SAVER Program_RFI_2026_jan13final.docx

National Urban Security Technology Laboratory U. S. Department of Homeland Security 201 Varick Street, Suite 900 New York, NY 10014-7447

Document Type: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) 70RSAT26RFI000007 Title: Market Research of First Responder Technologies under SAVER® Contracting Office Address: Office of Procurement Operations, Washington DC 20528 Description: Request for Information (RFI) – for 2026 SAVER technology research

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and market research planning purposes. This RFI shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals (RFQ or RFP).

No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI.

The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organizations’ capabilities.

The Government’s explicit intent through this RFI is to obtain general product information. The Government is not requesting and does not want to receive from respondents any proprietary data, trade secrets, business sensitive information, or information considered CONFIDENTIAL under 18 U.S.C. §1905. The Government’s constraint does not in any way relieve contractors from their responsibility to properly mark proprietary data when it is provided, nor does it alleviate any requirement for the Government to protect marked data. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data.

The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned.

I. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) is seeking information on commercially available technology for emergency responder missions and use cases. This information is being sought for the DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program which provides information on commercially available equipment to assist response organizations in equipment selection and procurement. The SAVER program conducts market research and objective, practitioner-relevant, operationally oriented assessments and validations on commercially available equipment and systems. Relevant information will be shared nationally with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial response agencies. For further details on the SAVER program, visit the SAVER website at https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/saver.

SAVER provides information on equipment that falls within the categories listed in the DHS Authorized Equipment List (AEL). The target audience for this information is emergency response agencies and their respective purchasing agents. The AEL item numbers listed below may not be fully comprehensive of all relevant AEL item numbers for each specific technology or product.

NUSTL is requesting information and conducting market research to identify potential vendors, manufacturers, or distributors of commercial-off-the-shelf first responder technologies in the following areas:

1. Vehicle Ramming Barriers

Vehicle ramming barriers provide protection and mitigation from vehicle-borne threats to a secured area. Applications in which these barriers are normally used include public venues, as well as airports, borders, U.S. government facilities, ports, public venues, and law enforcement facilities. The AEL category for this technology is 14SW-01-WALL – Barriers: Fences, Jersey Barriers.

2. MANET Systems

Mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) technology provides reliable wireless communication even when traditional infrastructure is unreliable or damaged. A MANET consists of a group of wireless connected mobile nodes that form a self-healing network. Because each node can function as both a router and a host, the network maintains an autonomous, flexible topology that adapts as nodes move or change. The AEL categories for this technology is 04HW-02-NETD – Components, Networking, Deployable or 06CP-01-PORT – Radio, Portable.

3. Radioisotope Identification Devices (RIIDs)

Radioisotope Identification Devices (RIIDs) are used to determine the identity of radioactive materials by measuring the energy of the emitted gamma rays. RIIDs are used by law enforcement, customs, and emergency personnel to interdict illicit movement of radioactive materials and assess the level of radioactivity. The AEL category for this technology is 07RD-02-RIID – Identifier, Isotope, Radionuclide.

4. Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly referred to as “drones” are used to support emergency incident situational awareness, to monitor and assess critical infrastructure, to provide disaster relief by transporting emergency medical supplies to remote locations, and to aid efforts to secure our borders. Some UAS may have indoor capabilities designed to operate within confined spaces, such as buildings, warehouses, subterranean transit stations, or other indoor environments. These systems have multiple applications and use cases such as indoor mapping, situational awareness, and package delivery. The AEL category for this technology is 03OE-07-SUAS – System, Small Unmanned Aircraft.

5. Drone as First Responder (DFR)

Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to rapidly respond to calls for service, critical incidents, and emergency events. Upon dispatch, DFR drones can be launched from a fixed site or distributed locations to quickly arrive on scene—often before ground units—to provide real-time video, mapping, and situational awareness. This capability enables incident assessment, resource prioritization, and improved responder safety while reducing response times. Typical applications include law enforcement operations, search and rescue, hazardous incident assessment, disaster response, and overwatch during large public events. The AEL category for this technology is 03OE-07-SUAS – System, Small Unmanned Aircraft.

II. SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION

Respondents are required to provide the following initial information via a survey at the following link: https://nustl.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8dMTAQxwzUpMZjU The survey will request the following information:

1. Company name

2. Company address

3. Point(s) of contact for follow-up (name, title, e-mail, and phone number)

4. Business type (manufacturer or distributor)

5. Specific technology area(s) from the list above that the product addresses

6. Product name and description

7. Key features and capabilities

8. Example operational use case(s)

9. Limitations (if applicable)

10. Cost information (purchase price and if applicable, including base model pricing, subscription pricing, General Services Administration [GSA] schedule pricing information) NUSTL may contact respondents for additional product details if necessary.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted through the provided survey link no later than 4:00 PM EST, 4/30/2026. All technical comments and inquiries should be directed to NUSTL@hq.dhs.gov. Only technical comments and inquiries received at NUSTL@hq.dhs.gov will be answered.

III. OTHER

The submitted information will be evaluated for inclusion in SAVER projects and reports. Determination as to an individual product’s suitability will be made by NUSTL based on the objectives of this request. Therefore, requests for feedback should not be made through the Federal Business Opportunities (https://sam.gov) posting agency. Respondents may be contacted following submission for more detailed product information. Information provided may be reformatted for publication in SAVER program documents. If a vendor does not respond to additional requests for information, information may be marked as “Not Available” or omitted from the SAVER documents.

This RFI is for information gathering and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a Request for Proposal or solicitation of an offer. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for the information solicited. Submission of vendor information constitutes consent to publication of that information in SAVER program documentation.

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