Invitation to Upcoming Innovation Showcase: AI Permitting

California's Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, the Office of Data and Innovation, and the Government Operations Agency are inviting innovators and vendors to participate in an Innovation Showcase focused on AI-enabled housing permitting solutions by August 11, 2026. This is a market research activity, not a procurement — no contract will be awarded, no pricing terms apply, and no funding allocation is specified.

The Showcase addresses three scenarios vendors may address individually or in combination. Scenario A guides applicants through complete and correctly-routed applications by providing plain-language requirements, identifying efficient permitting pathways, and checking for compliance gaps. Scenario B supports internal review during entitlement and building permit phases through real-time status visibility, auto-generated staff reports and determination letters, and code compliance assistance. Scenario C, supplementary, helps jurisdictions track and integrate evolving state housing law through searchable resources and legislative tracking.

Solutions must incorporate natural language processing, machine learning, and AI-assisted workflow automation. All solutions must meet stringent data protection and transparency requirements consistent with California's Information Practices Act and Public Records Act. Jurisdictions must retain ownership of and continued access to their data, including geographic data such as shapefiles, and solutions must preserve compatibility with public records disclosure obligations. Solutions must be deployable and affordable across jurisdictions of varying size and technical capacity, function as decision support tools rather than legal agents, align with California Department of Technology's information security and privacy standards outlined in the State Administrative Manual and Statewide Information Management Manual, and remain compatible with annual legislative changes.

Participation requires attendance at a virtual Vendor Information Forum followed by completion of an Intent to Showcase application through the ODI portal (estimated at 30–45 minutes). Selected innovators will present to state leaders. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis with showcase days scheduled for selected innovators. Direct questions to showcase@innovation.ca.gov.