NDAA Compliance: What Government Agencies Need to Know When Procuring Surveillance Systems

If your agency is procuring surveillance equipment with federal funds, NDAA Section 889 compliance isn't optional — it's the law. Yet many agencies continue to unknowingly purchase non-compliant equipment, creating legal exposure and potential security vulnerabilities.

What Section 889 Prohibits

Section 889 of the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act prohibits federal agencies from procuring, obtaining, or extending contracts with entities that use telecommunications or video surveillance equipment from a list of covered companies, including Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua — as well as their subsidiaries and affiliates.

This prohibition extends beyond direct federal procurement. State and local agencies receiving federal grants or operating under federal contracts are also subject to these restrictions.

The Compliance Challenge

The challenge for procurement officers is that NDAA-prohibited components are often embedded in systems sold under American brand names. A camera sold by a domestic reseller may contain image sensors, firmware, or processing chips from prohibited manufacturers.

True NDAA compliance requires transparency throughout the supply chain — not just at the brand level.

What to Ask Your Vendor

When evaluating surveillance systems for government procurement, ask vendors to provide:

1. A complete bill of materials identifying the origin of all major components 2. Written certification of NDAA Section 889 compliance 3. Documentation of the supply chain for cameras, NVRs, and connectivity hardware

Vigtera's Approach

All Vigtera systems are designed and assembled in the United States using NDAA-compliant components. We provide full documentation of our supply chain and written compliance certification with every government procurement.