Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to develop a multilingual Large Language Model (LLM) platform tailored for local government needs. The platform aims to facilitate cross-municipal processes such as marketing, communication, and customer service by providing native support for at least three South African vernacular languages alongside English. It seeks to enable ingestion, processing, and secure management of municipal data, employing AI/ML models for diverse media types, and ensuring continuous improvement, security, and interoperability with existing data sources.

Scope

The scope of work includes:

• Design, development, and deployment of a customizable, cloud-based multilingual LLM platform.
• Support for at least three South African vernacular languages, with experienced team members in vernacular AI/ML model deployment.
• Data ingestion, processing, and secure management aligned with data governance standards.
• Development of data pipelines tailored to municipal content and requirements.
• Utilization of Generative AI and ML models across various media formats (text, documents, audio, images, video).
• Mechanisms for model adaptation and agent customization for specific use cases.
• Implementation of role-based access control, security measures, and audit trails for model explainability and data protection.
• Integration capabilities with social media, news platforms, and other data sources.
• Provision of technical and user training for SALGA staff and municipal teams.

Technical Requirements

• Use of modern frameworks (post-2019 technology stack).
• Development and maintenance of custom models for at least three vernacular languages.
• Infrastructure based on AWS, with interoperability for third-party platform integration.
• Web-based and mobile user interfaces supporting multilingual environments.
• AI/ML development expertise, including postgraduate experience in language model deployment.
• Secure data management, role-based access, and audit trail capabilities.
• Support for continuous model improvement and customization.

Skills Requirements

• Proven experience in designing, developing, and deploying AI/ML models, particularly for vernacular languages.
• Expertise in modern AI/ML frameworks and post-2019 technology stacks.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure, specifically AWS, and integration with third-party systems.
• Strong background in data security, governance, and compliance standards.
• Capability to develop user-friendly web and mobile interfaces supporting multilingual content.
• Postgraduate qualifications or equivalent expertise in AI/ML development environments.
• Ability to provide technical and user training to municipal staff.