Emerging Technologies RFQ

We are thrilled to announce that the City and County of San Francisco has released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) solicitation to create a pool of firms who provide products, software, and services powered by emerging technologies such as AI.

San Francisco is launching this first-of-its-kind procurement pathway designed to make it easier and faster for emerging technology vendors to work with the City. The Emerging Technologies Request for Qualifications (RFQ) pool is a two-year pilot of a new "try before you buy" framework: City departments identify a real problem they need to solve, then partner with vendors from the pool on a short-term, lower-dollar experiment to test and evaluate the solution before committing to a full contract. Whether you're new to government contracts or a seasoned vendor, this pool is designed to reduce the typical barriers and complexity of working with the City — apply once, stay eligible for two years, and get matched directly with departments that have a genuine need for what you offer.

Interested firms can access the full solicitation packet on the SF City Partner Portal and can apply to join the pool using our Response Form.  

1. Apply. Interested firms can apply to join the pool at any time by completing this Response Form, which asks for information about your firm, product offerings, and prior deployments. The Form also asks firms to acknowledge City contracting requirements. 
2. Get screened. The City will screen applications to the pool to ensure firms meet the minimum qualifications listed in the solicitation. After this step, the City will announce firms accepted to the pool and provide the roster to City departments. 
3. Submit proposal. City departments will contact firms in the pool with their business needs through a mini-RFP process. Firms may provide a project-specific proposal should their product match that department’s needs.  
4. Experiment with us. If selected, firms and the City will experiment together. Initially, City departments will seek a lower-dollar, shorter-term engagement and contract while they safely test the product or service against their needs. 
5. Evaluate. Once the experiment wraps up, the City will assess whether the tool performed as expected, delivered accurate and equitable outputs, and met the department's needs. Vendors should expect to participate in this review by sharing performance data and collaborating on any improvements. Transparency is central to how we evaluate emerging technologies before we scale it. 
6. Launch in production. If the experiment is successful, City departments may then seek a longer-term contract amendment as we implement the new technology in our operations. 

Getting a foot in the door with a city government can be hard. The procurement process is often lengthy, resource-intensive, and unpredictable. This pool is an attempt to address those pain points.

Instead of competing for large contracts upfront, you enter a pre-qualified pool through a single streamlined application and become eligible for mini-RFP opportunities across City departments. Engagements start small and low-risk, giving your product a real chance to demonstrate value in a government setting. If your experiment succeeds, there's a clear path to a longer-term production contract. 

You'll also get visibility beyond a single department: accepted vendors may be invited to Demo Days and featured in a City-managed library of emerging technology products available for departments to explore. For vendors new to City contracting, this is a low-barrier entry point. For experienced vendors, it's a streamlined alternative to traditional procurement with real potential to scale.  

Tues, May 19: Pre-Proposal Conference for Interested Firms 

Fri, May 22: deadline to submit questions about this RFQ solicitation 

Friday, June 26: deadline to apply to join the pool as it is initially established (although applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis) 

Friday, July 31: City announces firms accepted into pool 

Ongoing: City announces new firms added to the pool (through December 2027) 

In adherence with City policy, all questions and communications about this solicitation must be directed to EmergingTechRFQ@sfgov.org. Please do not contact other City staff about this solicitation.