Call for proposals: AI-enabled multichannel hotline for LMAC

The Lebanon Mine Action Authority (LMAA), through the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC), leads and coordinates mine action in Lebanon, including explosive ordnance risk education and public communication. Members of the public currently reach the LMAC mainly through a phone hotline, and the full burden of answering calls falls on LMAC officers. LMAC intends to extend this hotline with a multichannel, multilingual AI-enabled support system. The service is intended to strengthen the hotline, not to replace it. The assignment is facilitated by HAMAP-Humanitaire under Project BRIDGE, supported by the Belgian Federal Public Service, Peacebuilding Unit. Purpose of the assignment Design, build, test, deploy and hand over a multichannel hotline support system: at least one digital messaging channel (WhatsApp, social media messaging, web chat or another agreed channel) and, subject to feasibility, a voice component in the form of structured voice-message intake or automated voice response.

Languages: Arabic as the primary language, with understanding of Lebanese Arabic and answers in formal Arabic, English, and French as an option.

Critical design constraints, non-negotiable

- Controlled content only: no open generative AI. All responses must be based on a knowledge base and decision tree approved by LMAC.

- Mandatory fallback and escalation: any urgent, sensitive, unclear or out-of-scope enquiry is immediately directed to the hotline, a human operator or an officer callback.

- Arabic language quality: performance in Arabic, and in Lebanese Arabic in particular, must be evidenced and validated during the inception phase, before the platform choice is confirmed.

- Independence after handover: content and contact details must be updatable by LMAC staff without vendor intervention and without vendor lock-in.

- Predictable running costs: target below USD 200 per month, ideally below USD 50 for the pilot scope.

- Data protection: GDPR principles apply as the reference standard.

How the assignment runs The assignment follows a phased, pilot-first approach: inception and needs assessment, functional and technical design, content development and conversation scripting, build, configuration and integration, testing and pilot, then training, handover and post-launch support. The first two phases form the initial scope. Continuation is decided by LMAC and HAMAP in the light of their findings, either towards digital messaging alone or towards digital messaging combined with a voice component. Required qualifications - Demonstrated experience of controlled-content conversational systems, ideally in public service or humanitarian communication. - At least one team member with demonstrated Arabic NLP technical expertise. - At least one team member physically based in Lebanon with native or near-native Arabic. The last two conditions are mandatory requirements, not desirable attributes. How to apply Proposal submission Technical proposal, financial proposal broken down by phase and by channel and distinguishing one-off from recurring costs, documented evidence of Arabic language performance, company profile and registration documents, at least two references for comparable assignments with contact details, and examples of similar work. Download the full Terms of Reference on our website.