The job total beats the rate card.

Put the job on both sides

If one supplier bills attempts and another bills successes, their unit prices are not directly comparable. Define the workload, expected retries, delivery quality and limits first.

Compare what each offer costs to complete the same job. Account for correlated failures, setup time, output quality, latency and risk rather than assuming a lower unit price always means better value.

Bring seller economics into the test

Absorbing failures shifts cost and risk to the supplier. Compute contribution margin after retries, infrastructure and any third-party charges. A buyer-friendly offer can be commercially poor if those costs are ignored.

Test the premium instead of assuming it

A guarantee can reduce uncertainty, but that does not justify any price increase. Test the total job cost, budget eligibility and evidence of value against credible alternatives.