NIGP 03596: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uav), Drones

NIGP 03596 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Drones, an Item code, encompasses state and local procurement of complete unmanned aircraft systems and drone-based services for operational missions ranging from wildland firefighting and aerial herbicide application to utility inspection, law enforcement support, and asset mapping. Recent state and local opportunities show concrete demand for fixed-wing and multi-rotor platforms with thermal and optical payloads, tethered power stations, specialized software licenses, training, and multi-year support contracts.

Issuing bodies span state natural-resources and transportation departments, county purchasing offices, municipal utilities and airports, special districts, and public-safety agencies—with standout repeat buyers including the State of Utah Division of Purchasing (conducting on behalf of Division of Wildlife Resources and Department of Natural Resources) and state forestry and fish-and-wildlife services. The Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Florida Forest Service, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation each posted UAS procurements in the past two months. Solicitations cluster in the western United States, particularly Utah and Florida, with recent activity also in Texas, Illinois, Georgia, and California. Utah has issued at least six herbicide and seeding application bids since August 26, targeting post-fire cheatgrass control and invasive-species management across thousands of acres at per-acre pricing, alongside smaller aerial treatment contracts for wetland species. Recent opportunities include the Illinois State Police's October 2026 bid for three DJI Matrice M30T units with tethered power and vehicle inverters (Solicitation 27493ISPOPERAB54458, due October 21, 2026); the State of Utah Division of Purchasing's RFQ for aerial herbicide application across 1,365 acres in Tooele and Juab Counties (NC27-120, due October 8, 2026); the City of Fort Worth's Request for Information on a citywide Drone as First Responder program with 90-second response-time objectives and CAD integration (RFI 260327, due October 14, 2026); the Florida Forest Service's Invitation to Negotiate for two eVTOL fixed-wing UAS for wildland firefighting with AI-assisted data collection and 2.5-hour minimum flight endurance (ITN17033, due October 15, 2026); and the Savannah Airport Commission's RFQ for a turnkey precision aerial application and survey UAS ecosystem with heavy-lift and long-endurance platforms and NDAA compliance (PE33699NONST2026000000695, due September 24, 2026). Pricing across the sampled opportunities ranges from $6.69 per acre for aerial seeding to six-figure system packages; cost-of-ownership analyses and multi-year recurring support are increasingly material to municipal and state evaluations.