AI Assistant for Municipal Website

We are looking for an experienced AI developer or team to design and build an AI-powered assistant for municipalities and organizations. The assistant should be available through both a website chat widget and WhatsApp, and must provide users with reliable answers based only on approved organizational information. Example Questions How can I apply for a municipal tax discount? When is garden waste collected in my neighborhood? Where is the nearest kindergarten? Which documents are required for registration? Where can I find the relevant form? Main Channels Website chat widget WhatsApp Business Platform Microsoft Teams for internal employees Customer service interface with AI-generated response suggestions Main Requirements The assistant should: Answer only from approved and official information sources Search websites, PDFs, procedures, forms, FAQs, SharePoint documents, and service information Provide relevant links and direct users to the correct forms Ask follow-up questions when required information is missing Explain processes in simple and clear language Transfer the conversation to a human representative when necessary Support personal-case escalation without exposing sensitive information Save conversation history and audit logs Identify frequently asked questions and generate usage reports Include safeguards to reduce hallucinations and unsupported answers Support role-based access and document permissions where required WhatsApp Integration The solution should include: Integration with the official WhatsApp Business Platform through Meta or an approved provider Business phone number configuration Incoming and outgoing message handling through APIs and webhooks Connection between WhatsApp and the AI knowledge engine Human-agent escalation Conversation status management Privacy, data-retention, consent, and access-control configuration The developer must review the current WhatsApp Business Platform terms, pricing model, regional restrictions, and any relevant regulatory requirements before implementation. Preferred Microsoft Architecture We prefer a Microsoft-based architecture where suitable, including: Azure OpenAI or another approved enterprise AI service Azure AI Search for document indexing and retrieval SharePoint Online integration Microsoft Graph Azure Functions, App Service, or Container Apps Application Insights and centralized logging Microsoft Entra ID for authentication and permissions The final architecture must consider SharePoint permissions, indexing limitations, Preview versus Generally Available features, expected usage costs, security, and compatibility with the client’s environment. Expected Deliverables Recommended architecture and technology stack Working proof of concept Website chat interface WhatsApp Business Platform integration AI knowledge and retrieval engine Admin interface for managing approved knowledge sources Human-agent escalation process Logging, analytics, and reporting Security and privacy recommendations Deployment documentation Cost estimate for infrastructure, AI usage, WhatsApp messaging, and ongoing maintenance Proposal for future support and production deployment Required Experience Please apply only if you have proven experience with several of the following: WhatsApp Business Platform or WhatsApp Cloud API AI assistants and enterprise chatbots Retrieval-Augmented Generation, or RAG Azure OpenAI Azure AI Search SharePoint Online and Microsoft Graph Conversation logging and analytics Human-agent escalation Enterprise security and access control Hallucination prevention and grounded AI responses When Applying Please include: Relevant projects you have completed Your experience with WhatsApp Business Platform Your experience with Azure AI Search, Azure OpenAI, and SharePoint Your proposed architecture Estimated hours and delivery timeline Fixed-price estimate for the proof of concept Expected monthly infrastructure and usage costs Any important limitations, risks, or dependencies Applications without relevant experience or examples of similar projects will not be considered.