Drone as First Responder Program

City of Palm Desert - CMO - City Manager has issued request for proposal, solicitation 2026-RFP-041.

The City of Palm Desert (“City”), in coordination with the Cities of Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells through the Cove Communities Services Commission (“Commission”), is requesting proposals from qualified firms (“Proposers”) to provide Drone as First Responder Program services (“Services”). The City intends to establish a Professional Services Agreement (“Agreement”) for a term of three (3) years, with the City’s unilateral option, at its sole discretion, to renew for two (2) additional one-year terms, for a maximum potential of five (5) years. Renewal shall be subject to satisfactory Consultant performance, continued operational need, available funding and appropriations, required approvals, and compliance with all Agreement requirements. To serve and promote the welfare of its residents, the intends to procure the Services, as described below: The City of Palm Desert is evaluating the implementation of a Drone as First Responder program to enhance public safety response, real-time situational awareness, and emergency incident coordination. The program is intended to support authorized public safety operations by allowing drones to respond rapidly to calls for service and other approved public safety incidents, providing aerial information to first responders, supervisors, and command staff before and during arrival on scene. The City currently contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services and works closely with regional public safety partners on emergency response, fire/rescue coordination, traffic safety, special events, disaster preparedness, and real-time public safety operations. As public safety technology continues to evolve, the City seeks to evaluate available Drone as First Responder solutions that can integrate with existing public safety systems, support Real-Time Intelligence Center operations, improve field decision-making, and enhance first responder and community safety. The City is seeking a comprehensive solution that includes the aircraft, docking infrastructure, software, secure video streaming, data storage, evidence management, cybersecurity protections, training, maintenance, regulatory compliance support, and public transparency tools necessary to support a reliable and sustainable program. The selected solution must comply with all applicable Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, cybersecurity, privacy, data retention, public records, and California public safety requirements. The City desires a program that is operationally effective, fiscally responsible, transparent to the public, and capable of long-term use in a municipal public safety environment. Vendors should demonstrate the ability to provide a complete and compliant system, support integration with existing public safety technology, provide clear total cost of ownership, and assist the City and operating public safety partners with program implementation, training, reporting, and ongoing support.

The City is a charter city located in the Coachella Valley in Eastern Riverside County, within the low desert region of Southern California. The City is home to approximately 50,000 full-time residents and an additional 32,000 seasonal residents. Palm Desert offers big-city resources within a welcoming, small-town environment, with high-quality educational opportunities, safe and clean streets, extensive retail and entertainment options, and robust community programming. Widely considered the geographical, educational, and retail hub of the Coachella Valley, Palm Desert was incorporated in 1973 and operates under a council-manager form of government with a five-member City Council elected by district, each serving a four-year term. The City Council meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at Palm Desert City Hall, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive.

Responses are due September 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM PDT.

Questions must be submitted by September 10, 2026 at 2:00 PM PDT.

Commodity categories: Police Protection; Police Protection; Fire Protection.

Contact: Daniel Hurtado, Public Safety Analyst (dhurtado@palmdesert.gov, (760) 776-6414).

1 document is attached to the notice: Sample Professional Services Agreement.

The full solicitation document, addenda and the question-and-answer thread are on the agency's OpenGov portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cityofpalmdesert/projects/277629. Responses are submitted electronically there, and a free vendor account is required before you can upload one.