Setting Up the Procurement AI Copilot Module

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This content applies solely to Contract Writing, which must be purchased separately from the Appian base platform. This content was written for Appian 26.6 and may not reflect the interfaces or functionality of other Appian versions.

Setting up Procurement AI Copilot for Contract Writing

After installing the Procurement AI Copilot module, you need to set it up before using it with your Contract Writing (CW) solution. The following guide walks you through the setup steps.

Note: The Procurement AI Copilot is a separate capability from the AI Doc Builder feature. AI Doc Builder gives contracting personnel the ability to generate supplemental procurement documents from templates and does not require the Procurement AI Copilot module or its setup steps. To configure AI Doc Builder, see Template management and AI Document Builder settings in the Contract Writing Settings site.

Setting up Procurement AI Copilot consists of the following tasks:

Enable the Procurement AI Copilot toggles.
Configure knowledge sets.
Manage documents in the Document Database.

Before performing these incorporation steps, ensure that your system meets the required prerequisites.

System prerequisites for AI Copilot 1.9 in Contract Writing 3.4

This section details the prerequisites your system must meet to incorporate the [AI Copilot module] with your Contract Writing solution.

Appian platform running version 26.6 or greater.
A supported version of MariaDB as a business data source.

Note: Instructions below are for MariaDB databases. For use with other databases, the SQL script must be modified to fit syntax requirements.
A supported web browser.
Contract Writing Base Application v3.4 installed in the target environment.
Procurement AI Copilot 1.9.0 imported and installed in the target environment.

Enable Procurement AI Copilot toggles

To integrate the Procurement AI Copilot module with your CW solution, go to the Procurement AI Copilot Settings page and select each toggle associated with a specific functionality. Selecting a toggle activates the corresponding feature, making it available to users in the Contract Writing interface.

Procurement AI Copilot settings page with feature toggles

Procurement AI Copilot Chatbot toggle

The Chatbot toggle introduces an AI-powered chatbot directly within Contract Writing (CW) to provide real-time assistance and guidance throughout the procurement lifecycle. Once selected, users can interact with the chatbot to ask questions about procurement policies, contract terms, best practices, and system functionalities. The chatbot can help in drafting initial contract language, suggesting clauses, and identifying potential risks or compliance issues. Selecting the Chatbot toggle integrates the AI-powered chatbot into the Contract Writing interface, making the chatbot readily available to users.

Contract File: Document Chat toggle

The Document Chat toggle gives users a conversational interface directly within the documents contained in a contract file. The Document Chat toggle applies to all solicitations and awards. Instead of manually sifting through lengthy legal documents, users can ask specific questions about the content of any document within the contract file.

A user can ask, "What are the payment terms in this agreement?" or "Does this document include a force majeure clause?" The AI extracts and presents the relevant information. The Document Chat capability speeds up document review, ensures thorough understanding, and aids in quick decision-making.

Note: Contract Writing (CW) extends the Document Chat capability to support chatting with multiple documents at once from the Smart Search tab. AI Chat with multiple documents is controlled by the AI Document Builder toggle in the CW Settings Site, not by the Document Chat checkbox, which controls only the single-document chat within individual contract files. See AI Chat with multiple documents for details.

Selecting the Document Chat checkbox makes the interactive chat capability available for all documents associated with solicitations and awards.

Contract File: Document Summarizer toggle

The Document Summarizer toggle gives users the ability to generate concise summaries of contract file documents across all solicitations and awards. Complex legal and contractual documents can be extensive and time-consuming to read in their entirety. The Document Summarizer uses Appian AI to identify and extract the most critical information, key clauses, and main points, presenting them in a digestible format. The Document Summarizer is invaluable for quickly grasping the essence of a document, preparing for meetings, or providing executive overviews without reading every single word.

The Document Summarizer uses Appian's native AI capabilities, powered by GPT-5.4, to deliver accurate and efficient document analysis without requiring external AI service configuration.

Selecting the Document Summarizer toggle activates the document summarization functionality in your Contract Writing (CW) solution, providing your users with an efficient way to digest large volumes of contractual information quickly and accurately.

Configure knowledge sets

Knowledge sets are groupings of documents that scope the context for AI Copilot interactions. When users chat with the AI Copilot, they select a knowledge set to define which documents the AI references when answering questions.

The Procurement AI Copilot ships with three out-of-the-box knowledge sets:

FAR Chat: A pre-configured knowledge set that includes the latest version of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). You can add other agency-specific documents to this knowledge set as needed.
Knowledge Set 1: A general-purpose knowledge set that you can rename to align with your organization's needs.
Knowledge Set 2: A general-purpose knowledge set that you can rename to align with your organization's needs.

Rename a knowledge set

You can rename the default knowledge sets to match your organization's terminology. Knowledge set names appear to users when they select a knowledge set in the AI Copilot chat interface.

Add a knowledge set

If your organization needs more than the three default knowledge sets, add a new entry to the AS_AICP_REF_KNOWLEDGE_SET table in your database.

Note: Adding knowledge sets requires direct database access. Coordinate with your database administrator to add new entries to the AS_AICP_REF_KNOWLEDGE_SET table.

Manage documents in the Document Database

The Document Database is where you upload and organize the documents that power the Procurement AI Copilot. When you upload a document, you assign it to one or more knowledge sets so users know which context the document contributes to.

Upload a document

To upload a document to the Document Database:

In the Procurement AI Copilot, go to the Document Database.
Click Upload.
Select the file to upload.
From the Knowledge Set dropdown, select one or more knowledge sets to associate with the document.
From the Product dropdown, select the products this document applies to. All products are selected by default.
Click Save.

Note: A document must be associated with at least one knowledge set. A document can belong to multiple knowledge sets without needing to upload it more than once.

Knowledge set size limits

Each knowledge set can contain a maximum of 25 MB of documents. The 25 MB limit is based on the total size of all documents in the knowledge set, regardless of product association. The upload process validates this limit and prevents uploads that would exceed it.

Filter documents by knowledge set

The Document Database grid displays the knowledge sets each document belongs to. Use the Knowledge Set filter on the grid to view only documents in a specific knowledge set.

Supported products

When uploading a document, select the products the document applies to. The following products are available:

Contract Writing
ProcureSight Enterprise

All products are selected by default when uploading a document.

Access the dedicated AI Copilot site

The Procurement AI Copilot is accessible through a dedicated site that provides direct access to all AI Copilot capabilities, including all documents and knowledge sets. The dedicated site gives users a comprehensive view of the available knowledge base without navigating through the Contract Writing solution interface.

Next steps for Procurement AI Copilot

After configuring the Procurement AI Copilot settings, knowledge sets, and documents, your users can begin interacting with the AI Copilot. See Procurement AI Copilot Module Overview for details on how users interact with the chatbot, analytics dashboard, and document management features.

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