Autonomous Drone Program - Drone Services

The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) Security & Emergency Management Division intends to establish a comprehensive drone program to enhance security and operational capabilities. The program aims to procure an autonomous drone infrastructure that provides situational awareness, inspection capabilities (Environmental Safety and Health (ESH) / Infrastructure), contingency response support, and logistics supply for above-ground and underground environments within the laboratory premises.

Objective: This procurement aims to acquire an autonomous, multi-platform/multi-sensor integrated system that provides live video feed to the Security Operations Center (SOC) and remote viewing devices for emergency responders. Additionally, the infrastructure should facilitate package/supply delivery where applicable on the installation, autonomous recharge of platforms, auto load of user-selected sensor payload, and performance metrics for health and maintenance tracking. The solution should integrate seamlessly with existing FNAL security systems while ensuring operational continuity during system failures.

Scope of Work: The selected contractor shall develop and implement an autonomous, multi-platform/multi-sensor capable integrated system that meets or exceeds the following requirements:

1. Autonomous operation capability for persistent 24/7 all-weather presence.

2. Live video feed transmission and remote viewing devices.

3. Package/supply delivery capability within the installation.

4. Autonomous recharge of platforms and auto load of sensor payload.

5. Integration with existing FNAL security systems (AXIS camera platform/acoustic threat detection).

6. Adherence to Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) protocols initially, with potential migration to Beyond VLOS (BVLOS) operations upon FAA approval.

7. Transition from pilot-commanded to fully autonomous operations as software and hardware capabilities mature.

8. Requirement for FNAL personnel interaction for maintenance and routine inspections.

Solicitation Release: The solicitation along with additional documents (Brand name letter, Clauses & Provisions, etc.) is anticipated to be released on or about May 16, 2024. The solicitation and subsequent amendments will be publicized through the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website at https://sam.gov and prospective offerors must be registered to submit a proposal.

Point of Contact: For inquiries regarding this pre-solicitation notice, please contact Michelle Crayton at mcrayton@fnal.gov or (630) 840 - 6268.

Disclaimer: This notice does not constitute a solicitation. This is a pre-solicitation notice only. Responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Fermi to form a binding contract. Interested parties are encouraged to monitor sam.gov for the release of the official solicitation and any subsequent amendments.