Existing law establishes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and establishes various programs for the prevention and reduction of wildfires.
This bill would establish the Fire Innovation Unit within the department to serve as the department's innovation arm for wildfire technology research, coordination, procurement, and deployment for technologies that, among other things, improve ecosystem and landscape scale resilience. The bill would authorize the unit to establish and administer a program to fund early-stage, mature, or dual-use technology projects that enhance wildfire prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and response through grants, contracts, or both. The bill would also authorize the unit to, among other things, administer or monitor pilot, prototype, or demonstration projects to evaluate, mature, and validate wildfire-related technologies.
This bill would require the department to submit an annual report to the Governor and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature summarizing certain information related to the unit, including, among other things, the technologies and projects evaluated, tested, or deployed.
Existing law establishes the Office of Emergency Services within the office of the Governor and makes it responsible for the state's emergency and disaster response services.
This bill would establish the Emergency Services Innovation Unit within the Office of Emergency Services to study, test, evaluate, and advise regarding procurement and statewide deployment of emerging technologies and tools that improve California's preparedness for, response to, mitigation of, and recovery from all hazards emergencies, as defined. The bill would authorize the unit to undertake specified activities, including a research and development program designed to identify, research, test, procure, and evaluate emerging technologies and tools that support statewide emergency management across all hazards. The bill would require the Office of Emergency Services, on or before January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, to submit a report to the Governor and specified legislative committees summarizing activities of the unit, as provided.
This bill would make the above-described provisions concerning the Fire Innovation Unit and the Emergency Services Innovation Unit (1) operative until January 1, 2033, and, except as specified, (2) operative upon an appropriation by the Legislature.
Existing law requires a state agency to secure at least 3 competitive bids or proposals for each contract, except as specified.
This bill would authorize an authorized unit, defined as either the above-described Fire Innovation Unit or Emergency Services Innovation Unit, to award a contract for innovative technology, as defined, designed to support fire or disaster prevention, preparedness, mitigation, or response, without competitive solicitation and consistent with specified conditions. The bill would authorize these contracts for a vendor that has (1) completed a pilot, prototype, or demonstration project and (2) received a written formal validation from the authorized unit based on documented results. The bill would authorize these contracts to be awarded as multiphase agreements, as provided. The bill would require the department awarding these contracts to submit to the Department of General Services the validation findings, proposed contract or phase scope, and budget. The bill would authorize the Department of General Services to object only if the proposed scope materially exceeds the validated technology's demonstrated capabilities.
Existing law prohibits a person, firm, or subsidiary thereof that has been awarded a consulting services contract from submitting a bid for, or being awarded a contract for, the provision of services, the procurement of goods or supplies, or any other related action that is required, suggested, or otherwise deemed appropriate in the end product of the consulting services contract, with certain exceptions.
This bill would additionally exempt from this prohibition contracts for innovative technology awarded by the Fire Innovation Unit or the Emergency Services Innovation Unit, as provided.
Existing law authorizes the Director of General Services to consolidate the needs of multiple state agencies for goods, information technology, and services, as provided, and to make the services of the department available, upon the terms and conditions agreed to, to local governmental bodies or corporations, as provided.
This bill would authorize the Department of General Services, upon request by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or the Office of Emergency Services, to assume administration of a contract awarded on or before January 1, 2033, for innovative technology by the Fire Innovation Unit or the Emergency Services Innovation Unit and establish the contract as a leveraged procurement agreement available for use by state agencies, local governments, and public agencies in other states, provided that the vendor consents to the expanded terms.

Statutes affected:
08/21/26 - Amended Assembly: 10298 PCC, 10298 PCC, 10340 PCC, 10340 PCC