San José opens permanent gateway for civic tech ideas

San José has launched an IT Innovation Hub to give technology companies a permanent and structured way to present solutions for improving government operations.

The portal is designed to sit alongside, rather than replace, the city’s traditional procurement tools, providing a more transparent and accessible route for engagement.

“The IT Innovation Hub complements the RFI and RFP processes by offering a clear and transparent way for vendors to submit ideas at any time,” a spokesperson from the Information Technology Department told Cities Today. “City staff have long received technology pitches by email, those messages can often be missed due to high volume or email filters. The Innovation Hub ensures that proposals have a dedicated space to be reviewed regularly and shared with the appropriate departments.”

The year-round portal aims for San José to stay abreast of new technologies and trends while giving vendors confidence that their ideas will be reviewed fairly and consistently.

“By reviewing submissions monthly and inviting selected vendors to IT Vendor Days, the city can quickly identify promising ideas worth exploring,” said the spokesperson. “This streamlined approach makes it easier and faster to test new solutions, saving time and resources while keeping the city at the forefront of innovation.”

To ensure that innovation does not come at the expense of governance, the city has embedded policy and security compliance into the process.

“All submissions must comply with San José’s AI Policy, Data Governance Policy, and cybersecurity standards, which are listed on the Hub’s webpage,” the spokesperson added. “These are built into the evaluation process, so vendors understand requirements before they present.”

All new technologies undergo review by the City’s Privacy and AI, Cybersecurity, Business Solutions, and Infrastructure teams to confirm compliance with standards for data protection, responsible AI use, and transparency.

“The city evaluates pilots focusing on areas including how well the technology works, if it can be scalable and grow with city needs and infrastructure, and the value it can provide to the city including cost savings, service improvement, and overall government efficiency,” the spokesperson said. They pointed to the Road Safety Conditions Pilot, where AI tools were judged on accuracy and usefulness before advancing to a formal RFI process.

San José sees this model as one that other local governments could adopt.

“Make your process clear, consistent, and open to all,” they said. “[We] created the IT Innovation Hub as a structured way for vendors to submit ideas and be reviewed using the same process, evaluation criteria, and feedback timeline.”

The spokesperson added: “Above all, cities should be ready to listen, learn, and adapt. Good ideas can come from anywhere, and cities should create space to hear them while staying true to community values and public service goals.”

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