Primary Department: Purchasing
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Kimberly J. Williams, JD
Secondary Department: County Engineer
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Award
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Archistar, Inc.
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): 0%
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Interlocal/Cooperative Agreement
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of the Purchasing Agent for approval of a North Central Texas Council of Governments (TXShare) Cooperative Contract award on the basis of lowest quote meeting specifications and that the County Judge execute an addendum to an agreement with Archistar, Inc. in the amount of $1,998,600 for Integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Permitting and Platting Automation and related services for the Office of the County Engineer for the period of August 6, 2026 - August 5, 2028 with three (3) one-year renewal options, Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Interlocal/Cooperative Agreement.
end
Background and Discussion:
On September 9, 2025, Commissioners Court directed the Office of the County Engineer (OCE) to partner with Harris County Universal Services (HCUS) to develop a plan for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make the permitting process faster, more accurate, and easier for the public to use. On January 8, 2026, Commissioners Court directed HCUS and OCE to implement AI to improve the permitting process. On April 28, 2026, the Purchasing Office released a Request for Supplier Offer to accept offers from qualified AI vendors to implement an AI assisted platform that supports permitting. Three proposals were received from Archistar, CivCheck, and Symbium. After reviewing proposals and demonstrations, Selection Committee recommends that Archistar best meets the core functions included in the Request for Supplier Offer.
The core functions for the AI for Permitting and Platting Automation project will include the following tasks:
1. Pre-check permit applications for completeness
2. Perform technical review of permit applications for compliance with County codes and regulations
3. Conduct quality assurance/quality control of permit applications before the applications are assigned to a Plan Reviewer
4. Conduct analysis of resubmitted permit applications against prior versions and identify changes
5. Develop analytics related to permit application volume to align OCE staff resources
6. Integrate Chatbot with ePermits to respond to customer inquiries and provide application status
Deliverable: Integrated AI solution with ePermits and platting systems.
Expected outcomes:
• Faster processing times: Potential to reduce permit processing time and resubmittals by 50%.
• Improved Transparency: Applicants can see real-time status updates.
• Operational Efficiency: AI handles routine checks, while staff can focus on additional detailed reviews of permit applications.
• Automation and Performance Improvements: Use AI to reduce simple, repetitive, and redundant tasks.
An approval of an award and execution of an agreement with Archistar, Inc. is requested for Harris County at an initial two-year term cost to the County of $1,998,600, with the option to renew for three (3) additional one-year terms at additional annual cost of $754,000.
Expected Impact:
The adoption of a new and enhanced AI solution will improve permitting process by resulting in faster turnaround times, enhance operational efficiency, and provide greater transparency to constituents.
Alternative Options:
Not utilizing AI tools in the permitting process may result in manual permitting process, longer processing times, inefficiencies in processes, and lack of transparency for constituents.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 2. Connect our community with safe, reliable, equitably distributed, and well-maintained infrastructure.
County Strategic Plan Objective: H: Improve the condition and resilience of County transportation, flood control, and other infrastructure.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
9/9/2025 |
8 |
To direct the Office of County Engineer to report back to Commissioners Court by November 13, 2025, with a plan for using artificial intelligence and other software improvements to make the permitting process faster, more accurate, and easier for the public to use. |
|
11/13/2025 |
12 |
Request for discussion and action of a plan to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other software improvements to make the permitting process faster, more accurate, and easier for the public to use. |
|
12/11/2025 |
154 |
To direct Universal Services to establish governance on the standards, analysis, deployment, management, and training of all A.I. software and tools across departments within the County’s network to ensure security compliance with all federal and state laws, and County’s policies. |
|
1/8/2026 |
143 |
Request for discussion and possible action to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other software improvements for the permitting process. |
Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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Anticipated Court Date: 08/06/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Mike Etienne, PhD, Chief of Planning and Development Services; Samuel Pena, Chief Operating Officer, OCE; Sandra Melancon, Asst Director Purchasing and Contract Management.
Attachments (if applicable): Letter, Bid Table, Agreement