Tech Innovation Challenge - AI for Muni-code Search

The City of Detroit Office of Contracting and Procurement (RFP 544695), on behalf of the Department of Innovation and Technology, seeks qualified respondents to develop an AI-powered real-time system designed to assist both internal and external users in navigating Detroit's municipal code, rules, and regulations. The primary deliverable is a functional AI system that utilizes only the City's municipal code as its data source, initially designed for internal use with potential for future external-facing deployment on a website, and must provide usage reports with accuracy metrics displayed to users. Required qualifications include a minimum of one year of experience providing the requested AI services, and respondents must demonstrate technical competency across multiple domains including cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, data management, and municipal government operations. The evaluation criteria allocate 100 total points across five equally weighted categories: relevant experience and team capacity (20 points), creativeness and innovative nature of the technology solution (20 points), strength of proposal (20 points), past performance (20 points), and pricing (20 points), with technical qualifications prioritized before cost review. A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for Thursday, June 4th, 2026 at 11 AM EST via Microsoft Teams, written questions must be submitted by Friday, June 5th, 2026 at 3 PM EST through the EUNA Bonfire Supplier Portal, and all proposals must be submitted exclusively through the detroit.bonfirehub.com portal by Friday, June 12th, 2026 at 3 PM EST. The contract is a six-month engagement with an anticipated award value of $50,000.00, and the City reserves the right to request oral presentations or demonstrations as part of the evaluation process, with failure to participate potentially resulting in proposal rejection.

Detroit's equalization credit program provides competitive pricing advantages for respondents certified as Detroit-headquartered (5% credit), Detroit-based (2% credit), Detroit resident businesses (5% credit), Detroit small business (1-2% credit), Detroit micro business (1-2% credit), Construction Workforce Investment business (3% credit), Construction Workforce Development business (3% credit), Joint Ventures, or Mentor Ventures, with vendors required to submit valid Business Certificates at the time of bid submission to receive applicable credits. The solicitation does not identify any incumbent vendors or current contractors, nor does it specify any existing infrastructure or technology requiring integration beyond the requirement that the system access only the City's municipal code as its data source and comply with the City's data standards including direct database access or API access in JSON, CSV, or XML formats with full documentation. All proposals must include completion of the Respondent Questionnaire, Proposal Introduction and Solution/Approach, Pricing Proposal, required forms and affidavits (including notarized Affidavit of Disclosure of Interests and Non-Collusion Affidavit), agreement to the Model Technical Services Contract, and completion of the Tech and Security Requirements questionnaire addressing 70 total security and cloud infrastructure requirements. Respondents must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including general liability ($2,000,000 per occurrence), cyber liability ($1,000,000 per claim/$5,000,000 aggregate), and errors and omissions coverage for two years beyond contract termination, and must achieve or maintain ISO 27001 certification or SOC 2 Type 2 Report compliance. The City anticipates one or multiple awards, with any renewal options contingent upon Detroit City Council approval and signature by the Chief Procurement Officer, and standard NET 30 payment terms apply following vendor registration in the City of Detroit Vendor Portal.