DGS Announces New AI-Powered Chatbot to Answer FAQs from Small and Disabled Veteran Businesses 24/7

What you need to know: The Department of General Services (DGS) is introducing Ask Ozzie, a new AI-powered chatbot available on the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services (OSDS) webpage. Ask Ozzie is designed to make certification information easier to access for small businesses, disabled veteran businesses, and nonprofits; helping applicants get the answers they need quickly and at any time of day.

SACRAMENTO - State leaders announced today that the DGS Procurement Division is launching Ask Ozzie to help respond to the most common certification questions OSDS receives each year. By offering fast, straightforward guidance, the chatbot supports the state's ongoing efforts to modernize public services and expand access to information to meet the expectations of today's applicants.

"Ask Ozzie reflects our ongoing work to modernize how California supports its small and disabled veteran business communities," said Deputy Director of Procurement Angela Shell. "By making certification information more accessible and reducing routine inquiries, we're strengthening our foundation for more efficient service across OSDS."

OSDS fields thousands of questions annually, and more than two-thirds of its phone calls and emails involve routine certification topics. By automating answers to these common inquiries, Ask Ozzie will help free up valuable staff time so OSDS employees can focus on reviewing certification files, with the goal of reducing backlog and improving turnaround times for applicants.

Project details

Ask Ozzie is trained using a carefully curated knowledge base built from the most frequently asked certification questions OSDS has received over the years. The chatbot automatically answers questions it can confidently address, and whenever a topic requires human expertise, it guides users to the right place for help. Throughout the interaction, users can choose to connect with staff and, when escalation is needed, Ask Ozzie provides contact information tailored to their needs, whether that's OSDS or the Cal eProcure team at FI$Cal.

The Department of General Services acts as the business manager for the state of California. DGS helps state government better serve the public by providing services to state agencies, including procurement and acquisition solutions, real estate management, leasing and design services, environmentally friendly transportation, and architectural oversight and funding for the construction of safe schools.