SAM.gov Sources Sought Draft Specification Sheet AI Code Generation.docx

DRAFT Specification Sheet U.S. Energy Information Administration

Project Title: AI-Enabled Code Assessment and Generation

A. BACKGROUND

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Office of Resources and Technology Management (ORTM), Office of Information Technology (OIT) is seeking to investigate the potential for a commercial, AI-enabled tool to assess/generate developer code.

This Sources Sought adopts the definition of AI utilized in President Biden's Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI:

The term “artificial intelligence” or “AI” has the meaning set forth in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3): a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments. Artificial intelligence systems use machine and human--based inputs to perceive real and virtual environments; abstract such perceptions into models through analysis in an automated manner; and use model inference to formulate options for information or action.

EIA interprets this definition to describe a wide range of models and tools that utilize data, patterns, and other informational inputs to generate outputs—including statistical relationships, forecasts, content, and recommendations—for a given set of objectives. For the purposes of this Sources Sought, EIA is seeking capabilities enabled by the latest developments in AI technologies and applications, including existing AI (e.g., machine learning models that learn from data and automatically adapt and improve with minimal human interference, rather than relying on explicit programming) and emerging AI technologies including deep learning neutral network such as generative AI and large language models.

B. OBJECTIVES

The AI-enabled tool will meet the following criteria:

1. Code assessment and generation capability

· Able to assess and provide code suggestions in multiple programming languages, including but not limited to: Python, R, SAS, HTML, Java, and PHP.

· Capable of reviewing existing code and providing suggested code changes to optimize efficiency/effectiveness and mitigate security and performance flaws.

· Capable of reviewing existing or under-development code to generate tests, define function logic, and predictively complete code blocks.

· Capable of writing new optimized code in multiple programming languages in response to plain text inputs/prompts.

· Cloud based solution (AWS) or On Premise.

· Capable of integration with GitLab/GitHub.

2. Full support

· US-based support services 24/7, 365

3. Data confidentiality

· Ensure confidential data is protected with enhanced privacy and security including encryption.

· FEDRAMP compliant (if web based).

4. Technical Limitations

· Information OIT should be aware of regarding use of the above tool to operationalize, maintain, and support our security posture.

5. User Interface and Experience

· Must have system status – feedback on actions taken.

· Recognition vs recall design principles.

· It should be easy for new users to learn and have shortcuts for experts to do things fast.

6. Admin Interface and Experience

· Must have system status – feedback on actions taken.

· Recognition vs recall design principles.

· It should be easy for new users to learn and have shortcuts for experts to do things fast.