Verify scanned HVAC quote numbers before calculating

Preserve visual evidence for critical fields

For an authorized supplier quote, keep the original file, page number, line reference and readable image location beside each extracted value. Capture the printed text separately from the normalized number, currency and unit. The output is a field-review sheet, with verified, unreadable and needs-review states.

Prioritize unit price, quantity, credits, freight, tax and exclusions when they affect the estimator’s calculation. A confident-looking AI answer is not evidence that a faint decimal point or minus sign was read correctly. If the image is unclear, request a better source through the normal purchasing process rather than guessing what a supplier probably meant.

Catch a fictional sign and decimal error

A fictional scan prints a $125.00 unit price for four items. OCR produces 1,250.00, leading to $5,000 instead of the printed-number extension of $500. A separate $80 credit loses its minus sign. After verifying both printed values, the illustrative subtotal is $500 minus $80, or $420 before any other charges.

The reviewer should record both extraction corrections and their page references. A matching grand total is not enough to approve every field: two errors can offset, and a supplier’s own total may require clarification. Do not silently change the supplier document or assume a credit applies to the current order merely because it appears on the scan.

Use confidence as one review signal

Microsoft Document Intelligence describes extraction confidence and recommends evaluating representative document variations. A score is not a substitute for checking commercially important fields against the image. Define review rules using observed errors from your own authorized sample rather than inventing a universal safe threshold.

Have the estimator verify critical fields before a separate calculation step. Keep unresolved units, scope and credit applicability as questions even when the numerals are legible. Pilot on fictional clean, blurred, negative-credit and shifted-column examples, recording extraction errors and review time. Do not import costs, approve purchases or describe the workflow as tested on customer documents without actual evidence.

Review checklist

• Retain original image, page and line reference.
• Separate printed text, parsed number and unit.
• Check signs, decimal places and column alignment.
• Hold unreadable values before pricing or import.

Source context and limits

Microsoft provides extraction-confidence context, not a guarantee for these fictional documents. This independent review method does not claim access to Document Intelligence or a tested HVAC integration. Estimators still resolve scope and commercial applicability.