EXT TIS | Emerging Technologies RFQ

The City and County of San Francisco has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to establish a two-year prequalified pool of vendors providing products, software, and services powered by emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence solutions. The solicitation seeks firms offering capabilities across multiple functional areas including document management, chatbots and conversational AI, language translation, image and video analysis, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and decision support tools. Prospective vendors must demonstrate at least two prior successful deployments of their AI solutions to governmental, commercial, or institutional clients and must acknowledge acceptance of the City's contract terms and technical requirements as a minimum qualification. The RFQ operates on a continuous application basis with rolling monthly evaluation cycles; the initial proposal deadline is June 26, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time, with subsequent applications accepted through December 25, 2027, on a monthly cutoff schedule (25th of each month). A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for May 19, 2026, from 10:00-11:00 AM Pacific Time via Microsoft Teams, and written questions must be submitted by May 22, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. The City will announce firms accepted to the initial pool by July 31, 2026, following completion of evaluation. This initiative employs a "try before you buy" framework wherein selected vendors first enter into Short-Form Contracts for sandbox testing with non-sensitive or synthetic data (not to exceed $230,000 and 12 months), with successful pilots potentially transitioning to Long-Form Contract Amendments for broader deployment (total contract terms not exceeding ten years). Accepted proposals must include comprehensive technical disclosures addressing training data, testing methodologies, model architecture, performance metrics, bias management, data protection compliance, and ongoing monitoring capabilities, with vendors required to comply with frameworks such as NIST standards and certifications including SOC II, HIPAA, and FERPA.

Local Business Enterprise subcontracting requirements have been waived for Short-Form Contracts, though Long-Form Contract Amendment LBE participation requirements will be determined on a project-by-project basis. No set-asides, incumbent preferences, or specific funding amounts are identified in the RFQ solicitation itself; however, the maximum authorized award across all multiple agreements is three million dollars under Civil Service Commission approval (PSC number DHRPSC0006176). Selected vendors are not guaranteed contracts but will be invited to compete for specific opportunities through subsequent competitive mini-RFPs issued by individual City departments with genuine business needs. Individual Short-Form Contracts may not exceed $230,000, while Long-Form Contracts may extend up to ten years combined with the initial short-form term, with pricing and specific contract values determined during departmental mini-RFP negotiations. Proposers must comply with extensive technical requirements including sandbox testing protocols, cybersecurity risk assessments (SOC-2 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001, CSA STAR L2, or equivalent certifications), data integration using City-approved APIs, comprehensive audit logging, San Francisco Administrative Code Chapter 22J AI transparency requirements, WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility compliance, and mandatory insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000), Professional Liability ($1,000,000 to $20,000,000 depending on contract type), Technology Errors and Omissions Liability ($1,000,000 to $20,000,000), and Cyber and Privacy Liability ($1,000,000 to $20,000,000).