Purchases made by the Federal Government must comply with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) , which governs all Federal acquisitions. There are a variety of different ways that agencies can comply with these regulations and a variety of contract types to match.
Cost. Depending on type, manufacturer and quantity, as a general guide assume that passive RFID tags are going to cost $1 to $3 for HF tags, and 50c to $6 for UHF tags. This compares to prices in the range $5 to $30 each for Active RFID tags.(Prices are changing rapidly, these are rough numbers as a general guide). Passive UHF RFID tag can typically be read at a range of 5 metres. This compares well against LF and HF tags. For LF tags, range can be less than an inch. for HF tags, range can be to a twelve inches. For UHF tags, range can be up to twenty feet.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. The tags contain electronically stored information. Passive tags collect energy from a nearby RFID reader's interrogating radio waves.