Opportunity Information: Apply for 7200AA24RFI00004
USAID is inviting input through a Request for Information (RFI) focused on how unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including drones and related technologies, are being used in humanitarian assistance, stabilization, and broader development work. This notice is not a grant competition and does not offer funding; it is a market and knowledge scan intended to help USAID understand what is already working, what risks exist, and what standards and safeguards should be built into future programming. The RFI is issued by USAID's Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS) under reference number 7200AA24RFI00004. It was released on January 17, 2024, and responses were due by February 14, 2024 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. Submissions were to be emailed to Apisit Viriya (aviriya@usaid.gov) and Daniel Ramirez (dramirez@usaid.gov). Eligible respondents are unrestricted, meaning individuals, nonprofits, companies, academic groups, and other organizations could respond.
The main purpose is to gather practical, experience-based information on how UAS can support operations in hard-to-reach, insecure, or infrastructure-poor environments, and to understand both benefits and downsides. USAID notes that drone use in aid and development is expanding in ways similar to other sectors, with examples such as infrastructure monitoring (like electrical lines) and medical or lifesaving supply delivery. At the same time, the agency points to modern conflict contexts, including Ukraine, to highlight that drone technology can be repurposed or adapted for harmful uses, which raises concerns that responsible actors must anticipate. USAID is therefore trying to learn from implementers about real-world lessons, ethical challenges, technical constraints, and mitigation measures so future activities can embed appropriate procedures, ethical guidelines, and risk management from the start. Another goal is to identify organizations already doing innovative work with UAS that could inform or support future USAID approaches.
The RFI lays out a set of questions to guide responses, but respondents were allowed to answer any subset and add other relevant insights. USAID is asking about organizational policies and governance around UAS use, including what internal guidelines exist and how decisions are made about when and how drones are deployed. It asks whether respondents are currently using UAS in development, stabilization, or humanitarian programs, what the use cases are (for example, mapping, assessment, logistics, monitoring, or other applications), and in which regions those activities occur. USAID also wants to know whether any described work was conducted on behalf of USAID or another U.S. government agency, and it specifically requests that respondents clarify this if they discuss particular projects.
A major theme is lessons learned, including community acceptance and the social risks around perception of surveillance. USAID explicitly asks whether organizations have faced local concerns about data collection or surveillance and what steps were taken to manage those concerns. This points to interest in community engagement practices, transparency, complaint mechanisms, consent processes, and practical ways implementers communicate what data is collected, why it is collected, who can access it, and how it will be protected. Related to operating in foreign countries, USAID asks what permissions or authorizations were required before or during UAS operations. This includes regulatory approvals, aviation permissions, coordination with local authorities, and any steps needed to comply with national laws and local norms.
Capacity building is another core interest. The RFI asks whether respondents provided training or technical assistance so local users could set up, operate, and maintain UAS, how that training was structured, and how long it lasted. USAID is looking for what worked and what did not, including sustainability issues such as maintenance, replacement parts, skills retention, safe operating procedures, and whether the program created lasting local capability or depended heavily on external expertise. It also asks for considerations around consent and establishing clear parameters for use, which signals attention to governance and safeguards that prevent mission creep, misuse, or community harm.
On the technical side, USAID requests details on the types of UAS being used, such as size, range, ground control mechanisms, brand, and any other specifications that affect suitability in field environments. It also asks whether organizations track where drones are manufactured and where components are sourced, and whether supply chain provenance is important. This is likely tied to considerations like reliability, security, compliance requirements, geopolitical and procurement constraints, and long-term supportability in fragile contexts.
Cost and effectiveness are treated as practical decision factors rather than assumptions. USAID asks what makes UAS cost-effective, or not, in humanitarian and development settings. This invites respondents to address total cost of ownership, staffing, training, insurance, licensing, maintenance, battery logistics, spare parts, data processing, and the comparison to alternative approaches such as ground surveys, satellite imagery, manned aircraft, or community-based monitoring. USAID also asks how organizations measure UAS effectiveness, which can include operational metrics (time saved, coverage area, delivery reliability), programmatic metrics (improved targeting of aid, better infrastructure maintenance), and protection metrics (reduced staff exposure to hazardous areas).
Security and harm prevention are emphasized heavily. USAID asks how organizations secure UAS against hacking of control systems or interception of the data stream and how important cybersecurity protections are in practice. Beyond cyber risks, USAID asks what other vulnerabilities drones introduce, which can include physical capture, jamming, spoofing, accidental crashes, safety risks to bystanders, or escalation risks in conflict-affected settings where drones may be misinterpreted. USAID also raises an explicit equity and do-no-harm concern: how to ensure UAS are not used in ways that exacerbate inequity or harm marginalized communities. This invites discussion of bias in data collection, uneven surveillance burdens, privacy risks, differential access to benefits, and safeguards that prevent drones from becoming tools that intimidate or exclude.
Finally, USAID requests information about the broader ecosystem of innovation, asking whether respondents know of leading organizations innovating in UAS for development and humanitarian assistance and inviting respondents to describe their own strengths if they consider themselves leaders in this space. In terms of what happens after submissions, USAID states it may, depending on the volume and content of responses and other constraints like funding availability, hold a virtual industry day for information sharing and/or conduct one-on-one follow-up discussions with some or all respondents. USAID also reserves the right to change the process and notes that there may be no follow-up at all.
The RFI includes standard government disclaimers that matter for planning and expectations. Responding is voluntary, USAID will not reimburse any costs for preparing a response, and the RFI does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP), Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), or Request for Applications (RFA). It does not commit USAID to issue a future solicitation or make an award. USAID also explains that information submitted becomes government property, and respondents must clearly mark any information they do not want shared; otherwise USAID will assume there is no objection to sharing the submission within other U.S. government offices or programs. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as USAID seeking candid, field-tested input to shape safer, more ethical, and more effective future use of drones in humanitarian, stabilization, and development contexts, while identifying capable partners and common pitfalls before scaling UAS-related activities.Apply for 7200AA24RFI00004
- The Agency for International Development in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI) Utilization of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in humanitarian assistance and development" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-17.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.
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