Phase 1 Technical Assessment for AI Travel Chatbot + Future Mobile App Integration

I am looking for a senior AI/backend/full-stack architect or agency to complete a Phase 1 technical assessment of an existing AI travel chatbot/codebase before I commit to a full development build. The product is called Trip. Trip is an AI travel assistant for LuxLav Travel. It will work on the LuxLav Travel website first, but the backend/chatbot logic should later be reusable inside a future mobile app ecosystem called SharpTrips. This is NOT a full build project yet. I need the current implementation reviewed first. Phase 1 Scope: * Review existing chatbot/codebase * Review architecture and code quality * Review chatbot conversation flow * Review trip intake and validation logic * Review AI/OpenAI setup and orchestration * Review quote logic and business rules * Review backend/session/database structure * Review website integration approach * Review security and API key handling * Review error handling, logging, and production readiness * Assess whether the current backend/chatbot can later support the SharpTrips mobile app * Recommend what should be kept, fixed, refactored, or rebuilt * Provide a written technical report * Provide a recommended Phase 2 roadmap with milestones, timeline, and estimated budget Important Requirements: * NDA required before repository access * Repository access will be sanitized/read-only first * No live API keys, passwords, payment credentials, or production secrets will be shared * I need a live technical discussion before hiring * I am okay with developers using AI tools for productivity, but I need to hear your own technical reasoning live * I do not want a generic ChatGPT wrapper * Backend/business logic must be the source of truth * The system must be designed so the website chatbot and future mobile app can reuse the same backend logic Ideal Experience: * AI chatbot architecture * OpenAI API / LLM orchestration * RAG/vector search * Next.js / React * Node.js or Python backend * Firebase, Supabase, PostgreSQL, or similar database experience * Mobile app architecture with React Native or Flutter * API integrations * Security/API key protection * Admin dashboard or SaaS platform experience * Code review and technical architecture assessments Deliverable: A written technical assessment report plus a walkthrough call explaining findings and recommendations. Budget: $750 fixed price for Phase 1 assessment. Payment preference: I prefer fixed-price milestone payments tied to deliverables. For Phase 1, I am open to two milestones: Milestone 1: Initial repo/architecture summary Milestone 2: Final written technical report, roadmap, and walkthrough call For any future Phase 2 development work, I would prefer weekly or biweekly milestone-based payments tied to clear deliverables, demos, and acceptance criteria. To apply, please answer these questions: 1. How would you structure a chatbot so it works on a website now and later inside a mobile app without rebuilding it? 2. What logic should live in the backend versus the frontend? 3. How would you prevent AI from inventing fake travel quotes or prices? 4. How would you protect API keys and secrets? 5. How would you handle session state and structured trip intake? 6. Explain RAG in simple terms and when you would use it for this project. 7. Have you reviewed or refactored an existing AI chatbot/codebase before? 8. Are you comfortable signing an NDA before access? 9. Who would be the technical lead for this assessment? 10. Can you provide a sample architecture report or sanitized example of a previous technical assessment? Please do not apply with a generic proposal. I am looking for someone who can think through architecture, security, AI reliability, and long-term product scalability.