Drone as First Responder (DFR) Program

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the City of Hayward invites sealed proposals for 26-059 Drone as First Responder (DFR) Program.  Each proposal shall be in accordance with the general provisions for purchase of work and services on file in the office of the PD, 777 B Street, Hayward, CA 94541-5114. All proposals must be submitted to the City's eProcurement Portal by 4:00 pm on Monday, July 13, 2026 and clearly identified with RFP title, number, company name and due date.  It is the sole responsibility of the proposing firm to ensure that proposals are received prior to the closing time, as late bids will not be accepted and deemed nonresponsive.

Background

The Hayward Police Department (HPD) is committed to leveraging innovative technologies to improve public safety, enhance officer safety, and provide more effective and efficient emergency response services to the community. As public safety technology continues to evolve, the Department recognizes the value of Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs in providing real-time aerial situational awareness that supports informed decision-making, improves resource deployment, and enhances operational effectiveness.

The City is seeking to implement a scalable DFR program utilizing both strategically located dock-based unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and patrol-deployed aircraft to support a wide range of public safety operations. The Department anticipates that the DFR program will become an integral component of daily operations and therefore seeks a reliable, secure, and interoperable solution capable of supporting future technological advancements and operational growth.

The City encourages innovative solutions that emphasize operational reliability, ease of use, cybersecurity, interoperability with existing and future public safety technologies, and long-term sustainability. The City intends to establish a collaborative relationship with a qualified vendor that can provide ongoing support and serve as a long-term technology partner.

The City is governed by a City Council / City Manager form of government.  The City Council is made up of six members plus a mayor that serves as the head of the City Council.  The City Council appoints a City Manager to oversee the City’s twelve departments.  

Background Summary

• Population:155,675
• Number of Employees: 790.45
• Annual City Operating Budget (including General Fund): $239,923 M
• Annual General Fund Budget: $123,524 M
• Annual City Capital Budget: $106 M
• Fiscal Year: July 1 – June 30
• Number of Departments:14
• Governance Structure: City Council / City Manager
• Utility Customers: 34,000
• MOUs: 7
• Housing Units: 48,000

Additional information regarding the City of Hayward may be obtained at:  http://www.hayward-ca.gov

Project Details

• Reference ID: 26-059
• Department: PD
• Department Head: Bryan Matthews (Chief of Police)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-07-06T23:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-07-09T23:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Minimum Qualifications and Requirements (100 pts) —

  Proposals must satisfy all of the following minimum qualifications and requirements to be eligible for evaluation:

  • Proposal submitted by the required deadline.
  • Proposal includes all required forms and certifications.
  • Vendor possesses all required licenses, registrations, and authorizations.
  • Vendor is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise ineligible to contract with a public agency.
  • Vendor is registered in SAM.gov or agrees to obtain registration prior to contract execution, if required.
  • Vendor can meet the City's insurance and contractual requirements.
  • Vendor demonstrates experience implementing public safety UAS, DFR, or similar technology solutions.
  • Proposed aircraft are Blue UAS-compliant.
  • Proposed solution complies with applicable federal, state, and local UAS regulations.
  • Proposed solution includes six (6) dock-based aircraft and two (2) patrol-deployed aircraft.
  • Proposed solution includes required software, licensing, implementation, training, maintenance, and support services.
  • Proposed solution supports interoperability with third-party public safety systems.
  • Vendor agrees to comply with applicable grant requirements.
  • Vendor discloses any proprietary limitations, licensing restrictions, or integration constraints associated with the proposed solution.
• Project Understanding (10 pts) —
  • Demonstrated understanding of the City's objectives, operational environment, and DFR program requirements.
  • Identification of critical project success factors.
  • Understanding of implementation challenges and proposed solutions.
• Technical Solution and Operational Capability (19 pts) —
  • Ability of the proposed solution to meet the City's DFR operational requirements.
  • Reliability, functionality, scalability, and overall effectiveness of the proposed aircraft, software, and supporting systems.
  • Quality and completeness of the proposed solution.
  • Ability to support current and future operational needs.
• Interoperability and Future Integration (29 pts) —
  • Ability to integrate with existing and future public safety technologies.
  • Vendor-agnostic approach to interoperability.
  • Availability of documented APIs, industry-standard interfaces, and integration tools.
  • Flexibility to support future technology enhancements and expansion.
• Vendor Qualifications and Experience (20 pts) —
  • Experience implementing comparable public safety and DFR programs.
  • Qualifications of key personnel assigned to the project.
  • Demonstrated success on similar projects.
  • Organizational capacity to support long-term operations.
• Implementation, Training, and Support (10 pts) —
  • Quality of implementation plan and project management approach.
  • Training methodology and resources.
  • Maintenance, warranty, and support services.
  • Long-term customer support and responsiveness.
• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (10 pts)
• Cost and Overall Value (10 pts) —
  • Overall cost effectiveness of the proposed solution.
  • Lifecycle costs, including equipment, software, maintenance, and support.
  • Flexibility of pricing structure and ability to accommodate phased implementation or multiple funding sources.
  • Overall value provided to the City.

Submission Requirements

• Proposal Requirements (required) —

  Did you read through and confirm that you met all of the proposal requirements including the sections:

  1. General Conditions
  2. Special Provisions and Specifications
• Do you have issue with any particular clause(s) of the City’s standard Professional Services Agreement? —

  If any portion of the City’s standard Professional Services Agreement is unacceptable to your firm, please identify the particular clause(s) in a separate letter to the City submitted with your proposal.

• Proposal Documents (required) —

  Please Upload your COMPLETE Proposal here, which includes the following:

  1. Bid Summary
  2. Statement of Experience and Qualifications
  3. Non-Collusion Declaration
• Proposal (without Cost Proposal) (required) —

  Please Upload your COMPLETE Proposal here. Upload fee proposal separately in the next step.

• Separate Cost Proposal (required) —

  Confirm that your fee proposal is not attached in your Proposal and is attached separately here.

• Interoperability and Vendor Agnosticism (required) —

  Describe your solution's ability to integrate with existing and future public safety technologies, including systems provided by third-party vendors. Identify available APIs, integration methods, any proprietary limitations, and any additional costs associated with integrations.

• Pricing and Billing Flexibility (required) —

  Describe available pricing and invoicing options, including annual payments, phased implementation, subscription-based pricing, and other approaches that may accommodate grant-funded purchases and evolving funding availability throughout the contract term.

• Bid Bond (required) —

  Each bid shall be accompanied by a certified cashier’s check, or bid bond, in the amount of XXXXX of the total bid price, payable toCity of Hayward, as a guarantee that the bidder, if its bid is accepted, will promptly execute the Agreement. The bidder shall guarantee the total bid price for a period of 60 days from the date of the bid opening.

  Please scan and upload a copy of your bid bond/cashier's check. Bidder must also MAIL bid guarantee with a postmarked date no later thanMonday, July 13, 2026 addressed to:

  City of Hayward
  Rita Perez
  300 W Winton Ave
  Hayward,CA94544

  Please have the Bidder Name, Contract Title ("Drone as First Responder (DFR) Program"), and Contract Number ("26-059") listed clearly on the outside of the envelope.

• Contract Execution, Payment Bond, Performance Bond, and Certificate(s) of Insurance (required) —

  The contract shall be executed by the successful bidder and shall be returned, together with the Payment Bond, Performance Bond and Certificate(s) of Insurance to City of Hayward so that it is received within 14 working daysafter the bidder has received the contract for execution. Failure to do so shall be just cause for forfeiture of the proposal guaranty.

• Bid Bond (required) —

  Will this solicitation require a bid bond?

• Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting? (required)
• Optional Pre-Bid Meeting? (required)
• Is Feasibility Study APPLICABLE? (required) —

  If yes, please provide

• Electronic Pricing Table (required) —

  Would you like to have bidders respond to an electronic pricing table through ProcureNow?

  Some examples of of when to say "yes":

  1. This is a quote for goods or commodities
  2. This is a public works bid, with a pricing table that can be uploaded into ProcureNow from an excel spreadsheet
  3. Seeking services for hourly rate schedules
• Separate Fee Proposal Upload (required) —

  If you are NOT using the Electronic Pricing Table option, will you want your bidder to separate a Price Proposal from the rest of their Response? You'll want to do this if you open your bids initially WITHOUT showing price, and then come back in after a technical evaluation to unseal pricing later.

• Evaluation Committee? (required) —

  Will there be an evaluation committee to review the proposals and score them based on weights and multiple criteria?

• Project Overview (required) —

  Enter Project Overview for Scope of Work

• Project Description (required) —

  Enter Project Description for Scope of Work.  "The City desires _______"

• Project Goals (required) —

  Enter Project Goals for Scope of Work

• Project Deliverables (required) —

  Enter Project Deliverables for Scope of Work

• Purpose of Feasibility Study Phase (required) —

  Insert language if Feasibility Study is applicable.  Example: "The purpose of this phase is to...."

• Feasibility Study Requirements (required) —

  enter Feasibility Study Requirements

• Feasibility Study Financial Analysis (required) —

  enter Feasibility Study Financial Analysis

• Feasibility Study Project Planning and Implementation (required) —

  enter Feasibility Study Project Planning and Implementation

• Feasibility Study City Council Participation (required) —

  enter project info from study sessions to update Hayward City Council and/or the Council Sustainability Committee on Project Planning and Implementation

• Feasibility Project Assessment —

  "This will involve an overview evaluation of ____"

• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (required)