No license number, no bid
Lesson 5 of 5 · The job week
By the end you can name the rules that bind an AI-drafted bid, ad or contract, the three uses that are plainly fine, the pattern that gets contractors in trouble, and the one sentence to keep.
1 · Learn the move · Red-team audit
The model writing the draft changes nothing about whose license is on the line. The rules, checked against Tennessee: every ad carries your name and your license number as the board issued it [P]; bidding above the licensing threshold without the license is an offense, and the threshold figures in circulation were not verified for this draft [M]; a residential contract must contain the items the statute lists, and a blank line is a fillable blank, never signed [S]; a bid envelope shows the license number on the outside [S]; lien notice dates are computed by a person, from the statute, never by the model [S]; and a fake review or a fake photo is a federal matter, not a marketing choice [S]. The output is always an estimate, never an appraisal, never an engineering certification, never a code sign-off. Three uses are plainly fine: estimates and scopes from your own takeoffs; formatting proposals and summarizing specs, RFIs and submittals; and drafting client updates, change orders and lien notices for your review. The pattern that gets people in trouble is paper with no license number on it, or 'meets code' from a model that has never seen the job. No case names AI yet [M]. The sentence to keep: every bid, ad and contract the AI drafts shows your license number, states only what you will do in writing, and promises nothing you cannot put in the contract. Draft copy, not legal or code advice. Sources tagged [P] primary, [S] secondary, [M] unverified. Reviewed by: nobody yet.
Here are the rules I work under: [paste the rules above in your own words]. Here is a draft bid and a draft ad: [paste]. Act as the reviewer trying to find the line that gets me a board letter. For every sentence that breaks a rule, quote it, name the rule, and say what to write instead. Flag every page with no license number. Flag every 'meets code', 'structurally sound', 'guaranteed' or 'lifetime'. Flag every blank. Do not soften the draft; only flag it. End with a checklist I can run before anything goes to a client.
The facts this lesson rests on, dated
Each line names the source grade the lesson shows, [P] primary, [S] secondary, [M] unverified, and the day it comes due. Past that day, treat it as a question. Draft copy, not legal advice.
- Tennessee Rule 0680-07-.04 requires the contractor's name and license number in every print, TV and radio ad and bars false or misleading statements, including finance terms. [P] (researched Oct 6, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person, recheck by Dec 15, 2026). source
- Tennessee T.C.A. 62-6-120 makes offering to contract without a license a Class A misdemeanor; the $25,000 threshold figure in circulation was not verified against the statute text. [M] (researched Oct 6, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person, recheck by Dec 15, 2026). source
- Tennessee T.C.A. 62-6-508 requires a written home improvement contract with names, addresses, license number, date and a description of the work and goods, with no blanks and a do-not-sign-if-blank notice. [S] (researched Oct 6, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person, recheck by Dec 15, 2026). source
- Tennessee T.C.A. 62-6-119 requires the license number, expiration date and monetary limit on the outside of the bid envelope. [S] (researched Oct 6, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person, recheck by Dec 15, 2026). source
- Tennessee lien notice deadlines under T.C.A. 66-11-143 and 66-11-145 run in days from completion or from the month of work, and on residential property only the direct contractor holds lien rights. [S] (researched Oct 6, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person, recheck by Dec 15, 2026). source
- The FTC rule at 16 CFR Part 465, in force since 2024-10-21, bars AI-generated or fabricated reviews and testimonials, with a civil penalty per violation. [S] (researched Oct 6, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person, recheck by Dec 15, 2026). source
- No contractor board action naming AI-drafted bids, ads or contracts was found when checked. [M] (researched Oct 6, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person, recheck by Dec 15, 2026). research pack B_real_estate_land_contractors.md (parity run 2026-10-05), Toolroom section 4
2 · Your turn. You write the prompt
Your new estimator used a chatbot to write a bid and a social post for the Dalton addition. The bid says 'all work guaranteed to meet code', has a blank line for the start date, and no license number anywhere. The post has three five-star reviews from customers you do not recognize. He wants to send both before lunch.
Write the prompt for this scenario as given, or swap in a real one from your own work. The score works the same either way.
Remember: the AI sees only your prompt, not this page. If the situation isn't in your prompt, it doesn't exist.
Optional. These shape the output when you run your prompt below, not your score.