RFI2 - Request for Innovative Ideas - GenAI Solution for Employment Projections and Recession Forecasting

Background
The Department of General Services (DGS), in partnership with the California Department of Technology (CDT) on behalf of the Employment Development Department (EDD), is issuing a Request for Innovative Ideas (RFI2) to solicit generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) solutions for Employment Projections and Recession Forecasting.

The goal is to leverage California's innovation economy to better inform the State's investment of taxpayer dollars and find solutions that benefit the people of California. This RFI2 is conducted under Public Contract Code section 6611 and Executive Order N-04-19, which allows for a flexible competitive procurement approach to spur innovation and collaboration.

Work Details
The RFI2 seeks innovative GenAI solutions that can systematically assess and enhance the precision of long-term employment projections and produce accurate recession forecasts.

The EDD aims to develop a high-accuracy recession forecasting model, provide metrics for assessing ten-year projections against actual employment data, identify patterns and emerging trends, produce accurate industry and occupational projections, and offer user-friendly visualizations and reporting tools. Innovators are required to submit Innovation Concept Papers detailing their proposed ideas, solutions, and approaches to address the outlined problem statement.

The process involves two phases: Phase 1 focuses on selecting innovative ideas through submitted papers, while Phase 2 includes proof of concept demonstrations followed by proposals for implementation.

Period of Performance
The RFI2 was released on December 13, 2024, with Innovation Concept Papers due by February 3, 2025. Selected Innovators will be notified by March 6, 2025, with proof of concept activities expected to occur from May 15, 2025 onwards.

Place of Performance
The contract work will be performed within California's managed cloud environments as specified by the California Department of Technology.