TXShare – the cooperative purchasing program of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) – has awarded the most comprehensive, competitively bid, nationally accessible AI contracts designed for local government use, in collaboration with Civic Marketplace and the Alliance for Innovation. For the first time in cooperative purchasing history, government agencies can rapidly deploy vetted, competitively awarded AI solutions and services, covering more than 70 individual use cases, without the need for new RFPs and with built-in options for supporting small and local companies.
The two multi-awardee contracts available on Civic Marketplace cover AI Solutions and AI Consultancy, and enable access to competitively bid, fully compliant AI tools and services handpicked for their quality, security, and alignment with civic values.
“In a procurement landscape increasingly saturated by cooperative contracts that seem to reward participation over discernment, the real breakthrough here isn’t just the scale – it’s the standard,” said Todd Little, Executive Director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments. “We received 108 bids and awarded 77 qualified suppliers. That selectivity is by design. Our AI contract catalog is a rigorously curated marketplace of highly vetted suppliers. We are making it safe, efficient and effective for your organization to be at the leading edge of citizen service using AI.”
For emerging technologies such as AI, challenges and bottlenecks in government procurement can be amplified. These contracts streamline procurement processes and reduce pressure on internal teams by removing the need to craft AI-specific RFPs, vet suppliers and evaluate complex AI offerings. With strong representation of innovative start-ups and small businesses and 96% of suppliers with a national presence, agencies can support local economies while accessing cutting-edge AI and driving local economic impact.
“These contracts represent the start of a new era for local government procurement,” continued Mr. Little. “The potential for AI to transform the delivery of public services is enormous. It is an opportunity to drive costs down while increasing value for residents, but the lift to procure responsibly in an extremely complex and fast-moving market can be overwhelming for agencies. These contracts, now available nationwide through Civic Marketplace, equip agencies with the tools for transformation and empower them to embrace a new era of innovation.”
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