Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to develop and integrate an AI chatbot into the existing MyBIP mobile application to support informal business owners in South Africa. The chatbot aims to act as a virtual assistant, helping users navigate the app, understand innovation strategies, access relevant tools and resources, and provide guided assistance, all based on approved content sources.

Scope

The scope includes designing, developing, and deploying the AI chatbot within the MyBIP app environment. It involves ensuring the chatbot can draw information solely from specified internal and public resources, provide natural language responses, support multiple languages (English, Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans), and operate in a user-friendly, accessible manner. The chatbot must be integrated seamlessly into all main screens of the app, with capabilities for content updates and administrative management.

Technical Requirements

• Integration of the chatbot within the existing MyBIP mobile application environment.
• Content sourcing exclusively from approved internal resources (e.g., HSRC Toolkits, Policy Briefs, MyBIP content) and specified public resources.
• Natural language understanding for text and speech queries.
• Guided step-by-step assistance and direct navigation support within the app.
• Question and answer functionality with responses based solely on app content.
• Support for multiple languages: English, Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans.
• Accessibility compliance for users with disabilities.
• Session-based context retention without storing personal conversation history permanently.
• Responses generated locally or from internal content, operating in a sandboxed environment to ensure privacy.
• Content updates linked to app database revisions, with admin capabilities for updates.
• Deployment within 8 weeks, with interfaces for feedback and performance monitoring.

Skills Requirements

• Experience in designing and developing AI chatbots, especially within mobile app environments.
• Proven ability to integrate chatbots with existing applications and content management systems.
• Strong background in natural language processing (NLP) and speech recognition technologies.
• Experience in multi-language chatbot development and accessibility compliance.
• Capability to ensure data privacy and operate in sandboxed environments.
• Demonstrated past work with similar tool customization and development, with at least three relevant examples.
• Ability to provide references from previous clients for similar projects.
• Project management skills to deliver within the specified timeline and budget.