Denver council rejects Citibot, Slalom contract extensions
The proposals would have added $3,889,784.94 to Citibot and $5 million to Slalom. Staff said Sunny would end after the city’s paid period, while some Slalom projects could lack capacity if no replacement is found.
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Denver City Council rejected a five-year extension for its 311 chatbot, Sunny, and a three-year extension for technology contractor Slalom on Oct. 13. The proposals would have added $3,889,784.94 to Citibot and $5 million to Slalom; the motions failed 9-3 and 10-2, the council minutes show.
Staff said the city would not continue Sunny after its current paid period, which they believed ran through the end of October, and planned to discuss next steps with Citibot. During council discussion, members questioned whether Sunny provides reliable information and enough value to justify the extension. Councilmember Sawyer said the chatbot directed her to a park outside Denver. Other critics questioned whether the city had adequately measured the chatbot’s accuracy or user satisfaction, and argued that automation should not come at the expense of 311 staffing and human responses, the meeting recording shows.
Technology Services staff said about 40% of 311 inquiries arrive through digital channels and argued that self-service can handle simpler requests, leaving staff more time for complex cases. Staff described a voice assistant as only a possible future pilot. The city’s request for the Citibot extension made voice service contingent on funding; staff estimated it would cost about $600,000 a year and said funding had not been identified.
The Slalom extension would have added three years to the contract, taking it through 2029. The existing contract runs through Dec. 31, 2026. The city describes the on-call work as technology and data projects, including business intelligence, technology development and deployment, data analysis and strategic planning, in its request form.
Council members raised concerns about outsourcing, contract oversight and hourly rates of up to $380. A Technology Services representative described Slalom as a source of specialized or short-term capacity and said the contract did not specifically cover artificial-intelligence services. Staff said the city would seek similar workers from other vendors after the current contract ends; without suitable replacement capacity, some projects might not be completed.