DFR sUAS Dock System and Services

U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), a component of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is conducting market research through a Request for Information/Sources Sought on Drone as a First Responder (DFR) small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) dock systems and services, with responses due December 18, 2026. No set-aside is used. The government does not intend to award a contract based on this RFI, is not seeking proposals, and will not pay response costs. Information received may inform an acquisition strategy and a future RFP posted to SAM.gov.

The DFR system is described as a prepositioned, integrated unmanned aircraft capability that autonomously or remotely deploys drones to respond to security threats or operational requirements, providing location and movement information on items of interest at the international border between designated ports of entry. Stated thresholds include 30-minute minimum flight endurance (60-minute objective), 1-mile minimum command and control range (5-mile objective), autonomous launch within 5 minutes (3-minute objective), and an operating range of -20C to +50C. Vendors must detail NDAA supply chain compliance, FedRAMP authorization levels for cloud deployment, and NIST cybersecurity frameworks.

Responses go to DockSystemsRFI@cbp.dhs.gov in Microsoft Word (Times New Roman, 12-point), Excel, or PowerPoint. Packages include Attachment A (vendor data and rough order of magnitude pricing for the dock system, individual sUAS units, and services), Attachment B (a 120-question technical information request across 16 categories), and Attachment C (one-page system summary per proposed system). Vendor questions are due November 13, 2026, and government responses will be posted to SAM.gov by November 20, 2026. The government reserves the right to invite selected vendors to no-cost product demonstrations assessing rapid setup, video quality, autonomy, range and endurance, cybersecurity documentation, and sustainment approaches.