Assistive Buyers Engine

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Generative AI tool to enhance the procurement process for state buyers by enabling efficient navigation of procedures and regulations and offering support in understanding their application.

Impact: There are more than 100 statewide contracts available, and each one has unique instructions that cater to the contract. Balancing understanding these long and complex documents with numerous negotiations, regulations, and other responsibilities can make the procurement process overwhelming for buyers. 

Partner: Massachusetts Operational Services Division

Status: The tool is functional and is currently being tested and readied for production. This term the team is adding functionality to allow for the tool to compare legal requirements against bids. This is a legal and time-consuming process where lawyers must sit and redline contracts comparing bids against protocols. The new tool features being implemented will review, markup and summarize these for lawyers saving time and energy.

Partners

Executive Summary

Massachusetts’ procurement process is complex, demanding precise adherence to detailed regulations and guidelines, leading to potential delays, compliance risks, and inefficiencies. The Assistive Buyers Engine (ABE) addresses this challenge through a generative AI solution developed to streamline and simplify procurement workflows. ABE integrates a comprehensive knowledge base, including user guides, statewide contracts, and procurement handbooks, with advanced AI capabilities to provide context-aware guidance, precise conflict detection, and enhanced search functionality. The anticipated impact includes improved procurement efficiency, enhanced compliance, and reduced operational delays, benefiting procurement professionals and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This project was a collaborative effort involving the Massachusetts Operational Services Division (OSD), the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University.

Problem Context

State procurement processes involve complex regulations that buyers must navigate carefully. Manual interpretation of procurement guidelines and resolution of procedural conflicts result in significant delays and compliance risks. With increasing contract volumes, the need for a scalable, automated solution has become critical. ABE addresses these issues by leveraging generative AI to offer instant, precise, and contextually relevant guidance directly to procurement officials.

Innovation Process

The development of ABE followed an Agile and Human-Centered Design approach, emphasizing iterative improvement based on real user feedback. Initial phases involved extensive discovery sessions with procurement teams, identifying pain points, procedural bottlenecks, and common challenges. This feedback directly informed the design of ABE’s interfaces and functionality. Procurement experts at the OSD participated actively in testing and refining the tool, ensuring its practicality and alignment with user needs. ABE’s knowledge base is sourced from official procurement documents, guidelines, and statewide contracts to ensure accuracy and compliance.

AI Solution Overview

ABE is a comprehensive AI-powered assistant structured around intuitive user interfaces:

1. Homepage: Enables users to submit queries via text or audio, maintain session history, and access additional resources.
2. Data Dashboard: Provides administrators with functionalities to manage the knowledge base through uploads, synchronization, and deletion, ensuring data accuracy.
3. User Feedback Page: Allows continuous refinement by enabling admins to monitor, review, and act on user feedback efficiently.
4. LLM Evaluation Dashboard: Allows administrators to conduct automated testing, upload test datasets, evaluate ABE’s responses, and review clear summaries and performance metrics.