The Agency is issuing this RFQ to purchase the following: ☐ software: on-premises ☒ software: cloud-based (software as a service) ☐ infrastructure as a service / platform as a service ☒ services: setup / implementation / configuration ☒ services: support and maintenance ☒ services: training ☐ other: _______________________________________________ At a minimum, the solution must provide a conversational AI Assistant with a secure, enterprise chat interface accessible to Commonwealth employees. The platform should allow staff to interact through natural language prompts for common tasks such as drafting, summarization, analysis, and translation, and must be reliable for use across the enterprise. The Commonwealth’s intent is to make the AI Assistant available to all Executive Branch employees, and vendors should propose their recommended rollout approach to achieve adoption at scale. The proposal must demonstrate how the bidders will address the priorities outlined below and describe their approach to supporting the Commonwealth in achieving these objectives. Collaboration and Partnership - Proposals must describe how the Bidder will partner with the Commonwealth in a federated environment, supporting collaboration across agencies and building connections with higher education, private sector, and other stakeholders in the AI ecosystem. Together, the vendor and the Commonwealth will work toward positioning Massachusetts as a national leader in the trustworthy use of AI. Training - Proposals must describe a clear and direct approach to providing training and resources that enable employees to effectively use the AI Assistant to perform their jobs more efficiently, enhance productivity, and support their roles across government. Training should also encourage sustainable and responsible use of AI, helping participants understand not only the immediate functionality of the tool but also the broader environmental impact of its use. Change Management - Proposals must describe how the vendor will support the Commonwealth in managing the complexity of an enterprise-wide rollout. This includes assistance with program management, communications, and other activities that help employees and agencies adopt the AI Assistant effectively and at scale. Value Determination - Proposals must describe how the vendor will help the Commonwealth capture the benefits of the AI Assistant by supporting the identification and implementation of impactful use cases, ensuring integration where appropriate, and demonstrating how these efforts lead to better outcomes for the Commonwealth residents and the Commonwealth workforce. Impact and Alignment - Proposals must outline how the vendor will support the Commonwealth in evaluating the overall impact of the AI Assistant, including resident, workforce, and economic outcomes, and assist in aligning this work with broader AI initiatives. Price - Proposals must clearly describe the pricing and cost structure, including any factors that affect scalability or long-term value, beyond the initial agreement term. The Commonwealth expects pricing to be competitive with that offered to other states or government entities, ensuring the Commonwealth receives the best overall cost value throughout the term of the agreement. Technical Requirements Proposals should describe how the solution will provide: Support integration with the Commonwealth’s EntraID authentication for single sign-on. Allow configurable data retention policies, including the option for zero retention. Provide secure API access to enable integration with Commonwealth systems and applications. Demonstrate compliance with applicable privacy laws and alignment with recognized security and privacy certifications and frameworks. Support data encrypted in transit and at rest. Ensure that our data is logically segregated from other customers' data. Provide logging of user and system activity with the ability to export records for audit and compliance purposes.
