In Pursuit #12 | Mike Vichich & Art Thompson — IT's Role in Vendor Selection & Budget Decisions

Detroit CIO Art Thompson breaks down how cities actually buy tech — RFPs, pilots, IT's role, and what gets vendors rejected.Visit pursuit.usTimestamps:00:00 Cold open: why government deals are a long-haul game00:52 Meet Art Thompson, Detroit CIO & CISO01:39 How a family tip led Art into city government02:46 A day in the life of a city CIO03:44 Working with the mayor and department leaders04:44 When IT should get involved in a project05:27 Does IT have veto power over a purchase?06:13 Why integrations are a top priority06:34 HIPAA, CJIS, and the compliance patchwork of government IT07:19 Who owns integration work: city or vendor?07:37 The rise of shadow IT09:25 The "two wins": technical win vs. procurement win11:14 How departments and IT divide responsibility12:38 How Detroit pressure-tests vendors in demos13:11 Pilots, proof of value, and why timing matters14:05 How a 30-day RFP pilot actually works14:38 Budget basics: department vs. enterprise purchases16:13 IT's expanded role in multi-department deals16:48 Cooperative contracts: NASPO, Sourcewell, Omnia18:05 Detroit's RFP threshold and ordinance rules18:29 How long an RFP cycle really takes19:08 What happens after the award: city council process20:24 Mapping the full procurement timeline20:45 Contract negotiation: how long it takes21:06 Toughest contract terms: indemnification & termination21:50 When the city accepts less-favorable terms22:21 How often Detroit negotiates with multiple vendors22:21 Should agencies merge multiple RFPs into one?24:25 OEMs vs. resellers/SIs: Art's preference26:18 The best (and worst) way for vendors to engage27:33 Why low RFP win rates make sense to Art29:47 How early vendor meetings quietly shape RFPs30:59 SaaS vs. capital vs. consumption: which model wins32:11 Why credit-based AI pricing makes Art nervous34:16 Per-user caps: do they solve the problem?34:42 Revenue-aligned vendor models (the DMV kiosk example)36:11 Case study: the Detroit body camera program36:54 The DOJ consent decree that started it all38:17 Officer pushback and how it was managed40:48 Inside the body cam procurement and pilot42:01 Installing and testing on real squad cars43:06 How the testing team evolved over time44:04 Pricing transparency during vendor evaluation44:42 How body cams improved de-escalation46:04 From body cams to the Real-Time Crime Center47:45 Project Greenlight: private camera integration48:03 Where AI fits into video review today49:17 Data licensing and what the city can analyze50:41 Inside the Real-Time Crime Center51:36 How RTCC connects to 911 and dispatch54:09 Setting the agenda with the police chief55:36 Piloting new tech inside an existing contract56:09 IT org growth: 2016 to today57:34 Detroit's geospatial and GIS data initiatives59:28 Where AI ranks among CIO priorities now01:00:13 Detroit's AI guardrails and vendor risk reviews01:02:02 How Art prioritizes which AI projects to pursue01:03:22 AI red flags: what gets a vendor rejected01:04:24 Art's biggest mindset shift after 10 years in gov01:06:08 Closing thoughts