DPS Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS)

The Iowa Department of Public Safety, procuring through the Iowa Department of Management, has issued RFI-532-2541-2027 for information on digital evidence management system platforms and implementation approaches, with responses due November 19, 2026. This is a market-research phase preceding a potential future procurement; no contract award, pricing, or procurement timeline beyond the RFI is specified.

The RFI seeks vendor information on DEMS solutions capable of supporting centralized digital evidence intake, storage, management, sharing, retention, legal hold, immutable audit trails, and chain-of-custody controls across the agency. DPS is researching standardization of metadata and hashing practices, streamlined evidentiary and records-retention workflows, and a unified, agency-wide platform for consistent and efficient evidence handling. Vendors should address platform capabilities and implementation approaches.

Respondents must submit contact information, state or country of residence, and a comprehensive response addressing DEMS functionality. Confidential information may be claimed by completing and signing Form 22, marking confidential pages conspicuously, clearly identifying each confidential item, and submitting both confidential and public copies. Responses will inform DPS's market analysis, technical and security due diligence, integration planning, rough order-of-magnitude cost and level-of-effort estimates, and planning for a future procurement. The primary contact is Steve Dawson at steven.dawson@dom.iowa.gov or 515-805-7902. Relevant commodity codes include computer software for microcomputers and systems (including cloud-based), database software, and law enforcement software. Responses remain sealed until the November 19 deadline.