How do I read subcontractor prequalification packets into one comparison sheet with a missing-items list using AI?
Prequalification packets arrive as a mix of filled-in questionnaires, safety records, insurance certificates, license copies and financial statements, and someone has to open each file, retype the numbers and chase what is missing, often after the sub is already picked. Have Claude or ChatGPT pull the requested facts from each packet into one fixed table with the file and page they came from, then use Copilot in Excel to compare each sub against the thresholds your company typed into a criteria tab and list missing documents. Approving a subcontractor, and judging insurance, bonding or financial strength, stays with your precon, risk and finance people.
General Contractor · Construction · Claude · ChatGPT · Microsoft Excel · Microsoft Copilot
Content updated · Tool links listed below; vendor features and pricing change, so confirm with the vendor
Short answer
Use Claude or ChatGPT, then Copilot in Excel: The AI transcribes each prequalification packet into one fixed row with file and page for every value and lists name or tax ID mismatches between documents, then Copilot compares each sub with the thresholds you typed into a criteria tab and marks missing, expiring or out-of-threshold items CHECK. Prequalification packets arrive as a mix of filled-in questionnaires, safety records, insurance certificates, license copies and financial statements, and someone has to open each file, retype the numbers and chase what is missing, often after the sub is already picked. Have Claude or ChatGPT pull the requested facts from each packet into one fixed table with the file and page they came from, then use Copilot in Excel to compare each sub against the thresholds your company typed into a criteria tab and list missing documents. Approving a subcontractor, and judging insurance, bonding or financial strength, stays with your precon, risk and finance people. A person still checks: every transcribed value against the source packet; qualification, insurance, bonding and financial judgments by your precon, safety, risk and finance reviewers.
AI tie-in
Tool: Claude or ChatGPT, then Copilot in Excel
The AI transcribes each prequalification packet into one fixed row with file and page for every value and lists name or tax ID mismatches between documents, then Copilot compares each sub with the thresholds you typed into a criteria tab and marks missing, expiring or out-of-threshold items CHECK.
Prompt 1
Read this subcontractor prequalification packet [upload the questionnaire and attachments]. Build a one-row table with these columns: legal company name as printed on each document, address, trade, years in business, safety rate for each year shown, recordable and lost-time case counts if shown, license number, class and expiration, each insurance policy type with its limits and expiration date as printed, bonding capacity if stated, financial statement period and type as labeled, and for every value the file name and page. Write NOT SHOWN for anything missing and UNREADABLE for anything you cannot read. Then list every place the company name, address or tax ID differs between documents. Do not judge whether any value is acceptable or adequate.
Prompt 2
Here is my prequalification sheet with one row per subcontractor [paste] and my criteria tab with our company's required documents and thresholds, typed by me [paste]. Use only my criteria and no values from memory. For each subcontractor, list every required document that is NOT SHOWN, every value outside one of my thresholds (name the threshold), and everything expiring within [60] days, and mark each CHECK. Never write approved, rejected, adequate or compliant. Then draft one short, polite email per subcontractor asking only for their missing or expiring items.
Human check: Every transcribed value against the source packet; qualification, insurance, bonding and financial judgments by your precon, safety, risk and finance reviewers.
The problem
Read subcontractor prequalification packets into one comparison sheet with a missing-items list using AI. This is a common, time-consuming task for a general contractor.
What this workflow does
Prequalification packets arrive as a mix of filled-in questionnaires, safety records, insurance certificates, license copies and financial statements, and someone has to open each file, retype the numbers and chase what is missing, often after the sub is already picked. Have Claude or ChatGPT pull the requested facts from each packet into one fixed table with the file and page they came from, then use Copilot in Excel to compare each sub against the thresholds your company typed into a criteria tab and list missing documents. Approving a subcontractor, and judging insurance, bonding or financial strength, stays with your precon, risk and finance people.
How it works: AI drafts or analyzes. A person operates the tools, checks the work, and takes action.
Your checkpoint: The sheet transcribes and compares against thresholds you entered. It does not decide whether a subcontractor is qualified or whether insurance, bonding or financials are adequate; that stays with your company's reviewers, your risk manager or broker and, where needed, counsel. Check every transcribed value against the source document. Not insurance or legal advice.
Before you start
- Access to the named tool; confirm license, version and cost with the vendor.
- A small, non-confidential sample to try the workflow on first.
- A qualified person to review the output before it is used.
Tools and access
Follow the steps
- Write down your own prequalification checklist once: the documents you require (questionnaire, safety rate history, injury logs, insurance certificate, license, tax form, financial statements above a contract size you choose) and the thresholds your company uses. Put the thresholds in a criteria tab; they are company policy, not something the AI should supply.
- Upload one subcontractor's packet at a time to Claude or ChatGPT and have it fill a fixed table: legal company name as printed on each document, trade, years in business, safety rate by year, recordable and lost-time counts if shown, license number, class and expiration, insurance policy types, limits and expiration dates, bonding capacity if stated, financial statement period and type, and the file and page for every value. NOT SHOWN instead of guesses.
- Have the model also list where the company name, address or tax ID differs between documents. Mismatched names between the questionnaire, the certificate and the tax form are a common way the wrong entity gets set up.
- Paste each sub's row into a master sheet and have Copilot in Excel compare it with your criteria tab: mark CHECK where a value is outside a threshold you entered, where a document is missing, or where something expires within the window you choose. It never writes APPROVED or REJECTED.
- Have the AI draft one short email per sub listing only their missing or expiring items from the sheet. The precon coordinator reads and sends it.
- Route every CHECK row to the person who owns that decision: safety history to safety, insurance to risk or your broker, financials to finance. Keep the source packet with the row so the reviewer reads the document, not the AI's transcription.
Try a small example
Replace the bracketed fields with your own project details. No tested sample run is published for this workflow yet.
Sample input
Fill in the bracketed [fields] in the text below with your project data.
Starter prompt
Read this subcontractor prequalification packet [upload the questionnaire and attachments]. Build a one-row table with these columns: legal company name as printed on each document, address, trade, years in business, safety rate for each year shown, recordable and lost-time case counts if shown, license number, class and expiration, each insurance policy type with its limits and expiration date as printed, bonding capacity if stated, financial statement period and type (audited, reviewed, compiled or other, as labeled), and for every value the file name and page. Write NOT SHOWN for anything missing and UNREADABLE for anything you cannot read. Then list every place the company name, address or tax ID differs between documents. Do not judge whether any value is acceptable or adequate.
Expected output
Not published yet. Treat any output as a draft and check it against the source documents.
Check the result
- Every value, citation or quantity traces back to a source document.
- Missing information is marked as missing, not filled in.
Limits and recovery
- The sheet transcribes and compares against thresholds you entered. It does not decide whether a subcontractor is qualified or whether insurance, bonding or financials are adequate; that stays with your company's reviewers, your risk manager or broker and, where needed, counsel. Check every transcribed value against the source document. Not insurance or legal advice.
- Check your organization’s data policy before sharing project files with third-party tools.
Stop or switch when: The source cannot be verified, permissions are missing, or the result contains unsupported facts.
Frequently asked questions
How does AI help with this?
Claude or ChatGPT, then Copilot in Excel: The AI transcribes each prequalification packet into one fixed row with file and page for every value and lists name or tax ID mismatches between documents, then Copilot compares each sub with the thresholds you typed into a criteria tab and marks missing, expiring or out-of-threshold items CHECK. A person still checks: Every transcribed value against the source packet; qualification, insurance, bonding and financial judgments by your precon, safety, risk and finance reviewers.
How do I how do I read subcontractor prequalification packets into one comparison sheet with a missing-items list using AI??
Write down your own prequalification checklist once: the documents you require (questionnaire, safety rate history, injury logs, insurance certificate, license, tax form, financial statements above a contract size you choose) and the thresholds your company uses. Put the thresholds in a criteria tab; they are company policy, not something the AI should supply. Upload one subcontractor's packet at a time to Claude or ChatGPT and have it fill a fixed table: legal company name as printed on each document, trade, years in business, safety rate by year, recordable and lost-time counts if shown, license number, class and expiration, insurance policy types, limits and expiration dates, bonding capacity if stated, financial statement period and type, and the file and page for every value. NOT SHOWN instead of guesses. Have the model also list where the company name, address or tax ID differs between documents. Mismatched names between the questionnaire, the certificate and the tax form are a common way the wrong entity gets set up. The full step list is above.
Does this use an AI agent or regular software?
It is labeled AI assists: AI drafts or analyzes. A person operates the tools, checks the work, and takes action.
What tools do I need?
Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Copilot. Confirm license, version and cost with the vendor, and try it on a small non-confidential sample first.
Has this workflow been tested?
Workflow guide · not independently tested. Written from vendor documentation and practitioner use. Labels apply to the steps described here, not every feature of a product. Links were checked when the page was written.
Evidence and maintenance
Written from vendor documentation and practitioner use. Labels apply to the steps described here, not every feature of a product. Links were checked when the page was written.