The State of Ohio is seeking a vendor to deliver an AI-powered, external-facing chatbot solution designed to assist taxpayers—both individuals and businesses. This intelligent agent must utilize natural language processing to enable secure, accurate, and efficient interactions for common tax-related inquiries. The project scope includes integration with existing internal systems via APIs, custom user interface and experience (UX/UI) design for the website, system architecture development, and a robust security framework.

Key requirements involve supporting omni-channel communication, including live chat, calls, text, email, and mobile app integration, to enhance accessibility and convenience. The solution should also enable users to print or email transcripts and provide a customer satisfaction survey at the conclusion of each chat session. Customization options for the bot’s branding and image are necessary to align with the state’s visual identity.

Comprehensive testing is expected throughout development, including unit, integration, performance, and security testing, as well as validation of natural language question-and-response accuracy and accessibility compliance (ADA). All defects must be addressed prior to deployment. Additionally, the vendor must implement detailed reporting and dashboard capabilities to monitor usage patterns, common inquiry topics, response accuracy, and user satisfaction, supporting ongoing program oversight and continuous improvement.