AI Model Hosting and Inference
Title:  

AI Model Hosting and Inference

Agency:  

U.S. Department Of Commerce

State:  

Maryland

NAICS Code:  

518210

Industry:  

Information Technology and Software Development

Solicitation Type:  

Request for Information

Solicitation ID:  

NIST-CAISI-26-SS01

Open Date:  

2/24/2026

Close Date:  

3/10/2026

Last Updated:  

3/2/2026

Description:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information from contractors capable of providing open-weight AI model hosting and inference services. The required services include quick-turn hosting, accurate inference, automatic and rapid inference scaling, hosting access to many models, data retention, reliability, and cost-effective hosting and inference for models. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to identify responsible sources capable of performing the required services, determine the availability of small businesses, and assess industry experience with AI model hosting and inference services. * The contractor must be able to support newly-released models within the first few business days after they become available. * The contractor must be able to provide accurate inference, including reasoning and tool calling performance. * The contractor must be able to support rapid scaling of inference usage without requiring that NIST reserve all needed inference capacity in advance. * The contractor must be able to host a large selection of models by default and be able to quickly host open-weight models on-demand for NIST. * The contractor must not retain inference data. * The contractor must have high uptime for its inference services. * The contractor must be able to provide hosting and inference for models at a price that is in line with typical industry pricing.
Attached Files:

Please visit the bid source via the “Link to Bid Source” button below for documentation.

Contact Information:

Don Graham

donald.graham@nist.gov

(301) 975-8567

Budget Estimate (AI):

$500,000 – $5,000,000

The dollar amount range that our client might expect to earn if they win the bid and do the job is estimated to be between $500,000 and $5 million. This estimation is based on the fact that the required services include hosting and inference for models at a price that is in line with typical industry pricing, and the contract award is anticipated no later than the third quarter of FY 2026. The actual budget may vary depending on the specific services provided, the number of models hosted, and the pricing structure. Factors that may influence the likely payment range include the level of competition, the client's experience and reputation, and the specific requirements of the contract.

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