AI Tools for Medicare Experience Modernization - Request for Information

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking artificial intelligence and machine learning platforms and services designed to enhance the Medicare experience for approximately 70 million beneficiaries across digital and voice channels. The RFI explicitly emphasizes that this is not a solicitation for proposals or a commitment to award a contract, and responding does not guarantee future participation in any procurement. Key requirements include production-ready AI solutions with active deployments processing at least 1 million Medicare enrollments annually across multiple plan types, HIPAA compliance, FedRAMP authorization or a clear path to authorization, WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance, multilingual support, and proprietary technology ownership. CMS is particularly interested in solutions offering personalized plan recommendations, 24/7 conversational AI support, predictive analytics, accessible decision support tools, and call center automation integrated with CMS data assets including claims, enrollment, and provider directories. For call center solutions, vendors must document experience handling a minimum of 250,000 calls or equivalent minutes annually in healthcare or government environments. The RFI response deadline is March 31, 2026, with responses submitted as PDF documents via email to aaron.blackshire@cms.hhs.gov and matthew.wendel@cms.hhs.gov.

No set-aside designation has been applied to this opportunity, and full and open competition is expected under NAICS code 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services) and PSC code D399 (IT and Telecommunications). No current incumbents or potential contractors are identified in this pre-solicitation notice. The RFI does not specify award values or budget ranges at this stage. CMS anticipates issuing formal solicitations following this RFI, potentially utilizing challenge-based acquisition approaches with proof-of-concept evaluations, multiple awards for demonstration phases, head-to-head capability comparisons, and a phased rollout beginning with pilot states. Critical qualifications include organizational independence with no affiliation with insurance carriers, FMOs, or entities earning sales commissions from plan sales. The timing and structure of subsequent formal solicitations will be determined following CMS's evaluation of responses to this RFI.