n8n Workflow: Gmail Bid Quotes, OpenAI Extract, Data Tables

Automatically capture subcontractor bid quotes from Gmail, extract pricing with OpenAI, and level results in n8n Data Tables

This n8n Workflow: Gmail Bid Quotes, OpenAI Extract, Data Tables monitors your inbox for subcontractor bid/quote emails, reads attached bid PDFs, uses OpenAI to match each quote to an open bid package, extracts structured pricing and scope coverage, and keeps everything updated in n8n Data Tables—including daily reminders and award/“regret” emails.

What this workflow does

• Listens for incoming bid/quote emails in Gmail based on your bid/quote search and downloads any attachments.
• Handles attachment readability: extracts text from the attached PDF; if unreadable, it replies asking the subcontractor for a text-based PDF.
• Uses OpenAI for quote matching + extraction: looks up open bid packages stored in n8n Data Tables, matches the email to the right package, and extracts structured quote details and scope coverage per checklist item.
• Validates and levels totals: when the quote is valid and matches the open package, it calculates scope gaps, applies allowance “plugs” to produce a leveled total, and versions the quote as a revision.
• Writes results back to Data Tables: upserts the leveled quote into the bid_quotes Data Table.
• Closes the loop with Gmail replies: confirms when scope is complete or requests subcontractor confirmation/clarification for missing/excluded items.
• Runs a daily sweep at 7am: updates past-due packages to closing, reminds invited subcontractors who haven’t submitted quotes, and flags packages with no bids for review.
• Post-closing award workflow: after closing, ranks quotes by leveled total, has OpenAI draft an award recommendation, emails the estimator for approval, then sends award-intent to the winner and regret emails to other bidders while updating package status.

Use cases

• Estimating teams who want email-to-database capture for subcontractor bid quotes without manual spreadsheets.
• Operations teams needing daily bid chase and award/regret communications tied to package status.
• SaaS operators building a repeatable bid management automation using n8n Data Tables.

Technical details

• Integrations/nodes: Gmail, OpenAI, n8n Data Tables
• Workflow logic: if, set, code, gmail, switch, split out

Built for professional n8n users who need reliable Gmail bid processing, AI-based extraction, and structured results with traceable package/quote lifecycle management.