Give Claude the decision, not just the document
When you paste a long document, say what you need to decide with it, so the summary is built around that choice.
The prompt
I need to decide whether to renew our office cleaning contract. Below is the contract summary. Do not give a general summary. Tell me only what bears on the renewal decision: costs, notice dates, exit terms, and anything that could catch me out. Then list any questions I should ask the supplier before I decide. If something I need is missing, say so rather than guessing. Contract summary: Supplier: Brightway Cleaning Ltd. Term: 12 months from 1 January 2026, renews automatically for a further 12 months unless written notice is given 60 days before the end date. Fee: £1,450 per month, fixed for the first term. Renewal fee may rise by up to 8% with 30 days' notice. Service: five evening visits per week, supplies included. Termination during a term: 90 days' written notice, with a charge of two months' fees. Complaints: must be raised in writing within 7 days of the visit.
What Claude gave back
# Renewal decision: what matters ## Check the notice deadline first The term runs from 1 January 2026 for 12 months, so it ends on 31 December 2026 (or 1 January 2027, depending on how the contract defines "end date"). Sixty days before that is **1 November or 2 November 2026**. Today is 2 November, so **the deadline has either passed (yesterday) or is today.** - **If you want to leave:** send written notice today, and do it in the exact way the contract's notices clause requires. I don't have that clause, so I can't say whether email counts or whether it must be posted or hand-delivered. Ask the supplier to confirm receipt in writing. - **If it's too late:** you are probably committed to a further 12 months (see exit costs below). The supplier may still agree to accept late notice, so ask. ## Costs - **Current:** £1,450 a month, or £17,400 a year. - **Renewal:** the fee may rise by up to 8% on 30 days' notice. That is up to **£1,566 a month, or £18,792 a year, about £1,392 more.** - **Unclear:** the summary doesn't say when the 30 days' notice must be given. It may be allowed after renewal has already happened. It also doesn't say whether the 8% is a cap on one increase or whether further rises are allowed in the new term. - **Missing:** whether the fees include or exclude VAT. ## Exit terms if you're locked in - Terminating mid-term needs 90 days' written notice **plus a charge of two months' fees**. That is about £2,900 at the current rate, or £3,132 at the increased rate. - The summary doesn't say whether the two-month charge is on top of fees for the 90-day notice period. If it is, leaving costs about five months' fees in total. At the increased rate, the extra penalty alone is £3,132. - In practice, leaving mid-renewal means roughly £3,000 or more of avoidable cost. That is the figure to weigh against any saving from switching suppliers. ## Things that could catch you out - **Complaints window:** problems must be raised in writing within 7 days of the visit. Verbal complaints or late ones may not count. Any dispute over service quality is hard to use as leverage if you haven't been logging complaints. - **No quality exit:** the summary shows no right to terminate for poor performance or for breach. If one exists in the full contract, it could avoid the exit charge. - **Silent auto-renewal:** this is what's happening now. Diarise the next deadline to avoid a repeat. - **Not in the summary:** insurance, staff vetting, bank holiday cover, remedies for missed visits, and price-rise rules beyond the 8% cap. ## Questions for the supplier 1. Will you confirm the exact end date and the last day on which notice is valid? Will you accept notice sent today? 2. If notice is late, will you waive the auto-renewal or agree a shorter extension? 3. What fee do you intend to charge for the renewal term, and when will you give the 30 days' notice? Can you hold £1,450? 4. Is the 8% a one-off cap for the renewal year? Are further increases allowed during that year? 5. Is the two-month termination charge payable in addition to fees during the 90-day notice period? 6. Are the fees ex-VAT or inc-VAT? 7. Can I get a reduced-term or rolling monthly option, perhaps at a slightly higher rate? 8. What remedies apply if visits are missed or the standard is poor, and can I terminate for repeated failures without the charge? 9. Can complaints be raised by email or phone, and can the 7-day window be extended? 10. What are the insurance and staff-vetting arrangements, and what happens on bank holidays? **Before deciding,** ask for the full contract, especially the notices clause, the definition of "end date", and any termination-for-breach provisions. I haven't seen them, and the answers could change your position.
I think it works. The answer stays on the renewal decision, works out the notice date (1 or 2 November) and spots it is today or just gone. It also lists what the summary leaves out, such as the notices clause, VAT and whether the termination charge stacks on the notice-period fees, rather than guessing. The arithmetic checks out. The limit is that it ran long and drifted into generic extras like insurance and vetting.
A plain request to summarise a document gets you a tour of the whole thing. Most of it is not what you need. When you say what you are deciding, Claude can pick out the parts that matter and leave the rest.
It also helps to ask what is missing. In the example, the notice deadline falls in early November, and a good answer will flag it. Telling Claude to say so when information is absent keeps it from filling gaps with guesses.