CIT, The Center for Innovative Technology, announced today a ground-breaking contract that will improve state agency access to unmanned aerial systems service providers. Virginia’s Department of General Service (DGS) and the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) led the contracting effort on behalf of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories of the United States.

This initiative, a first for the UAS industry, now connects state agencies with approved vendors. These technologies will enable state agencies to have more affordable access to problem solving data and imagery. The four Virginia companies chosen in this historic initiative are:

• Draper Aden Associates, Richmond, Virginia, provides a depth of UAS services including aerial inspections and mapping data services. www.daa.com
• DroneUp, LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, is an end-to-end drone pilot service provider for aerial data collection. DroneUp received the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CITS’s highest humanitarian honor earlier this year for finding a lost couple in the Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark. www.droneup.com
• ERUdyne, Inc, Lancaster County, Virginia, features a Drone Flight School to fill a gap in commercial drone operations training including crisis management and disaster response and recovery support training. www.erudyne.com
• SkyShots, Mechanicsville, Virginia is UAS video and photography services company. www.skyshots.com

“We are exceptionally pleased with the number of Virginia companies that met the rigorous Virginia (DGS) and National (NASPO) requirements. These companies continue to proudly represent why Virginia was recently chosen as the #1 place in America for unmanned aerial systems business. Two of the four Virginia companies selected, Draper Aden and DroneUp, are members of the CIT Unmanned Systems Advisory Board. Their experience on this contract will provide excellent insights to the Board as it shapes public policy proposals to maintain Virginia’s leadership in this rapidly growing industry.” -Ed Albrigo, CIT CEO & President

This pioneering UAS service company selection continues to validate an industry poised to have a positive economic impact on innovation, job creation and opportunity throughout the State of Virginia. According to Tracy Tynan, Director of Virginia’s Unmanned Systems Center at CIT, “Unmanned systems continue to prove themselves incredibly valuable in a wide range of uses including engineering, agriculture, environmental assessment and crisis response. The data-rich UAS industry is poised to grow, and Virginia’s leadership is assuring that the Commonwealth will fully benefit from the economic impact this industry will ignite.”

About DGS and NASPO:

The Department of General Services (DGS) provides procurement, laboratory, construction management, vehicle management, graphic design, engineering, architectural services, mail and surplus property services, as well as Capitol Square facility and grounds operations, security, and maintenance. More information can be found at https://dgs.virginia.gov.

NASPO / National Association of State Procurement Officials: ValuePoint provides the highest standard of excellence in public cooperative contracting. By leveraging the leadership and expertise of all states and the purchasing power of their public entities, NASPO ValuePoint delivers the highest valued, reliable and competitively sourced contracts – offering public entities outstanding prices.

About The Center for Innovative Technology:

The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), a nonprofit corporation, has been Virginia’s primary driver of innovation and entrepreneurship since 1985 and is the home for Virginia’s Unmanned Systems Center.  CIT accelerates the next generation of technology and technology companies through commercialization, capital formation, market development and revenue generation services. To facilitate national innovation leadership and accelerate the rate of technology adoption, CIT creates partnerships between innovative technology start-up companies and advanced technology consumers. To learn more, please visit: www.CIT.org.