Drone as First Responder Program
Closed State & local contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 2026-RFP-041
- State
- California
- Responses due
Opportunity facts
- Jurisdiction
- Point of contact
-
- Celina Cabrera ccabrera@palmdesert.gov (760) 776-6449
Opportunity details come from procurement.opengov.com. Updated .
About this opportunity
The City of Palm Desert, in coordination with the Cities of Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells through the Cove Communities Services Commission, is requesting proposals for Drone as First Responder Program services under RFP #2026-RFP-041, with proposals due September 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM. A critical pass/fail requirement mandates that all proposed drone aircraft be manufactured in the United States, with vendors required to disclose manufacturer, model, country of manufacture, and compliance with federal supply-chain and domestic sourcing requirements.
The scope includes complete drone systems, docking infrastructure, flight operations software, secure video streaming, evidence management, cybersecurity protections, training, maintenance, regulatory compliance support, and public transparency tools. Proposers must demonstrate native or proven integration capability with Riverside County Sheriff's Office computer-aided dispatch, records management, evidence management, Real-Time Intelligence Center operations, and existing Drone as First Responder platforms, or provide a complete, realistic, fully costed integration plan; proposals proposing parallel systems may be deemed non-responsive.
The Professional Services Agreement provides an initial three-year term with the City's unilateral option to renew for two additional one-year terms, for a maximum of five years. Compensation shall be paid at lump-sum, not-to-exceed rates specified in Exhibit C, covering one-time and recurring costs for aircraft, docking stations, batteries, software licensing, cloud storage, integrations, installation, training, FAA support, maintenance, warranty, support services, and equipment replacement. Usage-based overage, data-egress, API, viewer, seat, storage, retention, support, implementation, travel, shipping, reactivation, or transition charges are prohibited unless identified in Exhibit C and approved by the City. Renewal is contingent on satisfactory performance, continued operational need, available funding, required approvals, and consultant compliance with all agreement requirements.
Evaluation will prioritize operational performance and reliability (20 points), integration with existing public safety systems (20 points), FAA/FCC/cybersecurity/privacy compliance (20 points), implementation and support (15 points), public transparency (10 points), and cost/total cost of ownership (15 points). Questions were due September 10, 2026. The City retains the right to terminate without cause upon seven days' written notice or for convenience at the end of the first contract year or thereafter.
Opportunity text
The City of Palm Desert ("City"), in coordination with the Cities of Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells through the Cove Communities Services Commission ("Commission"), is requesting proposals from qualified firms ("Proposers") to provide Drone as First Responder Program services ("Services"). The City intends to establish a Professional Services Agreement ("Agreement") for a term of three (3) years, with the City's unilateral option, at its sole discretion, to renew for two (2) additional one-year terms, for a maximum potential of five (5) years. Renewal shall be subject to satisfactory Consultant performance, continued operational need, available funding and appropriations, required approvals, and compliance with all Agreement requirements.
To serve and promote the welfare of its residents, the City intends to procure the Services, as described below:
The City of Palm Desert is evaluating the implementation of a Drone as First Responder program to enhance public safety response, real-time situational awareness, and emergency incident coordination. The program is intended to support authorized public safety operations by allowing drones to respond rapidly to calls for service and other approved public safety incidents, providing aerial information to first responders, supervisors, and command staff before and during arrival on scene.
The City currently contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services and works closely with regional public safety partners on emergency response, fire/rescue coordination, traffic safety, special events, disaster preparedness, and real-time public safety operations. As public safety technology continues to evolve, the City seeks to evaluate available Drone as First Responder solutions that can integrate with existing public safety systems, support Real-Time Intelligence Center operations, improve field decision-making, and enhance first responder and community safety.
The City is seeking a comprehensive solution that includes the aircraft, docking infrastructure, software, secure video streaming, data storage, evidence management, cybersecurity protections, training, maintenance, regulatory compliance support, and public transparency tools necessary to support a reliable and sustainable program. The selected solution must comply with all applicable Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, cybersecurity, privacy, data retention, public records, and California public safety requirements.
The City desires a program that is operationally effective, fiscally responsible, transparent to the public, and capable of long-term use in a municipal public safety environment. Vendors should demonstrate the ability to provide a complete and compliant system, support integration with existing public safety technology, provide clear total cost of ownership, and assist the City and operating public safety partners with program implementation, training, reporting, and ongoing support.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Drone_as_First_Responder_Program.pdf | ||
| Sample_Professional_Services_Agreement.docx | DOCX document |
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