RFI_AI_Planning_Review_Software.pdf

Purchasing Department

DeAnna Faggart, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB, Director 2555 East Hanna Avenue

Tampa, Florida 33610

Office (813) 274-8351 Fax: (813) 274-8355

February 25, 2025

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) FOR

AI PLANNING REVIEW SOFTWARE

Responses for AI PLANNING REVIEW SOFTWARE, RFI #25-P-00143 will be received by the Director of Purchasing, City of Tampa, until 3:00 P.M.; MARCH 17, 2025.

Attached are important instructions and specifications regarding responses to this Request for Information (RFI).

Questions regarding Vendor Registration, accessing bid documents or submission assistance within the OpenGov eProcurement Portal shall be emailed to procurement-support@openngov.com; reference RFI# and name in the subject line. Questions pertaining to the RFI document/specifications will be accepted up to five days prior to the scheduled opening date and time and shall be submitted within the OpenGov eProcurement Portal. Per the City of Tampa’s Communication Policy during any solicitation period including any protest and/or appeal, there should be no contact with City officials or employees, other than the Analyst, the Director of Purchasing or the Legal Department, permitted from any Respondent. Such communication shall result in an automatic disqualification for selection in the pending solicitation and any subsequent City solicitations for a period of six (6) months, no matter the outcome of the solicitation or any protest and/or appeal.

Responses shall be accepted no later than the time and date specified above. The RFI Opening shall be thereafter and published on GETALL. All responses received after the due date and time shall be rejected. Offers by mail, hand delivery or express mail, telephone, email or transmitted by facsimile (FAX) machine are not acceptable. All submittals are uploaded electronically into the GETALL system. No file shall have a special character. No response may be withdrawn or modified after the time fixed for the opening of response.

Electronic submittals shall be performed uploaded in the OpenGov eProcurement portal via link:

https://procurement.opengov.com/.government/3258/projects/148673

To ensure that an electronic submittal is received by the opening date and time, it is recommended that the Respondent submit their documents with adequate time allowed prior to the deadline. Respondent shall receive an email confirmation of their submittal after clicking on the Confirm Bid button in the OpenGov Portal. Respondenct will only receive confirmation email after submitting both pricing on the pricing page(s) and uploading all the required documents. The Respondent shall be responsible for confirming that their submittal was successful and received by the deadline. Any submittal received after the closing date and time will not be considered.

STATEMENT OF NO SUBMISION

The Purchasing Department’s mission is to provide the est specifications in our solicitation packages to receive maximum participation from the industry market. Please take a few minutes to briefly explain to us why you will not be responding to the City’s RFI by clicking “NO BID” AT https://procurement.opengov.com/governments/3258/projects/148673.

mailto:procurement-support@openngov.com https://procurement.opengov.com/.government/3258/projects/148673 https://procurement.opengov.com/governments/3258/projects/148673

INSTRUCTIONS TO PROVIDERS

City of Tampa solicitations are issued electronically via GetAll’s system. Obtaining solicitations through GetAll will ensure that providers will have the following capabilities: receipt of solicitation documents electronically, and receive addenda, if applicable online electronically. Providers who obtain specifications and plans from sources other than GetAll are cautioned that the solicitation packages may be incomplete. The City will not accept incomplete responses. Contact GetAll at support@getall.com for more information.

The City is not responsible for errors and omissions occurring in the transmission or downloading of any solicitation documents, plans, or specifications from the GetAll system. GetAll has no affiliation with the City of Tampa other than as a service that facilitates communication and solicitation submittals between the City and its providers. GetAll is an independent entity and is not an agent or representative of the City. Communications to GetAll does not constitute communications to the City. Contact GetAll at support@getall.com for more information.

Providers discovering any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other error in this RFI, shall immediately notify the City of such error in writing and request modification or clarification of the RFI within the GetAll system. Modifications will be made by issuing an addendum and will be given by written notice to all prospective Providers who received an original RFI from GetAll (those who are on the Plan Holders List). Addenda will be posted and disseminated by GetAll at least five days prior to this RFI opening date. The Provider is responsible for clarifying any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other error in the RFI prior to submitting the offer or it shall be deemed waived.

Tabulations (results) will be posted in the GetAll system and made available to providers after the scheduled opening of the sealed responses.

The Provider shall comply with the applicable requirements of Federal and state laws, all Codes and Ordinances of the City of Tampa as amended from time to time and any applicable professional regulations.

The Provider is expected to carefully examine the entire package, including but not limited to all the provisions, terms, and conditions. Failure to do so will be at the Provider’s risk.

mailto:support@getall.com mailto:support@getall.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION I. SCOPE OF SERVICES

SECTION II. GENERAL CONDITIONS

ATTACHMENT A. PARTICIPATION SIGNATURE FORM

ATTACHMENT B. FLORIDA PUBLIC RECORDS LAW

SECTION I. SCOPE OF SERVICES

1. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this RFI is to obtain input, gather knowledge, new ideas, best practices and information from the vendor community regarding the potential procurement of an AI-Based Planning Review Software for Development and Growth Management that captures basic prescriptive code requirements from the Building, Residential and Accessibility volumes of the Florida Building Codes. Information gathered from this RFI will assist the City in determining system requirements, project scope, project timetable, ongoing costs, and City resources needed for AI-Based Planning Review Software. This input may assist the City in its preparation of a Request for Proposal (RFP) and subsequent contract(s).

The Construction Services division of the Development and Growth Management department, along with the Technology & Innovation Department of the City of Tampa (City) request information concerning issues and options associated with an AI-Based application that can assist in-house plan reviewers and submitters to address basic prescriptive requirements for pre-application.

The Construction Services division regularly accepts permit applications that involve plan reviews. There are certain prescriptive (exact) requirements that are consistently not met and therefore need to be returned to the submitter. The idea is for this software to assist the submitter and plan reviewers with satisfying these requirements pre-application.

Examples of prescriptive requirements:

• Total Square Footage

• Building Code Reference and all applicable standards included. They must also be the correct edition/date.

• Address

• Building Elevations

• Product Approval List

• Engineer Stamp

• Construction Type

• Scope of work

• Level of alteration and/or change of occupancy for existing building permits.

2. BACKGROUND

The Construction Services division of the Development and Growth Management department utilizes Digital Plan Review (ePermitHub) to review plans submitted to them for various permit requests. Permits are submitted at our City Webpage and then reviewed by a plan reviewer. Permit plan requests constantly must be returned to the submitter for many requirements that are simple to address however are unnecessarily time-consuming for the plan reviewer. Ideally there would be a redirection to the AI Tool prior to submitting commercial or residential permits with exception of trade permit requests.

3. BUSINESS NEEDS

The purpose of this initiative is to introduce and integrate AI-Software into the daily business activities undertaken by the City Plan reviewers. The AI software can be either integrated or non-integrated with the Accela platform which is the permitting software used by the City. The project involves software acquisition, implementation and training. The software will result in changes to survey submittal, with the expectation of increasing staff productivity.

The City’s objective is to find and implement software that will do the following:

• Identify the type of submittal (Residential, Building, Accessibility) Eighth Edition or most recent.

• Based on the type of submittal, identify prescription requirements identified in the building code requirements listed in the 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, Eighth Edition (107.3.5 Minimum plan review criteria for buildings).

• The code requirements previously mentioned are high level in that this tool would need to go further to identify specific dimension requirements based on the submittal type.

4. INFORMATION TO BE SUBMITTED

The City recognizes that considerable effort may be required in preparing a response to the RFI. Please note, however, that this is a request for information only and not a request for services. The Provider must bear all costs for preparing and responding to this RFI.

If the Provider is interested in participating in the City’s Request for Information, the following shall be submitted:

4.1 Contact information for a person (Point of Contact, POC) who is employed directly by the firm and who is authorized to respond to questions from the City Representative. Provide a statement confirming that the City is authorized to contact the POC to request additional information or discussion to further investigate the response to the RFI at no cost to the City.

4.2 Provide a brief summary of the Company’s experience and qualifications in delivering AI Planning Review solutions. Provide an overview of the software and its functionalities. Technical specifications, diagrams, models and examples are welcomed in support of text discussion.

4.3 Provide a cost estimate for the solutions and options offered by your company. Cost estimates are not binding to the company. These estimates will assist the City in developing an initial budget for possible AI Planning Review software deployment.

4.4 Please describe the level of conformity of the CRM to the Open 3-1-1 API.

4.5 Any brochures, information/marketing materials and price list(s) the company would like to provide.

4.6 Recommended best practices and suggested steps with respect to proven planning and implementation tasks/activities.

4.7 Provide the company’s website address. If applicable, provide login and password to allow access to view a sample of the application if available.

4.8 Any other information the company can provide that could assist the City in developing the requirements for the Request for Proposal.

4.9 Provide a statement of understanding that the City would be able to demo the system on-site at a City of Tampa location at no cost to the City.

4.10 Multiple Solutions. Multiple responses to the RFI will be accepted from a single Provider if each response is comprehensive. Please provide each response separately and clearly marked as “RESPONSE #1”, “RESPONSE #2”, etc.

4.11 References. If available, provide a list of three clients who utilize the software solution being provided.

5. PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF REQUEST

5.1 Responses should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the Provider's application and services.

All responses shall be organized in the following manner and identified with tabs:

• Title Page. Type the name of Provider's agency/firm, address, telephone number, name of contact person, date, and the title of the RFI.

• Table of Contents. Include a clear identification of the written material by section and by page number.

• Tab 1. Addenda. Include a copy of the addendum, or addenda associated with the RFI, if applicable.

• Tab 2. Attachment A. Submit the Participation Signature Form.

• Tab 3. Section I. Scope of Services. Include all the information and/or documentation requested under Section 4. Information to be submitted.

6. DEMONSTRATION

After reviewing the responses to the RFI, the City may request a demonstration. The City reserves the right to invite a select group of AI Planning Review software providers to participate in a demonstration. The City will be in contact with the selected group of AI Planning Review software provider(s) who submitted a response to the RFI if the City chooses to schedule demonstration(s).

End of Section I

SECTION II. GENERAL CONDITIONS

7. GENERAL INFORMATION

7.1 Response Due Date. Sealed responses will be received no later than the date and time indicated on page one of this document. Responses will not be accepted after this time.

7.2 Addendum and Amendment to RFI. If it becomes necessary to revise or amend any part of this RFI, GetAll will provide notification of the Addendum to all prospective Providers who received an original RFI notification making them a plan-holder. Addenda will be posted and disseminated by GetAll at least five days prior to the RFI opening date.

It will be the responsibility of the Provider to review GetAll prior to submitting a response to ascertain if any addenda has been issued, to obtain all such addenda, and to return the executed addenda with the response.

7.3 Florida Public Records Law. In accordance with Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, and, except as may be provided by Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes and other applicable State and Federal Laws, all Proposers should be aware that the Proposal and the responses thereto are in the public domain and are available for public inspection and copying.

Using Attachment B – Public Records Declaration or Claim of Exemption, Proposer is required to acknowledge whether or not they are asserting that certain information in its proposal is confidential and/or proprietary and/or exempt from public disclosure. If the Proposer is asserting that certain information in its Proposal is confidential and/or proprietary and/or exempt from public disclosure, then the Proposer is required to do the following: (1) identify, with specificity, the information which the Proposer asserts is confidential and/or proprietary and/or exempt from public disclosure, (2) place such information in a separate file labeled “REDACTED, EXEMPT FROM PUBLIC DISCLOSURE” this uploaded document must be separate from the Proposer's other Proposal documents, (3) specifically cite the applicable Florida Statute(s) that exempts such information from public disclosure - such citation must be placed within the redacted file. The “REDACTED” file that contains the Proposer's confidential/proprietary/exempt information must be submitted with the Proposer's other Proposal documents. Proposer is advised that failure to follow the aforementioned instructions may result in Proposer's alleged confidential/proprietary/exempt information being disclosed to the public. This will be the Proposer’s “REDACTED” copy. All submittals received in response to this Proposal will become the property of the City of Tampa and will not be returned. In the event of an award, all documentation produced as part of the contract will become the exclusive property of the City.* All uploaded documents may not have special characters in the file name, #,*,@, etc….

Be aware that the designation of an item as exempt from public disclosure by a Proposer may be challenged in court by any person or entity. By designation of material in your Proposal submittal as exempt from public disclosure, Proposer agrees to defend the City of Tampa (and its employees, agents and elected and appointed officials) against all claims and actions (whether or not a lawsuit is commenced) related to Proposer’s designation of material as exempt from public disclosure and to hold harmless the City of Tampa (and its employees, agents and elected and appointed officials) for any award to a plaintiff for damages, costs and attorneys’ fees, and for costs and attorneys’ fees incurred by the City by reason of any claim or action related to your designation of material as exempt from public disclosure.

*Note: The City will not accept Proposal submittals when the entire submittal is labeled as exempt from public disclosure and the proposal will be deemed non-responsive. Proposer’s References and Cost or Price information will be deemed a public record, and if a claim of confidentiality/proprietary information is made, the City may deem the Proposal submittal as “non-responsive”.

7.3.1 In accordance with Section 119.071(1)(b)2, Florida Statutes, sealed bids, proposals, or replies received by the City of Tampa pursuant to a competitive solicitation are exempt from section 119.07(1), Florida Statutes and section 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution until such time as the City of Tampa provides notice of an intended decision or until 30 days after opening the bids, proposals, or final replies, whichever is earlier.

7.3.2 In accordance with Section 119.071(1)(b)3, Florida Statutes, if the City of Tampa rejects all bids, INFORMATION, or replies submitted in response to a competitive solicitation and the City of Tampa concurrently provides notice of its intent to reissue the competitive solicitation, the rejected bids, proposals, or replies remain exempt from section 119.07(1), Florida Statutes and section 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution until such time as the City of Tampa provides notice of an intended decision concerning the reissued competitive solicitation or until the City of Tampa withdraws the reissued competitive solicitation. A bid, proposal, or reply is not exempt for longer than 12 months after the initial City of Tampa notice rejecting all bids, proposals, or replies.

7.3.3 The City of Tampa is a public agency subject to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. In accordance with Florida Statutes, 119.0701, Successful Proposer agrees to comply with Florida’s Public Records Law, including the following:

1. Successful Proposer shall keep and maintain public records required by the City to perform the services;

2. Upon request from the City, Successful Proposer shall provide the City with copies of the requested records, having redacted records in total or in part that are exempt from disclosure by law or allow the records to be inspected or copied within a reasonable time (with provision of a copy of such records to the City) on the same terms and conditions that the City would provide the records and at a cost that does not exceed that provided in Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, or as otherwise provided by law;

3. Ensure that public records, in part or in total that are exempt or that are confidential and exempt from public record requirements are not disclosed except as authorized by law for the duration of the contract term and following completion (or early termination) of the contract if the Contractor does not transfer the records to the City;

4. Upon completion (or earlier termination) of the award, Successful Proposer shall within 30 days after such event either transfer to the City, at no cost, all public records in possession of the Successful Proposer or keep and maintain the public records in compliance with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. If Successful Proposer transfers all public records to the City upon completion (or earlier termination) of the award, Successful Proposer shall destroy any duplicate records that are exempt or confidential and exempt from public records disclosure requirements. If Successful Proposer keeps and maintains public records upon completion (or earlier termination) of the award, Successful Proposer shall meet all applicable requirements for retaining public records. All records stored electronically must be provided to the City in a format that is compatible with the information technology systems of the agency.

5. The failure of Successful Proposer to comply with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, and/or the provisions set forth above shall be grounds for immediate unilateral termination of the contract by the City; the City shall also have the option to withhold compensation due Successful Proposer until records are received as provided herein.

6. IF THE SUCCESSFUL PROPOSER HAS QUESTIONS

REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF CHAPTER 119, FLORIDA

STATUTES TO THE SUCCESSFUL PROPOSER’S DUTY TO

PROVIDE PUBLIC RECORDS RELATING TO THIS AWARD,

CONTACT THE CUSTODIAN OF PUBLIC RECORDS AT

813/274-8351, COTPurchasingPRR@tampagov.net, AND

MAILING ADDRESS OF PURCHASING DEPARTMENT, 2555

EAST HANNA AVENUE, 2ND FLOOR, TAMPA, FL 33610.

Note: Acknowledgement of the Florida Public Records Law must be submitted with the proposal, under TAB 3.

7.4 City of Tampa Ethics Code. The Proposer shall comply with all applicable governmental and city rules and regulations including the City's Ethics Code which is available on the City's Website. (City of Tampa Code, Chapter 2, Article VIII. - Section 2-522) Moreover, each Provider responding to this Request for Information acknowledges and understands that the City's Charter and Ethics Code prohibit any City employee from receiving any substantial benefit or profit out of any contract or obligation entered into with the City, or from having any direct or indirect financial interest in effecting any such contract or obligation.

The Successful Proposer shall ensure that no City employee receives any such benefit or interest as a result of the award of this Request for Proposal. (City of Tampa Code, Chapter 2, Article VIII. - Section 2-514(d))

Please note that the City's Ethics Code may be accessed on the Internet by utilizing the website link http://www.tampagov.net/human-resources/info/lobbyist-information or can be found in the City of Tampa’s municipal codes published online by the Municipal Code Corporation at the website link mailto:COTPurchasingPRR@tampagov.net http://www.tampagov.net/human-resources/info/lobbyist-information https://www.municode.com/library/fl/tampa/codes/code_of_ordinances. Printed copies of the Ethics Code can also be obtained from the City Clerk's Office for a fee of $0.15 cents a page.

7.5 Compliance with Laws. The Provider shall comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, and codes of the Federal Government, State of Florida, Hillsborough County, and the City of Tampa. It shall be the responsibility of the Successful Proposer to be knowledgeable of all federal, state, county and local laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations that in any manner affect the items covered herein which may apply. Failure to comply with all applicable laws, ordinances and codes may lead to termination of the contract.

7.6 Incurred Expenses. The City is not responsible for any expenses which Providers may incur in the preparation and submittal of INFORMATION requested by this RFI, including but not limited to, costs associated with travel, accommodations, interviews, or presentations of INFORMATION.

8. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

8.1 This is only a Request for Information (RFI) and should not be construed as intent, commitment or promise to acquire the software, services or solutions presented by the Providers.

8.2 The City will not be obligated to any Provider as a result of this RFI. The City is not obligated for any cost incurred by the Provider in the preparation of the RFI response. The City will not pay for any information herein requested nor is the City liable for any costs incurred by the Provider. For economy of presentation, special bindings, colored displays, promotional materials and the like, shall be at the discretion of the Provider, the City will not be responsible for the cost.

8.3 This RFI is being submitted strictly for the purpose of gaining knowledge of the products and services available on the market for AI Planning Review Software and options available.

8.4 From the information collected, the City will review all information and options related to the plan review system, assess our needs and refine our requirements. The City reserves the right to contact the Providers for additional information at its sole discretion and to issue additional requests, if necessary.

8.5 The City may request the Provider’s solution be presented to the City for the capability to perform. All costs associated with providing a presentation/demonstration of the application is the sole responsibility of the Provider.

8.6 At a later date, the City may release a formal solicitation, a Request for Proposal (RFP), for a AI Planning Review Software. Providers that do not participate in this RFI process will not be excluded from future RFP solicitation. However, the City of Tampa posts all; Bids, Request for Proposals (RFP), addenda, tabulations, awards and related announcements on https://procurement.opengov.com.

OpenGov is a national bid network. Free subscription is available to access bids from the City of Tampa only. A fee is required if subscribing to other jurisdictions or multiple agencies. Contact OpenGov at support@opengov.com. To subscribe or more information. The Bid documents, Addenda, Tabulations and submittals will be done on OpenGov.com. Please see the first page of this RFI for more information on utilizing the OpenGov interface

9. CANCELLATION. When deemed to be in the best interest of the City of Tampa, this RFI may be cancelled at any time with or without cause.

End of Section II https://www.municode.com/library/fl/tampa/codes/code_of_ordinances https://procurement.opengov.com/ mailto:support@opengov.com

ATTACHMENT A

PARTICIPATION SIGNATURE FORM

FOR

AI PLANNIG REVIEW SOFTWARE

In order to participate in the City’s Request for Information, please complete and submit the following:

Please type or print:

Name of Firm:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Contact Person:

Telephone No.: Fax No.: Email:

Authorized Signature: Date:

STATEMENT OF PARTICIPATION

( ) We will be participating in the Request for Information. Attached to the Participation Application is the information requested under Section I. Scope of Services, Section 3. Information To Be Submitted.

( ) We decline to participate for the following reasons:

Please Note: After the City receives the Participation Signature Form and required documentation, the City, at its sole discretion reserves the right to contact the Provider for additional information or to test the Provider’s solution(s).

ATTACHMENT B - PUBLIC RECORD DECLARATION OR CLAIM OF EXEMPTION

As a Bidder, any document you submit to the City of Tampa may be public record and be open for personal inspection or copying by any person. In Florida “public records” are defined as all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material, regardless of the physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made, or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency. Section 119.011(11), F.S. A document is subject to personal inspection and copying unless it falls under one of the public records exemptions created under Florida law. Please designate what portion of your bid, if any, qualifies to be exempt from inspection and copying:

Note: Execute either section I. or II., but not both; Bidder may not modify language.

Information regarding the Florida Public Records Law can be located in the ITB in the General Conditions.

I. NO EXEMPTION FROM PUBLIC RECORDS LAW

No part of the bid submitted is exempt from disclosure under the Florida public records law, Ch. 119, F.S.

Bidder’s Signature Date

II. EXEMPTIOM FROM PUBLIC RECORDS LAW AND AGREEMENT TO INDEMNIFY AND DEFEND THE CITY

OF TAMPA

The following parts of the bid submitted are exempt from disclosure under the Florida public records law because: (list exempt parts and statutory citation):

By claiming that parts of the bid are exempt from the public records law, the undersigned Bidder agrees to protect, defend, indemnify, and hold the City of Tampa, its officers, employees, and agents free and harmless from and against any and all claims arising out of a request to inspect or copy the bid. The undersigned Bidder agrees to investigate, handle respond to, provide defense (including payment of attorney fees, court costs, and expert witness fees and expenses up to and including any appeal) for and defend any such claim at its sole cost and expense through counsel chosen by the City of Tampa and agrees to bear all other costs and expenses related thereto, even if they (claims, etc.) are groundless, false, or fraudulent.

Bidder’s Signature Date

INSTRUCTIONS TO PROVIDERS