AM26-63 Procurement of Integrated Aerial Ignition System

The State of Utah Department of Government Operations Division of Purchasing and General Services, in conjunction with the Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands, is procuring a fully integrated Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for aerial ignition during wildfire management and prescribed burns through a sole-source award process under contract opportunity AM26-63. The procurement encompasses the IGNIS Aerial Ignition System, an Amplified Alta X drone, proprietary DA-Flight control software, and associated field accessories as a complete, turnkey solution. The IGNIS payload must be National Interagency Aviation Committee (NIAC) approved, capable of holding up to 400 ignition spheres with a variable drop rate of up to 120 spheres per minute, and be reloadable in 2-5 minutes by a single operator, with system capability to cover 700 to 4,500 acres per hour depending on operational parameters. The Amplified Alta X drone requires specialized customizations including electronics integration with thermal cameras and ADS-B receivers, a Herelink Blue controller with custom tablet holder, and custom landing gear and payload rails. The DA-Flight control software must provide full drone and payload control with live video feed, autonomous ignition planning via waypoints, geofencing functionality, offline satellite imagery and elevation map support, and automated flight path and drop location logging. Deliverables include modified transport cases for the drone, cameras, and field kits, as well as custom cases for batteries, chargers, and spare parts, and the vendor must provide manufacturer-approved training and deliver the entire system as a single, unified, manufacturer-supported configuration with full system integration and testing completed prior to delivery. The deadline for submitting challenges to the sole-source determination is March 10, 2026, with the notice having been posted on March 2, 2026.

The State of Utah has determined that Drone Amplified is the sole manufacturer and provider of the IGNIS aerial ignition system, DA-Flight software, and Amplified Alta X platform, making this procurement ineligible for competitive bidding; the conducting procurement unit completed market research by contacting multiple alternative vendors including Adaroma, RMUS, UVT, and Kuker Ranken, all of whom confirmed they were unable to provide the complete system with IGNIS payload integration or lacked the required training capability. Drone Amplified, identified as an American-owned and operated small business, declined to become a third-party vendor through state-contracted vendors due to specialized training requirements for the UAS system, and the procurement item cannot be reasonably modified to allow for competition without introducing significant technical and operational risks to system safety and functionality. All vendors responding must certify compliance with Utah Code 63G-27 et seq., confirming they are not engaged in economic boycotts or boycotts of the State of Israel and agree not to engage in such boycotts during the contract term. Vendors may submit confidentiality claims for trade secrets and commercial financial information pursuant to Utah Code 63G-2-305 and 63G-2-309 by providing both redacted and non-redacted versions of their proposals in accordance with GRAMA requirements. The estimated contract value is $95,850.96, with no freight costs as freight will be prepaid and delivered to the destination, and the contract will be awarded as either an agency contract or purchase order contingent upon completion of the solicitation process and execution by the agency, vendor, and Division of Purchasing.