Armed Forces Retirement Home
Abbreviation: AFRH
Chief Operating Officer (as of 2026): Steven G. McManus
2026 Budget: $150M
CGAC Code: 84AF
Website: afrh.gov
The Armed Forces Retirement Home provides housing and health care to retired and former enlisted members of the U.S. Armed Forces at campuses in Washington, D.C. and Gulfport, Mississippi.
It is an independent federal agency funded primarily through active-duty payroll withholdings and fines from the uniformed services.
How to Win AFRH Contracts
Winning work at the Armed Forces Retirement Homemeans understanding a procurement culture that blends rigorous compliance, deep mission focus, and a preference for vendors who can speak the agency's language from day one. This guide walks through how AFRH buys, the vehicles it uses, and the steps your company should take to go from registered vendor to awarded contractor.
Understanding AFRH Procurement
The Armed Forces Retirement Home operates two residential communities (Washington, DC and Gulfport, MS) for eligible retired and former service members, with an annual contract spend in the $30-50M range. Procurement is dominated by facility operations, healthcare staffing, food service, and capital improvements.
AFRH is self-funded through retired-pay deductions and land-lease revenue, giving it meaningful procurement flexibility but a constrained budget ceiling. Facility renewal and long-term-care services drive the largest contract categories.
How AFRH Buys
AFRH uses GSA MAS and small agency BPAs for most services. Larger capital projects use FFP construction contracts. Healthcare staffing uses IDIQs for nursing, therapy, and allied health.
The AFRH Office of Contracting manages all procurement in-house with a small team; cycle times are often shorter than larger agencies.
Major Contract Vehicles
- Facility Operations BPAs— Housekeeping, food service, and maintenance at the Washington and Gulfport campuses.
- Healthcare Staffing IDIQs— Nursing, therapy, pharmacy, and physician services.
- Capital Improvement Construction— Building renewal and modernization projects, typically FFP design-build or design-bid-build.
- GSA MAS— Default for commercial IT and administrative support.
Step 1: Get Registered and Compliant
Required Registrations
AFRH-Specific Requirements
Certification Programs
Step 2: Identify Opportunities
Primary Sources
Key Offices
Top Contract Types
Step 3: Position Your Company
Build Relationships
Relevant NAICS Codes
- 623110–Nursing Care Facilities
- 722310–Food Service Contractors
- 561720–Janitorial Services
- 236220–Commercial Building Construction
- 621610–Home Health Care Services
Step 4: Develop Winning Proposals
Technical Approach
Past Performance
Pricing Strategy
Winning Strategies
- Treat AFRH like a mid-size senior-living community with federal oversight; commercial best practices translate directly.
- Build credentials in long-term-care services; AFRH relies on steady clinical staffing partners.
- Pursue small construction and facility-renewal work through direct SAM postings.
- Partner with local DC/MS small businesses for HUBZone and regional expertise.
- Track AFRH’s Master Plan for capital projects that signal multi-year procurement flow.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Proposing staffing ratios that miss senior-living regulatory minimums.
- Under-pricing food service without accounting for senior-nutrition and therapeutic diet requirements.
- Ignoring AFRH’s resident demographic (majority veteran) in service-design narratives.
Small Business Programs
AFRH exceeds small-business goals, with active 8(a) and SDVOSB utilization. Veterans-oriented vendors find especially natural fit given the resident population.
Key Contracting Offices
- AFRH Office of Contracting — Washington, DC
AFRH by the Numbers
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