Internal AI Knowledge & Proposal Copilot

# Upwork RFP: Internal AI Knowledge & Proposal Copilot for General Contracting Firm ## Company Overview Pizzano Contractors is a commercial general contractor based in Alexandria, Virginia, serving clients across the Mid-Atlantic region. Our work includes commercial interiors, law firms, associations and nonprofits, government-leased projects, secure spaces, building repositioning, Corporate Services/small projects, and related commercial construction services. We are seeking an experienced AI developer, consultant, or small team to help us create an internal AI-powered knowledge and proposal tool for firm-wide use. The goal is to help our employees quickly access approved company information, locate forms and templates, draft client responses, support onboarding, and help our marketing team generate first-draft RFP/proposal responses using approved Pizzano Contractors content. ## Project Name Pizzano AI Knowledge & Proposal Copilot ## Project Objective We want to build a secure internal AI tool that allows employees to ask natural-language questions and receive accurate, source-backed answers based on approved company documents. The tool should help our team: * Find approved forms, templates, checklists, policies, and internal documents. * Search approved SharePoint or network-drive content intelligently. * Draft client-facing responses using approved Pizzano language. * Help employees understand Pizzano Contractors, our services, divisions, history, market sectors, project experience, and internal processes. * Upload an RFP and generate a first-draft proposal package using approved content. * Help marketing prepare cover letters, bios, relevant case studies, boilerplate responses, safety language, quality-control language, risk-management language, schedule-management language, cost-control language, and other standard proposal sections. This tool should be designed as an internal assistant and drafting tool. It should not send client communications or final proposals without human review. ## Primary Use Cases ### 1. Internal Knowledge Search Employees should be able to ask questions such as: * Where is the latest approved client satisfaction survey process? * Where can I find the approved subcontractor form? * What is our current project closeout process? * What is the approved language for Pizzano’s safety program? * What is our Corporate Services Division? * What are our main market sectors? * What projects have we completed for law firms? * What experience do we have with secure spaces or government-leased work? The system should return a clear answer and cite or link back to the source document whenever possible. ### 2. Approved Forms and Templates Finder The system should help employees find the correct, most current version of internal documents, including but not limited to: * Forms * Templates * Checklists * Proposal templates * Cover letter templates * Safety documents * Quality control documents * Client survey materials * Project closeout documents * Estimating or handoff documents * Marketing and business development materials The tool should prioritize approved/current documents and avoid surfacing outdated or duplicate versions unless specifically requested. ### 3. RFP Upload and Proposal Drafting The tool should allow a user to upload an RFP, RFQ, or proposal request and then generate a first-draft response using approved Pizzano content. The draft proposal should be able to include: * Executive summary * Cover letter * Understanding of the project * Relevant project experience * Relevant case studies * Team bios * Company overview * Safety approach * Quality control approach * Risk management approach * Cost management approach * Schedule management approach * Similar client experience * Sector-specific experience * Boilerplate proposal responses * Clarification questions or missing information list The output should be editable and should be clearly labeled as a first draft for marketing/team review. ### 4. Client Response Drafting The tool should help draft professional responses to client questions using approved company language. Examples include responses related to: * Schedule concerns * Cost control * Change management * Quality control * Safety * Occupied renovations * Preconstruction * Budgeting * Closeout * Corporate Services/small projects * Secure or sensitive project environments The tool should be able to provide draft responses that are polished, professional, and consistent with Pizzano’s tone and brand. ### 5. Employee Onboarding and Company Knowledge The tool should help new and existing employees better understand the company, including: * Company history * Leadership * Divisions * Market sectors * Internal processes * Tools and systems * Standard operating procedures * Project types * Company values and brand language ## Desired System Capabilities The ideal solution should include: * Secure login/user access. * Permission-based document access. * Integration with SharePoint and/or Microsoft 365. * Ability to connect to approved folders or libraries. * Ability to exclude outdated, draft, duplicate, or unapproved documents. * Source citations or document links in AI answers. * Ability to upload an RFP and generate a structured proposal draft. * Ability to retrieve relevant case studies, bios, and boilerplate from approved content. * Admin controls for managing approved content sources. * Clear separation between approved content and general AI knowledge. * Human review workflow for proposal drafts. * Ability to export drafts to Word, Google Docs, or another editable format. * Strong data privacy and security practices. * Documentation and training for internal users. * Scalable architecture that can grow with the company. ## Preferred Technical Approach We are open to recommendations, but we expect the solution may involve: * Microsoft SharePoint / Microsoft 365 integration. * Retrieval-Augmented Generation, also known as RAG. * Vector search or semantic search across approved documents. * AI model integration through a secure API. * User authentication and permission control. * A web-based internal interface or Microsoft Teams-based interface. * Admin panel for managing knowledge sources. * Logging, feedback, and answer-quality review. We are not looking for a generic chatbot connected to all company files without controls. We need a secure, business-focused tool grounded in approved company content. ## Important Security and Governance Requirements The selected consultant should address: * How company data will be protected. * Whether our data will be used to train public AI models. * How user permissions will be handled. * How confidential documents will be protected. * How source documents will be cited. * How outdated documents will be excluded or flagged. * How hallucinations or unsupported answers will be minimized. * How administrators can approve, remove, or update content. * How proposal drafts will be reviewed before external use. ## Desired Deliverables Please include the following in your proposal: ### Phase 1: Discovery and Planning * Review our goals, document structure, SharePoint/network-drive structure, and current proposal process. * Recommend the best technical architecture. * Identify content governance needs. * Recommend how approved content should be organized. * Provide a project roadmap. ### Phase 2: Prototype / Pilot Build a working prototype that can: * Search a limited approved content library. * Answer employee questions with source references. * Locate forms and templates. * Upload a sample RFP. * Generate a sample proposal draft using approved source materials. ### Phase 3: Full Build Develop the broader internal tool with: * Secure user access. * SharePoint or Microsoft 365 integration. * Approved document indexing. * RFP upload and proposal generation. * Source citations. * Admin controls. * Exportable proposal drafts. * Feedback and improvement loop. ### Phase 4: Testing and Training * Test with a small internal team. * Improve answer quality. * Train marketing, business development, operations, and leadership users. * Provide documentation. * Provide admin training. ### Phase 5: Ongoing Support * Provide support options. * Provide maintenance recommendations. * Recommend future enhancements. ## Questions for Respondents Please answer the following in your response: 1. Have you built similar internal AI knowledge tools for companies before? 2. Have you built tools that integrate with SharePoint, Microsoft 365, Teams, OneDrive, or network drives? 3. Have you built RFP or proposal-generation tools before? 4. What AI models or platforms do you recommend for this use case and why? 5. How would you prevent the tool from using outdated or unapproved content? 6. How would you manage permissions and confidential documents? 7. How would you ensure answers include source citations? 8. How would you reduce hallucinations or unsupported answers? 9. Would our data be used to train any public AI model? 10. What would your recommended phased approach be? 11. What would you need from us to begin? 12. What is your estimated timeline for a prototype? 13. What is your estimated timeline for a full working version? 14. What is your estimated cost range for the prototype and full build? 15. What ongoing support would you recommend after launch? 16. Can you provide examples of similar work, screenshots, demos, or references? ## Proposal Response Format Please structure your response as follows: 1. Executive summary 2. Relevant experience 3. Recommended technical approach 4. Security and privacy approach 5. SharePoint/Microsoft 365 integration approach 6. RFP/proposal generation approach 7. Content governance recommendations 8. Project phases and timeline 9. Deliverables 10. Cost estimate 11. Ongoing support options 12. Relevant examples or portfolio 13. Key risks and how you would address them ## Selection Criteria We will evaluate responses based on: * Experience with internal AI knowledge tools. * Experience with SharePoint/Microsoft 365. * Experience with RFP/proposal automation. * Security and privacy approach. * Ability to create a practical business tool, not just a chatbot. * Understanding of document governance and approved content. * Quality of recommended approach. * Cost and timeline. * Communication style and ability to explain technical topics clearly. * Ability to provide ongoing support. ## Project Budget Please provide pricing options for: * Discovery and planning only. * Prototype/pilot build. * Full production build. * Monthly support and maintenance. We are open to phased pricing and would prefer a clear approach that allows us to test the concept before committing to a full build. ## Desired Outcome At the end of this project, Pizzano Contractors should have a secure, easy-to-use internal AI assistant that helps employees find approved information, understand company processes, draft better client responses, and help our marketing team produce stronger first-draft proposals more efficiently. The tool should make our company smarter, faster, better organized, and more consistent across the firm.