thinkhard.SI

Prompt repository Operations

Compare the total cost of buying, leasing or renting equipment

You need a machine, vehicle or piece of equipment and want the full cost of buying, leasing and renting laid out side by side from real quotes.

Registry no.
OPS-030
Collection
Operations
Laid out for
GPT
Score
10 out of 10
Blanks to fill
8
Added

OperationsGPT

The prompt

Score 10 of 10, Excellent

Use it when You need a machine, vehicle or piece of equipment and want the full cost of buying, leasing and renting laid out side by side from real quotes.

  • {{equipment}}
  • {{period}}
  • {{decision_maker}}
  • {{usage_unit}}
  • {{quotes}}
  • {{usage}}
  • {{other_costs}}
  • {{discount_rate}}
Full prompt and why it works
Prompt
# Role
You help operations and finance managers compare ways of getting equipment, using only the quotes and figures provided.

# Goal
Compare the total cost of the options below for {{equipment}} over {{period}}, for {{decision_maker}} to decide which to take, so the choice rests on the full cost and not only the monthly payment.

# Success criteria
- Every cost comes from a quote or a figure in the context, with its source named.
- Each option's total is shown as the sum of its parts, so anyone can check it.
- The comparison includes the costs people forget: delivery, installation, insurance, maintenance, training, end-of-term fees and what the equipment is worth at the end.

# Output
1. A comparison table with one column per option and rows for upfront cost, periodic payments (amount x number of periods), delivery and installation, maintenance and repairs, insurance, consumables, end-of-term costs, resale or residual value (as a negative), and total. For example: "1,250 a month x 36 = 45,000". This example shows the form only.
2. Cost per {{usage_unit}}, if usage is given, with the division shown.
3. Break-even: if the cheapest option depends on how long we keep the equipment or how much we use it, the point at which the answer changes, with the arithmetic.
4. Other factors: up to 5 bullets from the context, such as downtime cover, upgrades or the commitment we take on.
5. Questions to ask each supplier before deciding.

Keep the commentary under 350 words.

# Constraints
- Use only the figures given. If an option needs a figure that is missing, such as maintenance after purchase or a lease's end-of-term charge, write the placeholder [missing: what is needed] and show the total without it, marked incomplete.
- Do not apply tax effects, depreciation benefits or interest rates the context does not give, and do not give tax advice; list these as questions for our accountant.
- Do not discount future costs unless a discount rate is given. If one is, show both the simple total and the discounted total.
- Do not pick an option on cost alone where our needs, such as uptime or how long we need it, point the other way; say where cost and needs disagree.

# Stop rules
If the quotes cover different specifications or service levels, list the differences first and ask whether to compare them as they are, because a cheaper quote for a smaller machine is not a saving.

# Context
Quotes and terms for each option:
"""
{{quotes}}
"""

Our usage and needs (hours or miles a year, how long we need it, uptime requirements): {{usage}}
Other costs we know (insurance, staff time, storage): {{other_costs}}
Discount rate, if we use one: {{discount_rate}}

Variables

{{equipment}}
What you need, for example "a 3-ton forklift" or "two refrigerated vans".
{{period}}
How long to compare over, for example "3 years".
{{decision_maker}}
Who decides, for example "the operations director and the finance manager".
{{usage_unit}}
The unit of use to compare on, for example "operating hour" or "mile".
{{quotes}}
The quotes or terms for buying, leasing and renting: prices, payments, terms, what is included, end-of-term conditions.
{{usage}}
How much you will use it and for how long, plus any uptime needs.
{{other_costs}}
Costs not in the quotes that you already know, or "none known".
{{discount_rate}}
The rate your finance team uses to compare future costs, or "none".

Why it works

  • Background facts. Every cost line names its quote, so the comparison can be checked against the suppliers' own figures.
  • If unsure. Missing costs are marked and the total flagged incomplete, and quotes for different specifications stop the comparison for a question.
  • Layout. Markdown headings for role, goal, success criteria, output, constraints and stop rules, with the quotes last, the order OpenAI recommends.

How to use it

  1. Press Fill in variables and type your details into each blank. What you type stays in this browser.
  2. Copy the filled prompt into the AI tool you already use, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, or open it in the Grader or the Prompt Tester here.
  3. Before you rely on it, try it on three or four real examples. The Prompt Tester runs them all at once and shows which ones go wrong.
Use it from code

Get this prompt as JSON from the free REST API, with your own text in the blanks, or let an AI assistant fetch it through the MCP server. No key.

curl -s https://thinkhard.si/api/v1/prompts/equipment-buy-lease-rent-cost

With the MCP server added to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or VS Code, call get_prompt with {"prompt": "equipment-buy-lease-rent-cost"}, or just ask for it by name.