Salt Lake City Request for Proposal SLCI27007 Drone Light Shows

Salt Lake City Corporation is requesting proposals for drone light show services for city-wide events under RFP SLCI27007, with proposals due September 1, 2026, and seeks to award contracts to up to 10 qualified offerors.

Offerors must operate a minimum fleet of 1,000 drones and hold FAA Part 107 certifications including Remote Pilot Certificates, night operations waivers, and operations-over-people authorizations. Demonstrated experience is required through three case studies completed within the past two years. No set-asides or local-vendor preferences apply.

The scope covers pre-event planning (consultation, custom drone show design, regulatory approvals, and technical feasibility assessment); drone light show execution with a minimum of 150 drones deployed plus backup units equal to at least 10 percent of the planned fleet, pre-show testing, and on-site operations; and post-event services including drone recovery, edited high-resolution video and photography delivery, and comprehensive performance reporting. All drones must be of uniform model and type, equipped with RTK GPS or equivalent high-accuracy navigation systems, and capable of performing without degradation in lighting, GPS accuracy, or flight stability. Shows are requested for traditional holiday celebrations (New Year's Eve, July 4th, July 24th Pioneer Day) and other city-planned events. The City will use a secondary selection process whereby designated representatives contact awarded contractors with specific event specifications including fleet size, show length, budget, and customization requirements; contractors confirm capability and respond with details; and contractor selection is based on which plan best suits the City's needs.

The contract term is five years with an option for a four-month extension by mutual agreement. Contractor must secure aviation general liability insurance ($2,000,000 per occurrence minimum), commercial automobile liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), workers' compensation insurance, and professional liability insurance ($1,000,000). Pricing must be provided on the Cost Sheet for stock, semi-custom, and fully custom shows in 10-, 15-, and 20-minute durations across fleet sizes of 150 to 1,000 drones, differentiated by secondary and premier dates; pricing is guaranteed for one year and adjusted in subsequent years by the lesser of 3 percent or the Producer Price Index increase. Evaluation uses four stages: responsiveness and mandatory requirements review, technical proposal scoring (466.88 points maximum), cost proposal evaluation, and final award determination; responsive proposals achieving a minimum technical score of 326.8 points advance to cost consideration, and contract awards require a minimum of 400.2 total evaluation points (60% of total possible points).