Work with the government

The path for drone and robotics companies, in order

The federal government is the largest buyer of drones and components in the country, and since 2025 it has been required to buy American. Getting in is a sequence of registrations and proofs, all of them free or nearly free. Here is the order, with the drone-specific parts spelled out.

Get registered. Free, and it takes an afternoon.Register on SAM.gov to get your Unique Entity ID and CAGE code, choose the NAICS codes buyers search under, and check your size standard. If you plan to propose research, register at sbir.gov as well. Nobody in government charges for any of this; companies that email you offering to "complete your SAM registration" are selling you something you can do yourself. Free help with all of it: your local APEX Accelerator.

Get certified where it helps.SBA certifications are free through MySBA Certifications: 8(a) for socially and economically disadvantaged owners, HUBZone for companies located in and hiring from designated areas (many rural counties and some city neighborhoods in every state qualify; check the map), women-owned, and veteran-owned. None is required to sell to government; each opens contracts set aside or awarded sole-source to certified firms. Most states also certify small, disadvantaged or veteran-owned businesses for a bid preference with state agencies; in California it is the Small Business and DVBE certification through Cal eProcure, worth 5%.

Make the product eligible. This is the drone-specific part.Federal buyers cannot purchase drones or components from covered foreign entities under NDAA Section 848 and the American Security Drone Act, so document your supply chain: a bill of materials with country of origin for every flight controller, radio, camera, gimbal, battery and ground-control software. Then get on the Blue UAS Cleared List, the Department of Defense's vetted list of aircraft and components, run by DCMA since December 2025, through DCMA or a recognized assessor; components go on the Framework list, and clearance is per configuration, so keep firmware and parts current. Radios need FCC equipment authorization, and foreign-made UAS and components are now on the FCC Covered List. Buy American currently means more than 65% domestic component cost, and the Department has said to expect that number to rise. Operators need FAA Part 107 certificates, Part 137 for spraying, and waivers for BVLOS. If anything you build is defense-related, review ITAR registration.

Get cybersecurity in order before a contract asks.Contracts that involve controlled information require the 110 controls in NIST SP 800-171 and a score posted in SPRS. CMMC Level 1 and Level 2 self-assessments have been appearing in DoD solicitations since November 10, 2025. The third-party certification phase that was due in November 2026 was suspended in July 2026 while the Department reviews the cost to small businesses; the underlying controls were not suspended, and a posted score is still what separates you from the next bidder.

Get your first government dollars without winning a bid.AFWERX Open Topic is the front door to the Department of the Air Force: a Phase I feasibility award, then a Phase II prototype of up to 21 months, then STRATFI and TACFI awards of $3 million to $15 million for companies with a customer. Solicitations are released the first Wednesday of each month. Eligibility is 500 or fewer employees and majority U.S. ownership. The Navy is running a Commercial Solutions Opening for counter-UAS, and NASA, DHS, USDA and NSF run their own SBIR cycles at sbir.gov. This money is non-dilutive: no equity, no repayment.

Find the buyers and the bids.Search SAM.gov Contract Opportunities by your NAICS codes and answer Sources Sought and RFI notices even when you cannot bid yet; that is how you end up on a buyer's list before the solicitation is written. Every Air Force base has a Small Business Professional, and Air Combat Command's small business office at Langley coordinates them. DIU buys through Commercial Solutions Openings. The Drone Dominance program, $1.1 billion to buy more than 200,000 American-made small UAS by 2027, runs through Other Transaction Authority via the S2MARTS consortium, and its finalists need domestic motors, batteries, radios, airframes and sensors; if you make components, they are your customers. The Office of Strategic Capital is lending to domestic component manufacturers under Executive Order 14307. Civilian agencies buy drones through GSA Advantage; state agencies through their own portals (California: Cal eProcure), and state fire, transportation and emergency agencies are steady drone buyers.

Put it on one page.A capability statement is one page: what you build, past performance with the agency or prime named, what makes you different, UEI, CAGE, NAICS, certifications, size, contact. Your company page here is the online version, and buyers filter this directory by the readiness steps below.

The readiness checklist

What your company page shows, and what buyers filter by

SAM.gov registeredYour Unique Entity ID and active SAM registration. Required before any federal contract, grant or SBIR award. Free; never pay a third party to do it. Go Companies with this

CAGE codeIssued automatically with SAM registration. Buyers and primes look you up by it. Go Companies with this

NAICS codes chosenThe codes buyers search under: 336411 aircraft manufacturing, 336413 aircraft parts, 334511 navigation and detection instruments, 334220 radio equipment, 335910 batteries, 541715 R&D, 481219 drone services, 541370 mapping. Go Companies with this

Small business certificationSBA certifications through MySBA Certifications: 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned, veteran-owned. Free. Not required to sell to government, but they open set-aside and sole-source awards. Go Companies with this

State certificationMost states certify small, disadvantaged or veteran-owned businesses for bid preferences with state agencies (California: Small Business and DVBE through Cal eProcure, 5% preference). Go Companies with this

NDAA supply chain documentedA bill of materials with country of origin for every flight controller, radio, camera, gimbal, battery and ground-control software. This is what makes an NDAA-compliant claim real. Go Companies with this

Blue UAS clearedThe Department of Defense list of vetted aircraft and components, run by DCMA since December 2025. Clearance is per configuration and can lapse on refresh; components go on the Framework list. Go Companies with this

FCC equipment authorizationEvery radio module you sell or fly needs it; foreign-made UAS and components have been added to the FCC Covered List. Go Companies with this

FAA Part 107 / 137Remote pilot certificates for operators; Part 137 for agricultural spraying; waivers for BVLOS and night operations. Go Companies with this

ITAR / EAR reviewedIf any product or data is defense-related, register with DDTC; dual-use exports fall under Commerce (BIS). Go Companies with this

NIST 800-171 score postedThe 110 cybersecurity controls DoD contracts require for controlled information, with your score posted in SPRS. CMMC Level 1 or 2 self-assessment has appeared in solicitations since November 2025; the third-party requirement was paused in July 2026, the controls were not. Go Companies with this

SBIR registeredCompany registration at sbir.gov and the DoD SBIR/STTR portal, so you can propose to AFWERX and the other agencies. Go Companies with this

Capability statementOne page: what you build, past performance, differentiators, UEI, CAGE, NAICS, certifications, contact. Your page here is the online version. Go Companies with this

Past performance listedContracts, subcontracts, pilots and SBIR awards, with the agency or prime named. Buyers read this first. Go Companies with this

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Government and support organizations

Small business offices, economic development agencies, universities, research labs and industry associations that help drone and robotics companies: counseling, funding programs, test ranges, research partnerships, training and procurement help. Create a free account or sign in to search and filter.

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Rules and programs change; this page is reviewed monthly and the last review date is shown here: September 2026. Always confirm on the agency's own site before you commit money.