This Request for Information (RFI) / Sources Sought notice is issued for market research purposes. The purpose of this notice is twofold:

1. To obtain industry feedback on the draft specifications and proposed acquisition strategy. Feedback is requested from both U.S. small business concerns and other than small business concerns.

2. To identify U.S. small business concerns having an interest in and capability to provide support for INL Bogota’s potential spray unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) program. Responses to this notice may be considered in selecting the acquisition strategy and to determine the appropriateness of setting aside this requirement for any one of the small business programs described in FAR Part 19.

Information in this notice is preliminary and subject to change. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Quotations (RFQ), Invitation for Bids (IFB), or a commitment on the part of the government to conduct a solicitation in the future. All information provided is strictly voluntary. The Government will not reimburse contractors for the costs of responding to this notice or otherwise participating in market research activities. Further, the US Department of State offers no assurance that a solicitation will result from this notice.

Any information submitted will become the property of the Government and will not be returned. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and must be clearly marked.

BACKGROUND

The Department of State, INL Bogota, has a requirement for spray UAV systems to support eradication operations throughout Colombia.  This program will be under the operational command of the Colombian National Police (CNP). Coca cultivation in Colombia remains at record highs and eradication operations in Colombia remain dangerous. INL Bogota is seeking to bolster the CNP’s capability to increase the coca eradication rates and minimize the risk for the police personnel in field. As a result, INL Bogota is seeking information on systems that meet the following requirements.

Spray UAV Systems

Range: At least 2 miles

Endurance: At least twenty minutes

Sensors: Altitude, proximity and obstacles, flowmeter, First Person View Camera   

Real-time telemetry transmission

Spray Tank Capacity: 10L – 15L

MTOW: 55 Pounds

Propulsion Power: Electric

Features, functions, and capabilities:

• Obstacle sense/identify and avoid system or equivalent, with automated continue spray mission after obstacle detection /avoidance.

• Ability to delineate the spray area and mark obstacles during the flight planning process in multiple way, such as: 
  • Using remote GPS device linked.
  • Using geolocated imagery loaded on the flight planning application. Support for different standard formats.
  • Using a nibbler smaller drone.
  • Other options available.

• Ability to control multiple spray drones by one drone pilot.

• Ability to plan ingress/egress route from launch point to spray area and return.

• Cannot have major hardware (flight controller), flight control firmware, mission planning software manufactured in China.

• IP55 or higher.

• Flight planning and operation software with flow rate control function, digital flowmeter, and automatic return when tank empty.

• Redundant guidance and location devices such as GPS, barometer, and compass.

• Spare parts set for at least 400 flight hours per each UAV.

• Capability to record and export georeferenced files with the spray mission planned and executed, with metadata and compatible with standard GIS software. Includes flight altitude, date, time, and application flow.

• Multiple nozzle type compatibility (between 4 to 8 nozzles per each UAV). Supports electrostatic nozzles.

• Down/wash propeller.

• The spray system must have: 1 diaphragm pump that support up to 65 PSI, spray wide 10 – 30 feet, the operation functions of the pump must support: manual, fixed and dynamic flow. Similar spray systems obtaining the same operational results are also acceptable.

• Optional Real Time Kinematics (RTK) module for higher accuracy on obstacle marking and spray mission execution.

• Geofence definition options.

• Emergency stop/pause/kill mission procedure options.

• Return to Home or Landing safety/emergency procedures like link connection, low battery, etc.

• GPS device or equivalent for location in case of accident.

• Follow terrain function supported by device capable to maintain the altitude over terrain during the spray mission.

• Foldable arms and easy transportation design.

Services: Training in country (Colombia) for a team of 30 people in UAV’s flight operation and 6 people in maintenance and support, in levels 1 and 2 (Organizational and Intermediate maintenance). A maintenance plan must be provided for the spray UAV solution.

EXPECTED CONTRACT TYPE

The Department expects to award one (1) IDIQ for this requirement.

RESPONSE

Prospective offerors interested in responding to this notice should submit information electronically to [email protected] no later than October 29, 2021, at 4:00 pm ET.

The Government will only consider responses submitted in the Attachment A format. The use of this format is required to facilitate the efficient analysis of responses. Responses providing partial information may not be considered by the Government.

Questions, if any, must be sent to [email protected]. Telephone inquiries will not be responded to.

The Government will not provide feedback to respondents. The Government reverses the right to conduct one-on-one interviews. Depending on the number of responses received one-on-one interviews may not be conducted with all respondents.