Texas Cities Gain Access to Curated Collection of AI Vendors

Cities in Texas — and across the nation — shopping for artificial intelligence technology vendors have a new marketplace to turn to, with vendors that have been vetted by public-sector tech officials.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and its purchasing program known as TXShare, have put together a list of 77 suppliers serving more than 70 use cases, ranging from payment analysis to cybersecurity, resident engagement, public safety and more. This marketplace frees member cities from the job of drafting complex RFPs with specs in an area they may have little knowledge.

The project is a collaboration among NCTCOG, Civic Marketplace and the Alliance for Innovation.

If a city goes the route of issuing their own RFP, “they’re going to have to do all the specs themselves, which is a significant lift,” said Al Hleileh, CEO for Civic Marketplace, which operates as the technical backbone for TXShare, and aided in some of the research behind the project.

The platform “gives [cities] the ability to … sift through a number of suppliers, get quotes in quick time, and get a competitive, cost-efficient bid. Because it gives you, like, that marketplace function,” said Hleileh.

Some of the contracts available on the TXShare platform cover AI technology solutions, which includes 42 awardees in critical areas like cybersecurity; and AI consultancy, which includes 35 awardees in areas such as AI strategy development, training or planning. The companies include “a strong representation of innovative startups and small businesses,” according to an NCTCOG press release.

“We received 108 bids and awarded 77 qualified suppliers,” explained Todd Little, executive director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, in a statement.

“Our AI contract catalog is a rigorously curated marketplace of highly vetted suppliers,” said Little, in the statement. “We are making it safe, efficient and effective for your organization to be at the leading edge of citizen service using AI.”

The marketplace project is in many respects a response to what the NCTCOG was hearing from its member cities, said Hleileh, as he recounted the rapid growth of AI in government, as well as a lack of guardrails around what AI tools to use and how to use them.

“There is this technical capacity that potentially a lot of these entities do not have, in terms of people well versed in AI, in data governance, in interoperability,” Hleileh reflected. “And so there’s [a] dearth of information, yet now, there is a pervasiveness of these tools.”

The reach of TXShare is extensive. Local governments and nonprofits from across the country can become members. The North Central Texas Council of Governments includes 16 counties, 226 cities, 23 school districts and 38 special districts.

The rapid advancement of technology is part of what’s fueling the demand for platforms like TXShare, which is strongly focused on technology contracts, said Hleileh, adding, TXShare takes “real pride and diligence in their procurement practice.”

“It’s not like a ‘need for speed.’ They do their diligence,” Hleileh remarked. “They really speak to the member community. And they really spec well.”

Other resources for cities stepping into the AI technology space include the GovAI Coalition, formed in 2023, and already includes some 1,700 professionals from about 550 government organizations. The coalition offers guidance around public-sector AI policies and practices.

Editor's note: This story was changed to clarify the relationship between collaborators on the project, as well as the availability of the program to governments outside Texas.

This story originally appeared in Government Technology.