This move also involves Sourcewell, which operates a cooperative purchasing program for government.
The pilot marks the latest push in the public-sector procurement market, where investment, client demand and regulatory pressures have sparked numerous digital upgrades, especially as artificial intelligence becomes more common.
The new offering, called the G-Commerce AI Solutions Marketplace, is designed “to help discover, evaluate and purchase AI solutions through competitively solicited and awarded contracts,” according to a statement from Glass.
The company aims to “reduce traditional barriers” in procurement so that public agencies can move more quickly.
Users of the new marketplace tool can seek, compare and request quotes for AI tools in what the statement called “a single, centralized environment,” and benefit from the pricing advantages that come with cooperative contracts.
That, in turn, could help speed up the use of even more AI in the public sector.
Contracts available through the AI marketplace cover such areas as enterprise, workforce, data and analytics, cybersecurity, compliance, blockchain and other emerging technologies and cloud infrastructure. Contracts originate with Sourcewell.
Marketplace users can employ natural language to find contracts, along with inputs that include agency type, strategic goals, budget range and implementation timelines.
The pilot launched about three weeks ago, Gerardo Mateo, head of product for Glass, told Government Technology.
Most participants so far have been local agencies along with some public universities and school districts, he said. About 50 suppliers were part of the effort. The pilot will last a couple of months.
Success will be measured in part by how many agencies buy AI tools directly from the new marketplace — a habit that Mateo hopes this effort will reinforce, leading to more such AI-centered procurement in the future.
The pilot stands as a larger test for government technology, according to a Sourcewell executive.
“Our partnership with Glass reflects a shared commitment to modernizing how the public sector accesses technology,” said Kary Graser, a Sourcewell vice president of strategic initiatives, in the statement. “Together, we’re creating a more intuitive and efficient path for agencies to engage with AI solutions through Sourcewell’s robust contracting framework.”
