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Act 525 - Prohibiting Purchase of Foreign Drones

The following information affects political subdivisions including all boards, authorities, commissions, agencies, committees, councils, university departments, or other state entities created by the Arkansas Constitution or law.


Act 525 of 2023 prohibits Arkansas public entities from the purchase of small unmanned aircraft from foreign entities including China, Russia or under the control of those two nations. The Act created a transition period ( 2027) and includes a waiver process. The Office of State Procurement recently released the waiver process information, which is copied below.


State Procurement Personnel,


New legislation has created a need for a new procurement exemption procedure for the purchase of drones and for a new boycott restriction certification requirement for contracts.


Effective immediately:


1. Unless a waiver is granted, purchasing small, unmanned aircrafts (drones) manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity is prohibited. (A.C.A. §25-1-129)


· To receive a waiver to make a drone purchase, the Exception Application for Drone Purchase form must be submitted to the Secretary of the Department of Transformation and Shared Services for review and approval.


· The Exception Application for Drone Purchase form is posted on the OSP Forms and Reporting web page under the ACT 525 Drone Exemption Form section.


As applicable, the completed form(s) must be attached to the AASIS outline agreement, or purchase order, or a printed version must be kept in the procurement record.

 

Source: TSS OSP Communications

Transformation and Shared Services

Office of State Procurement


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