Request for Information (RFI) AI Solution for Appellate Case Categorization

The Court of Appeals for the Fifth District of Texas has issued a Request for Information to gather details from qualified vendors capable of providing an artificial intelligence solution aimed at automating the classification of appellate cases into No Oral Argument (NORA) and Oral Argument (ORA) tracks. This initiative seeks to modernize judicial workflows while ensuring compliance with Texas laws, including the Texas Responsible AI Governance Act, and mandates operation within the Microsoft Azure Government Cloud. The solution must support high accuracy in case classification, generate case summaries, facilitate workflow management with audit trails, and incorporate human-in-the-loop oversight to maintain judicial authority. The project aims for deployment by May 31, 2026, with training support scheduled through August 2026, and the total contract value is anticipated to range between 500,000 and 2 million dollars. The RFI emphasizes strict adherence to security, privacy, and legal standards, requiring encryption, role-based access controls, and compliance certifications such as SOC 2 and CJIS where applicable. Data ownership remains with the Court, which retains full rights over all data and outputs, and solution providers must disclose any data use beyond court purposes or third-party involvement. The procurement process seeks detailed cost breakdowns, including development, licensing, hosting, and usage-based AI costs, with a mandatory not-to-exceed ceiling. Evaluation criteria focus on functional capabilities, AI transparency, bias mitigation, security posture, provider experience, and cost transparency, although no formal weighting or scoring system is specified. The process is informational, with responses due by October 17, 2025, and no binding contractual commitments are made at this stage. Submission must be in PDF format via email to the designated contact, with an optional virtual pre-response session scheduled for late September. The contract documents contain no attachments, exhibits, or specific clauses related to standard federal or state procurement clauses, and there are no defined delivery, inspection, or payment procedures beyond the general project timeline and scope outlined above.