Question 1

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Individual tools start under the micro-purchase threshold — your team can buy one on a purchase card with no RFP. Agency-wide deployments are priced under the simplified acquisition threshold. Multi-year commitments include a 10-15% discount.

Question 2

Is it on the GSA Schedule?

Accepted Answer

Not yet — application is in progress. In the meantime, agencies can buy through OTA (Other Transaction Authority), micro-purchase, simplified acquisition, or direct contract.

Question 3

Can we start small?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Most agencies start with a single tool — usually Knowledge Capture or After-Action Review — and expand after seeing results. A 90-day pilot is $4,500, credited toward an annual license.

Question 4

How does this compare to Palantir or Salesforce?

Accepted Answer

Palantir is a $10M+ engagement with a 12-month implementation. Tools for Democracy is $12,500/year for a single tool that deploys in days. Different scale, different problem. Palantir connects enterprise data lakes. This preserves institutional expertise that lives in people’s heads.

Question 5

Where does our data live?

Accepted Answer

On your infrastructure. All tools are deployed on-premise or on your agency's cloud environment. Air-gapped deployment is available. Your data never leaves your network.

Question 6

Is it FedRAMP certified?

Accepted Answer

No, and for on-premise software, FedRAMP doesn’t apply — it covers cloud services. Secure development practices are aligned with NIST 800-218 (SSDF) and zero external dependencies eliminates the supply chain attack surface.

Question 7

What about classified data?

Accepted Answer

The tools are designed for air-gapped deployment. No external network access is required — no phoning home, no telemetry, no license server calls. The software runs entirely on local hardware.

Question 8

What does 'AI-powered' mean? Does it use ChatGPT?

Accepted Answer

No cloud AI. The tools use open-source language models (Ollama) that run entirely on your hardware. No data is sent to OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, or any external service. The AI runs locally, processes locally, and stays local.

Question 9

Does this integrate with SharePoint, Salesforce, or SAP?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Standard JSON APIs for integration with existing systems. Import from CSV, JSON, or direct database connections.

Question 10

What's the deployment timeline?

Accepted Answer

2-4 weeks for a single tool. 6-8 weeks for the full suite. That includes setup, data ingestion, configuration, and training.

Question 11

Can we export our data if we leave?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All data is exportable in JSON and CSV at any time. No proprietary formats, no export fees, no lock-in mechanisms.

Question 12

Do we need all six tools?

Accepted Answer

No. Each tool works independently. Most agencies start with one — typically Knowledge Capture or Structured Reasoning — and add more as they identify additional problems worth solving.

Question 13

What happens if you go out of business?

Accepted Answer

Your data is on your hardware in standard formats. The tools run locally with no external dependencies. If the company disappeared, your data, configurations, and workflows would continue to exist exactly as they are.

Question 14

Is there training and support included?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every deployment includes hands-on training, documentation tailored to your use case, and 90 days of direct support. Ongoing support is available as part of the annual license.

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