Glass has redesigned its G-Commerce marketplace website, shifting the platform to an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven model that aims to streamline how public agencies buy goods, services and software.
The Silicon Valley-based GovTech company said it built its updated platform to automate key steps in public-sector procurement. That includes product discovery, vendor eligibility checks, compliance validation and access to purchasing records. Glass said it designed the system around government purchasing rules rather than consumer-style ecommerce search and comparison tools.
According to the company, the new G-Commerce platform allows government buyers to describe procurement needs using natural language. Those include such needs as budget limits, delivery timelines, location requirements and policy constraints. The system then recommends products and vendors that meet those criteria and comply with agency rules.
Glass reported that the G-Commerce marketplace supports more than 18,000 government users and works with 124 public agencies. G-Commerce connects agencies to about 8.5 million products through application programming interfaces (APIs), with an additional 5 million products available through punch-out catalogs, Glass said.
How the Glass platform uses AI to speed up its marketplace
Glass said the platform also provides conversational access to order status, shipment tracking and purchase history. That allows users to retrieve information without navigating multiple systems or searching through emails. Users can retrieve financial documents, including invoices and payment confirmations, through plain-language queries, the company said.
Another feature focuses on vendor eligibility and compliance. Glass said the platform analyzes vendor data such as registration status, certifications, insurance coverage and past performance to surface compliance information during the purchasing process.
“This represents a ground-up re-architecture of government ecommerce,” said Gerardo Mateo, Glass’ chief operating officer and head of product for G-Commerce, in a statement.
He said the platform embeds procurement rules, compliance logic and policy enforcement directly into its core systems.
Glass said that, to date, G-Commerce has:
- Processed more than $8 million in government purchases to date.
- Delivered more than 6 million products to public agencies.
- Directed more than $4.6 million in spending to small businesses.
The company said many of those small businesses received their first government order through the platform.
Product categories include information technology equipment, industrial and office supplies, construction materials, safety equipment, janitorial products, furniture, laboratory equipment and software licenses, according to the company.
Glass said the platform integrates access to required and preferred government purchasing programs, including AbilityOne vendors, small businesses, U.S.-made products, veteran-owned and women-owned businesses, HUBZone suppliers and other disadvantaged business programs. The marketplace also offers curated collections organized around operational needs such as public works, facilities management, transportation and administrative functions.
The updated version adds an AI-based layer for software procurement and expands access to Glass’ software-as-a-service offering, which the company said is intended to simplify adoption across departments.
Glass said the platform builds on earlier deployments with local governments, including the cities of Santa Monica and South San Francisco.
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