DroneUp, an end-to-end drone pilot service provider for aerial data collection, has been awarded a first-of-its-kind contract for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Services. The company has been tapped by the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide UAS (drone) services to all state agencies, institutions of higher education, and other public entities in the state of Virginia. Multiple national drone organizations bid on this lucrative contract. “We appreciate the Commonwealth’s efforts to streamline public sector access to leading-edge UAS services through this award. We look forward to supporting our hardworking state and local agencies both in the Commonwealth and nationwide,” said Tom Walker, DroneUp’s CEO.
DroneUp’s award includes service categories for Emergency Services, Law Enforcement Support, Aerial Inspection or Mapping Data Services, Agricultural and Gaming, and Agency Media Relations and Marketing. The Commonwealth of Virginia predicts that the primary users seeking to leverage DroneUp’s services will be the Departments of Aviation, Emergency Management, Transportation, Forestry, Mines, Minerals and Energy, along with all Public Universities and Community Colleges.
“Unmanned systems continue to prove themselves incredibly valuable in a wide range of uses including engineering, agriculture, environmental assessment and crisis response. The data-rich UAS industry is poised to grow, and Virginia’s leadership is assuring that the Commonwealth will fully benefit from the economic impact this industry will ignite,” says Tracy Tynan, Director of Virginia’s Unmanned Systems Center at CIT.
This precedent-setting contract will improve state agency access to trained and professional UAS service providers. Virginia’s Department of General Service (DGS) and the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) spearheaded contracting efforts to make these services available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of the United States. States choosing to participate will be able to use the award to benefit their departments, institutions, agencies, political subdivisions, and other eligible entities.