The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Abandoned Mine Lands is soliciting bids for a one-time purchase of a Drone Package for mapping AML projects. The Drone Package must meet or exceed the mandatory requirements listed in the specifications, including being listed on the Blue UAS Cleared List, having a minimum flight time of 20 minutes per battery set, and having integrated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) system and support. The contract will be awarded to the vendor that provides the contract items meeting the required specifications for the lowest overall total cost.
• Mandatory Contract Item Requirements:
• Drone Package – Must be a Freefly Astro Max or Equivalent
• The Drone Package must be listed on the Blue UAS Cleared List
• The Drone Package must be designed for survey-grade mapping, 2D and 3D photogrammetry, and inspection and not intended primarily for military or agriculture work
• The Drone must be a ‘quadcopter’(four propeller) drone, with two propellers rotating clockwise and two propellers rotating counter clockwise
• The Drone must have a minimum flight time of twenty (20) minutes per battery set
• The Drone shall weigh no more than seven (7) pounds, unloaded and shall weigh less than fifty-five (55) pounds on takeoff, including everything that is on board or otherwise attached to the aircraft
• The Drone shall be capable of connecting via BLE, Wi-Fi, USB-C, and LTE
• The Drone shall have mounted lights in colors that can be set by the user
• The Drone shall include a controller that is capable of accepting a variety of radio transmitters
• The Drone shall have folding landing gear and propellers for travel and storage
• The Drone shall have integrated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) system and support, at minimum, L1/L2 GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, and Galileo Bands
• The Drone shall have an integrated flight controller and include flight modes of, at minimum, manual, altitude hold, position hold, autonomous mission, and return to land
• The Drone’s safety features shall include, at minimum, over-voltage, over-temperature, and over-discharge protection, advanced obstacle avoidance, automatic terrain adaptation, and return-to-home functions
• The Drone shall include an integrated Remote ID in compliance with FAA requirements
• The Drone must contain an integrated mounting system for all camera payloads included in the package with quick-release capabilities
• The Drone Package shall include a flight controller with an integrated screen of sufficient size to control the drone equal to or better than the Freefly Pilot Pro Controller
• The Drone flight controller must be capable of operating all cameras, camera gimbals, and other payloads attached to the Drone
• The Drone Package shall include waterproof travel cases with wheels, collapsable handles, and padded neck strap for transportation and field deployment
• The Drone Package shall include four (4) fast chargers with an integrated battery management system (BMS) that handles charging, discharging, storage, and health monitoring
• The Drone Package shall include six (6) batteries (3 sets) or the number of batteries required to equal 3 sets, with a minimum twenty (20) minute flight time per set
• The Drone Package shall include one (1) spare propeller set
• The Drone Package shall include one (1) spare parts kit
• The Drone Package shall include a long-range camera for high resolution photogrammetry, with interchangeable lenses equivalent or better than the Sony ILX-LR1 camera
• The Drone Package shall include a thermal camera equivalent to or better than the FreeFly LR1 Thermal Upgrade camera and work with the included payload mounting system and Drone flight controller
• The Drone Package shall include an RTK GPS Ground Station
• The Drone Package shall include a marked, portable landing pad of sufficient size to accommodate the drone and provide a safe and easily seen landing area