What Government Agencies Should Look for When Hiring a Drone Company

Government procurement of drone services has grown significantly in the past three years — from infrastructure inspection and emergency response to mapping, environmental monitoring, and public safety. But the evaluation criteria for UAS vendors aren't always well understood by procurement officers who haven't purchased these services before.

This guide covers the key qualifications and questions to ask when evaluating drone companies for municipal, county, state, or federal contracts.

1. SAM.gov Registration

For federal contracts and many state/local contracts that flow down federal funds, a vendor must be registered in SAM.gov (System for Award Management). This registration includes a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and CAGE code, and must be current — registrations expire annually.

Dragonfly Aerial Solutions is registered in SAM.gov. Ask any vendor for their UEI and verify it at sam.gov before issuing a contract.

2. FAA Part 107 Certification

Every commercial drone operator must hold an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. For government work, also ask whether the vendor holds any Part 107 waivers — particularly for nighttime operations, operations over people, or operations in controlled airspace beyond standard LAANC limits. Complex government missions may require these.

3. Insurance Requirements

Standard requirements for government drone contracts typically include:

• General Liability: $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate minimum
• Professional Liability (E&O): $1M — required if deliverables include design, engineering, or advisory elements
• Workers' Compensation: Per state requirements
• Aviation/Hull Coverage: Covers the drone equipment and payload

Request a Certificate of Insurance (COI) naming your agency as additionally insured. Any professional drone company should be able to provide this within 24 hours through their broker.

4. Data Security and Handling

Government drone work often involves sensitive data — infrastructure locations, facility layouts, personnel locations during emergency response. Ask potential vendors:

• Where is data stored? (U.S.-based servers only for federal work)
• Who has access to raw flight data and processed deliverables?
• What is the data retention and deletion policy?
• Do they use Chinese-manufactured platforms? (DJI platforms are restricted for some federal applications under NDAA Section 848)

5. NDAA Compliance

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) restricts the use of drones from certain manufacturers — primarily DJI and other Chinese-origin platforms — for Department of Defense and some DHS-connected applications. If your agency receives federal funding or operates in a defense-adjacent environment, verify the vendor's platform manufacturer and confirm compliance before award.

6. Deliverable Specifications

Government contracts should specify deliverables precisely in the scope of work. Common deliverables for government drone work include:

• Georeferenced orthomosaic (GeoTIFF, specified resolution and coordinate system)
• Digital Surface Model (DSM) or Digital Terrain Model (DTM)
• Point cloud (LAS format, specified density)
• Inspection reports with GPS-tagged defect documentation
• Chain of custody documentation for evidentiary imagery

Working With Dragonfly on Government Projects

We've completed work for municipal infrastructure clients and are equipped to meet standard government procurement requirements. Our capability statement is available for download and can be attached to RFP responses or contract files.

Download our Capability Statement (PDF) or visit our Government page for full credentials and contact information.