{"id":"fpa-contract-escalator-with-cap-three-year-lines","audience":"fpa","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"grounding","level":"intermediate","title":"Cost a three-year contract with a percent escalator and a dollar cap","free":false,"task":"You're budgeting a three-year software contract for the procurement lead. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting \"Year 1:\", \"Year 2:\", \"Year 3:\", \"Total:\" and \"Cap effect:\". Use the contract's cap on the annual increase. Show the math with the uncapped increase and the capped increase. Cap effect compares the total with the uncapped total. Under 110 words.","materialLabel":"Source material (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"SOFTWARE CONTRACT TERMS (signed Oct 12, 2026)\n\nYear 1 fee: $100,000\nSection 4.2: the fee increases each year by 6%, but the increase in any year cannot exceed $5,000 over the prior year's fee.\n\nSales rep email, Oct 8 (before signing): \"Year 2 and Year 3 will go up 6% each year, no cap, so plan for $106,000 and $112,360.\" The signed contract replaced this language.\n\nNotes: The 6% applies to the prior year's fee. All fees are billed annually in advance. No other charges apply. Taxes are not included. Procurement wants a three-year budget view and an idea of how much the cap is worth, to show the CFO at the Nov 20 meeting.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":100}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the five lines","patterns":["year 1","year 2","year 3","total","cap effect"]},{"label":"States the cap","patterns":["\\$5,000","cap"]},{"label":"Uses the contract","patterns":["signed","contract","not the (earlier )?email"]},{"label":"Asks for the math","patterns":["show the math","6%"]},{"label":"Caps length","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","under \\d+"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Using the rep's email","why":"The AI budgets $106,000 and $112,360.","fix":"Say: \"Use the signed contract's cap, not the earlier email.\"","checks":["r0","r1"]},{"title":"Capping from the start","why":"The AI caps both years from the Year 1 fee.","fix":"Add: \"Apply 6% to the prior year's fee, then cap the increase at $5,000.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Missing the cap comparison","why":"The AI stops at the total.","fix":"Add: \"Cap effect: uncapped total minus capped total.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown extras","why":"The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits.","fix":"Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each part short.","checks":["maxWords"]}],"hint":"The signed contract replaces the email. Ask for the capped and uncapped increase side by side.","rubricLabels":["The five lines start Year 1:, Year 2:, Year 3:, Total: and Cap effect: in that order; Year 2 shows $100,000 + $5,000 = $105,000 (6% would be $6,000 but the cap is $5,000)","Year 3 shows $105,000 + $5,000 = $110,000 (6% would be $6,300) and Total shows $100,000 + $105,000 + $110,000 = $315,000","Cap effect shows the uncapped total $318,360 ($100,000 + $106,000 + $112,360) and a difference of $3,360 saved by the cap, and the rep's no-cap email is not used for the budget"]}