Research Agents
Education & research
Missing data
Negotiated a price
Illustrative case study · The outcome shown is a modeled decision, not a measured client result.
Who needed the answer
The product lead for a procurement AI agent used by university labs in Arizona.
Why they needed help
The agent found list prices online but couldn’t tell whether a customer’s quote for 250 mL glass beakers was high.
What they asked
What do university labs in Arizona pay for 250 mL glass beakers, compared with list price?
What the experts said
Contract buyers pay 30–50% below list
Lab managers and purchasing staff gave price ranges from their own past orders. 5 of 6 fell within 30–50% below list; 1 fell outside it.
Sample responses
“On contract we pay well under list. Nobody in our lab pays the catalog price.”
Lab manager, public university research lab, Arizona
answer_id
ans_81af14c1
respondent_id
rsp_37709915
“Small one-off orders can come in close to list.”
Purchasing coordinator, research institute, Arizona
answer_id
ans_1fe68e72
respondent_id
rsp_88eeb6f7
Illustrative quotes. In the product, every answer carries an answer_id and a respondent_id. The answer_id links to the full response and when it was given; the respondent_id links to the expert’s screened profile without revealing who they are, so any number can be traced back to its source.
About the experts and method
Who answered
Lab managers and purchasing staff at universities and research labs in Arizona
Responses
All 6 answered · 5 within range · 1 outside range
Safeguards
Buyers' own past purchases, as ranges; no supplier staff; nothing shared back to sellers
Business impact
From the findings via Ask Synquery Connector, the team decided to flag the quote as high and suggest a counter.
A quote at 15% below list sits above the expert range, so the agent recommends a counter-offer inside it.