United States onlyTitle: Vendor to create, test and deploy an MVP for AI-powered Content Analysis
Issue Date: August 5, 2025
Proposal Due Date: August 22, 2025, at 5pm EST-Extended until August 25, 2025 at 5pm EST (see questions asked by several vendors and their answers published below in section #8)
Anticipated Award Date: August 30, 2025
Questions: Submit your questions to RLageBarbosa@irex.org and IChaney@irex.org by 5 PM EST on August 15, 2025
Submission instructions: Submit your proposal to RLageBarbosa@irex.org and IChaney@irex.org by 5 PM EST on August 22, 2025
Anticipated funding: IREX intends to award a contract with an estimated value between 30,000 and 45,000 USD.
IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board) is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to support an initiative aimed at enhancing the capacity of journalists and communicators in Latin America to navigate and interpret evolving patterns in online information. The project will develop a secure, AI-powered Content Analysis tool, designed to help media professionals understand emerging content trends, assess relevance, and make timely editorial decisions. The solution will provide real-time information of Spanish-language text data from social media (e.g., X) and news sources (e.g., NewsAPI) on specific topics of interest.
IREX reserves the right to withdrawal this request for proposals at any time up to the award of the contract.
- Objective
Deliver a minimum viable product (MVP) of an AI-powered tool for real-time monitoring and analysis of key Spanish-language online content—within 3 months, focusing on core functionality, usability, risk mitigation, and pilot deployment readiness.
- Proposal Requirements
Organizations interested in providing this service must submit a proposal which demonstrates the organizations’ capacity to provide:
AI-Powered Content Analysis System
- Hold design meetings with IREX and media representatives
- Develop a lightweight AI engine capable of:
- Keyword extraction
- Sentiment analysis
- Topic clustering
- Focus on Spanish-language content from:
- X (formerly Twitter)
- One news source via NewsAPI
- Ensure the application is robust and capable of processing large volumes of data efficiently.
Data integration and reprocessing
- Build a basic pipeline to:
- Collect and normalize data from selected sources
- Filter by topic and relevance
- Prepare data for analysis
User interface (UI)
- Develop a web-based dashboard with:
- Visualizations of trends and sentiment
- Alerts for emerging topics
- Basic filtering and search functionality
Documentation
- User Manual
- Technical overview (architecture, APIs, data flows)
- Safety protocol and approach
- PPT for presentation to (technical and non-technical) stakeholders
Testing and pilot
- Conduct internal testing
- Support pilot deployment with IREX team
- Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve bugs to ensure the application’s reliability, performance, and accuracy.
Performance Metrics and Reporting Tools
- Develop and integrate performance metrics, visualization and reporting tools
- Document how these metrics can be accessed and interpreted by users.
Scalability and Integration Guidance
- Provide technical documentation on integrating the solution with media outlets’ existing systems, including recommended APIs or data pipelines.
- Implement security features:
- HTTPS
- User authentication
- Data encryption at rest and in transit
- Document compliance with relevant data privacy standards (e.g., GDPR or local regulations).
- Estimated timeline of Deliverables (around 3 Months)
| Month | Week(s) | Deliverables |
| Month 1: Initiation & Architecture | Week 1 | Needs Assessment Report and API Access Confirmation |
| Week 2 | Architecture Design Document and Development Environment | |
| Week 3 | Data Pipeline Design and Initial Technical Documentation | |
| Week 4 | Initial Data Pipeline and User Manual Outline | |
| Month 2: Core Development | Week 1 | Initial AI Model and Backend Prototype |
| Week 2 | UI Prototype and Security Features | |
| Week 3 | Integrated Prototype and Initial Test Suite | |
| Week 4 | Tested Prototype and Draft Documentation | |
| Month 3: Testing, Abuseability Testing, Pilot Deployment, Finalization & Planning | Week 1 | Optimized Prototype and Metrics Tools |
| Week 2 | Pilot Deployment and Integration Guidance | |
| Week 3 | Final MVP Version, User Manual, and PowerPoint | |
| Week 4 | Maintenance & Update Plan and Handover Report |
- Duration
The assignment is expected to last 3 months, starting from the date of contract signing.
- Qualifications
The vendor must demonstrate:
- Proven experience in AI and software development, preferably in tools for media analysis with expertise in natural language processing (NLP) and real-time data processing.
- Strong knowledge of cybersecurity and data privacy principles, including experience implementing secure APIs, data encryption, and compliance with regional data protection regulations.
- Experience collaborating with journalists or media organizations in Latin America, to develop tools that support credibility and informed decision-making.
- Capacity to conduct user-informed design processes, ensuring the solution's functionalities and interface meet the needs of Latin American journalists.
- Operational proficiency in Spanish and English, with demonstrated ability to deliver technical solutions and documentation in both languages and operate effectively in Latin America.
- Knowledge of Latin American media ecosystems, including familiarity with regional information ecosystems and social media platforms (e.g., X, local news APIs).
- Demonstrated experience in developing user-friendly interfaces (e.g., dashboards) for non-technical users, preferably in media or journalism contexts.
- Submission Requirements
Interested vendors should submit (either in Spanish or English)
- Capacity Statement (max 2 pages). Addresses the organization’s capacity to deliver
- AI-Powered Content Analysis System (AI tools for media or content, familiarity with Spanish-language NLP (e.g., keyword extraction, sentiment analysis, topic clustering), ability to work with social media and news APIs (e.g., X, NewsAPI))
- Data Integration and Preprocessing (experience building data pipelines for real-time or high-volume content, approach to filtering and normalizing multilingual or regional data)
- User Interface Development (examples of past work on dashboards or visualization tools, approach to designing user-friendly interfaces for non-technical users)
- Technical proposal answering these questions:
- Approach & Methodology
- How will you design and implement the AI engine and data pipeline?
- What tools, frameworks, or libraries will you use?
- How will you ensure scalability and performance?
- Security & Privacy
- What security measures will be implemented (e.g., HTTPS, authentication)?
- How will you ensure compliance with data privacy standards (e.g., GDPR)?
- How will you conduct the abuseability testing?
- Testing & Deployment
- What is your approach to internal testing and bug resolution?
- How will you support pilot deployment and integration with IREX?
- Approach & Methodology
- Attachments:
- Work Plan & Timeline – Aligned with the 3-month delivery schedule.
- Budget & Budget Narrative – Itemized costs and justification.
- Team Bios – Roles and qualifications of key personnel.
- Company Profile – Legal status, registration.
- References – At least two references from similar projects.
- Sample Work – Optional: links or files demonstrating relevant past work.
- Proposal Submission Requirements
If you are interested in furnishing this service, please e-mail a proposal to RLageBarbosa@irex.org and IChaney@irex.org, subject line: MVP for AI-powered Content Analysis
If you decide to submit a proposal, it must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the closing date indicated above. Late submissions will only be considered if in the best interests of the project, and then at IREX’s sole discretion. All proposals submitted must be valid for a period of not less than sixty (60) calendar days from the closing date indicated above.
8. Questions Asked by Prospective Vendors and The Answers
Should the AI components (keyword extraction, sentiment analysis, topic clustering) be based on pre-trained, open-source models, or is there an expectation for custom training/tuning on domain-specific datasets?
Answer: For now, this is not required.
Should we include an optional 6 or 12-month maintenance and support service agreement in our proposal?
Answer: Should be considered at lower tiers for this MVPCould you please clarify if IREX will provide access to X & NewsAPI credentials, or if we should include these costs in the project's budget estimation?
Answer: Yes
Is it assumed that IREX will be providing the network of media representatives or is the grantee expected to tap into their network of media representatives?
Answer: This is to be identified at the moment of the signing the contract, but the vendor should provide some ideas in the proposal.Can you clarify which “performance metrics” are most important for MVP evaluation (e.g., sentiment accuracy, topic detection latency, dashboard load speed), and how they will be measured?
Answer: TBD
What is the expected daily volume of Spanish-language posts/articles to be ingested, and how long should historical data be stored for analysis in the MVP?
Answer: TBD
How many concurrent users are expected during the pilot, and will there be different access levels or permissions for journalists, administrators, and IREX staff?
Answer: X Enterprise is not considered for this MVPThe cost of integration of the X enterprise grade API is currently at $42k/month. How will this cost be covered? https://developer.x.com/en/products/x-api/enterprise/enterprise-api-interest-form
Answer: No
Will IREX provide authenticated access to X (Twitter) and NewsAPI, including any necessary API keys and rate-limit considerations, or should the vendor handle account setup and licensing?
Answer: Pre-trained is acceptable
9. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on:
- Technical approach and methodology (45%)
- Relevant experience and qualifications (35%)
- Work Plan, timeline & budget (20%)
10. Authorized Geographic Code
The authorized geographic code for procurement of goods and services is 935 defined as any area or country excluding any country that is a prohibited source.
IREX may at its discretion ask for additional information or perform site visits. IREX may accept multiple bidders and partial bids for the services requested.
11. Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment IREX is prohibited from procuring or entering into a contract to procure goods or services which make use of covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component. For the purposes of this section, “covered telecommunications equipment or services” also include systems that use covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. Vendors are required to certify that the bids do not contain any of these prohibited telecommunications equipment.
The restrictions cover broad categories of telecommunications and video surveillance equipment and services produced and provided by:
a. Huawei Technologies Company Ltd.,
b. ZTE Corporation,
c. Hytera Communications Corporation,
d. Dahua Technology Company Ltd., and
e. Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company Ltd., and their subsidiaries or affiliates.
12. Renewal
IREX reserves the right, based on availability of funding and vendor performance, to enter into subsequent contractual agreements with the winning vendor for a period of up to three years without issuing a new RFP.
13. Contact Information
Name: Isabella Chaney
Title: Senior Program Officer
IREX
1350 Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, D.C. 20005
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