SAM #693JJ6FRAUAS

FRA Request for Information: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Platforms, Sensors, and Services for Railroad Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is seeking industry input on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) platforms and related services to support a national railroad safety and inspection program. - Government Buyer: - Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation - OEMs and Vendors: - No specific OEMs or vendors are named; the RFI is open to all qualified UAS manufacturers and service providers - Products and Services Requested: - UAS platforms with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), autonomous flight, and ruggedized design for railroad environments - Must support payloads such as high-resolution optical cameras, LiDAR/3D mapping sensors, thermal imaging sensors, stabilized gimbals, GNSS, and onboard encrypted storage - Endurance of 30–60 minutes and operational range up to 10 km - Portable field charging systems for rapid battery swaps - UAS data processing and rendering services for imagery, photogrammetry, thermal data, and video - UAS flight operations, including mission planning, deployment, data capture, and post-mission processing - Unique or Notable Requirements: - Compliance with FAA and USG directives - Support for multiple delivery models: Government-Owned/Government-Operated, Contractor-Owned/Contractor-Operated, and Hybrid - Applications include railroad grade crossing inspections, accident and derailment investigations, infrastructure assessments, safety situational awareness, site distance analysis, obstruction evaluation, and trespassing detection - Operations in diverse environments: public right-of-way, railroad property, remote rural and urban crossings, incident response locations, and training centers - Vendors are asked to provide Rough Order of Magnitude pricing and operational details - Period of Performance: - 5-year program with a potential 6-month pilot phase to validate delivery models before full deployment

Description

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. It does not constitute a solicitation, and it is not an indication that the government will contract for any of the items and services discussed in this notice. The purpose of this RFI is to invite qualified vendors to provide information regarding their Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) platforms, (purchasing and leasing options) sensors, payload options, software solutions, UAS Data Processing and Rendering Services) and overall system capabilities, in an effort to assess and identify various delivery models for UAS services. 

This RFI will help FRA:

• Evaluate potential enterprise delivery models for UAS capability

• Understand commercially available UAS platforms and services

• Inform acquisition planning and lifecycle cost modeling

• Determine the most effective operational approach for a national FRA UAS capability

FRA seeks industry input to inform acquisition planning and to understand how commercial solutions may support multiple delivery model approaches.

 Potential operational uses may include, but are not limited to:

• Railroad grade crossing inspections

• Accident and derailment investigations

• Infrastructure and right-of-way assessments

• Safety situational awareness within railroad operating environments

• Site distance analysis and obstruction evaluation

• Trespassing detection and evaluation

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