This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) solicits whitepapers for research and development related to the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS). The BAA is open through September 30, 2028. The FAA is seeking whitepapers that advance the state-of-the-art or increase knowledge in specific focus areas, including UAS Traffic Management (UTM), Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, industry consensus standards, electronic conspicuity, noise and environmental impacts, command and control (C2) link technologies, detect and avoid (DAA) technologies, UAS collision safety, autonomous operations, and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). A two-step process is outlined: first, submission of a whitepaper for preliminary consideration, and second, if selected, a Request for Proposal (RFP) may be issued. Whitepapers must be no more than 10 pages and include specific information such as the proposed project's objectives, operational readiness, research approach, and expected outcomes. All flight testing must be conducted in partnership with one of the seven FAA UAS Test Sites, and a Letter of Attestation from a designated test site is required. The FAA anticipates making multiple awards, subject to funding availability, with a minimum 1:1 cost-share requirement where the FAA will pay no more than 50% of the total cost. Invoices will be processed through the FAA's Delphi e-invoicing system. Points of contact for contractual and technical questions are Scott Raber and Kristin Frantz.
The BAA is open through September 30, 2028, unless terminated sooner. Specific deadlines for whitepaper submissions are outlined in BAA calls, with recent calls having deadlines such as April 9, 2026, January 9, 2026, December 12, 2025, and November 14, 2025. The bid notice states The submission of whitepapers for call 001a 2026 is 9 april 2026, 3:00 pm est via email to scott. e. raber@faa. gov.
The resulting contracts from this BAA shall be cost-sharing contracts. This contract type will be a cost reimbursement contract where the contractor receives no fee and is reimbursed only for an agreed upon portion of its allowable cost. The FAA will pay no more than 50% of the total cost of the work. The bid notice states The faa will pay no more than 50 of the total cost of the work that will be specified in any award under this baa.
Whitepapers will be reviewed for applicability to the FAA's mission and strategic goals and potential value to the FAA mission. The primary basis for whitepaper selection will be determined by a review of the operational readiness of the technology proposed by the respondent, the importance to mission/agency programs, and the availability of funding. The bid notice states The team of technical representatives will select white papers to advance to the rfp stage based on the proposed technologies operational readiness, the importance to missionagency programs and the availability of funding.
Respondents are expected to provide an attestation of their ability to adhere to specific deliverables for the proposed project, including a project kickoff briefing, integrated master schedule, data analysis plan, safety risk assessment, flight test plan, post-flight test reports, monthly progress reports, quarterly program management review briefings, draft final report, non-proprietary final report, final project briefing, and standards designated organization briefings. A Letter of Attestation (LOA) from one of the seven FAA UAS Test Sites is also required. The bid notice states Respondents are expected to provide an attestation of their ability to adhere to the following deliverables for the proposed project: a. Project kickoff briefing b. Integrated master schedule c. Data analysis plan d. Safety risk assessment e. Flight test plan and test cards f. Post flight test reports g. Monthly progress reports h. Quarterly program management review briefings i. Draft final report j. Nonproprietary final report k. Final project briefing l. Standards designated organization briefings
The due date for questions for call 001a 2026 is no later than March 26, 2026. Technical questions for call 001 2026 were requested no later than October 17, 2025. The bid notice states The due date for questions is no later than 26 march 2026, 3:00 pm est via email to scott. e. raber@faa. gov.
The cumulative total of funds obligated under this BAA shall not exceed $24 million. The bid notice states The cumulative total of funds obligated under this baa shall not exceed 24 million.
