned one blocking finding 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.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for instrument, LC and source together, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
    9. 
      
  9. The corrected request. It changes the LC to Vanquish Neo and the stated total as to $1,079,000.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
    11. 
      
  11. This time the validator clears it.
    12. 
      
  12. The validator also returns the line-item quote. It starts with Orbitrap Exploris 480 mass spectrometer and Vanquish Neo liquid chromatography front end; the other three lines are on screen.
    13. 
      
  13. The earlier finding is cleared, and the validator's total, USD 1,079,000.00, matches the quote.
    14. 
      
  14. One problem caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $1,079,000 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer.
    15.