UNSPSC 25132100: Unmanned aerial vehicle

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS); which includes a UAV, a ground-based controller, and a system of communications between the two. The flight of UAVs may operate with various degrees of autonomy: either under remote control by a human operator or autonomously by onboard computers

UNSPSC 25132100 Unmanned aerial vehicle (Class) encompasses UAS platforms, complete systems, and integrated packages that state and local governments procure for public safety, infrastructure inspection, environmental management, and specialized operational support. Recent solicitations show state and local buyers purchasing fixed-wing and multirotor aircraft with associated ground control systems, payloads (thermal, LiDAR, multispectral imaging), batteries, charging infrastructure, software licenses, training, and maintenance support as turnkey solutions or individual components. Issuing bodies span state departments (Illinois Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Texas Department of Transportation), county governments (Orange County, Gwinnett County), municipal utilities and airports (Lubbock Power & Light, Savannah Airport Commission, Orlando Utilities Commission), city governments (Austin, St. Petersburg, Waco, Hayward, Fort Worth), and special-purpose agencies (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). A handful of repeat buyers—Illinois State Police and the Florida Forest Service among them—signal sustained fleet expansion and replacement activity in the code.

Recent work spans emergency responder and first-responder drone programs (Fort Worth's RFI and Hayward's DFR solicitation), agricultural application systems (Illinois IDOT's four-unit Hylio package for spray and spread operations, Texas A&M's research UAS), utility infrastructure imaging (Lubbock Power & Light's five-year thermal and visual inspection contract covering 75,000 structures annually at unit rates per structure), wildfire suppression with aerial ignition capability (Florida Forest Service's EVTOL fixed-wing procurement with 2.5-hour minimum flight time and dual payload bays), enclosed-space inspection drones (Orlando Utilities), and aerial surveys and orthoimagery capture (Waco's 1,297-square-mile countywide digital orthoimagery and impervious surface mapping). Geographically, the code sees strong activity in the Southeast (Florida, Georgia) and Texas, with secondary presence in Illinois, California, Utah, and Maryland. Representative recent opportunities include the Illinois State Police's October 2026 IFB for three DJI Matrice M30T units with tethered power stations (response deadline October 21, 2026), the Florida Forest Service's October 2026 Invitation to Negotiate for two fixed-wing EVTOL systems for wildland firefighting with November demonstration and award windows, the Fort Worth RFI for citywide Drone as First Responder program implementation (closed October 14, 2026), Lubbock Power & Light's September 2026 RFP for utility structure imagery review services at unit pricing per structure category, and Waco's September 2026 sealed-bid RFP for countywide orthoimagery and impervious surface change mapping at $6-inch GSD resolution delivered early 2027.