Department of Veterans Affairs

How to Win VA Contracts

Winning work at the Department of Veterans Affairsmeans 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 VA buys, the vehicles it uses, and the steps your company should take to go from registered vendor to awarded contractor.

Understanding VA Procurement

The Department of Veterans Affairs obligates roughly $45-50B in contracts annually across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and National Cemetery Administration (NCA). VA is the federal government’s second-largest purchaser of healthcare goods and services after DoW.

VA procurement is dominated by medical supplies and equipment, pharmaceuticals, clinical services, construction (major medical facility programs), health IT (VistA modernization, Electronic Health Record Modernization), and veterans-services professional support.

How VA Buys

VA uses the VA-FSS (Federal Supply Schedule) for medical products, similar to GSA MAS but VA-operated. The T4NG IDIQ governs most professional and IT services. VA operates strong SDVOSB Rule of Two and Veterans First procurement programs.

VHA uses regional Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) for clinical contracting. Major construction flows through VA’s Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) using standalone and IDIQ vehicles.

Major Contract Vehicles

• T4NG (Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation)— VA’s flagship IT services IDIQ; T4NG-2 is the successor competition.
• VA FSS Schedules— Medical, pharmaceutical, and dental schedules operated by the VA National Acquisition Center.
• CFM Construction IDIQs— Major and minor medical-facility construction contracts.
• CVE-verified SDVOSB Set-Asides— Veterans First policy creates large SDVOSB-only lanes across VA.
• OASIS+ and GSA MAS— Secondary vehicles for professional services where T4NG isn’t appropriate.

Step 1: Get Registered and Compliant

Step 2: Identify Opportunities

Step 3: Position Your Company

Step 4: Develop Winning Proposals

Winning Strategies

1. Leverage the Veterans First program. CVE/SBA-verified SDVOSBs have the single largest set-aside privilege of any federal agency.
2. Pursue VA FSS if you sell medical products; it’s the entry point to the VHA and regional medical centers.
3. Team with T4NG primes as a sub; T4NG is the dominant path for VA IT services.
4. Track EHRM deployment schedules; EHRM creates multi-year waves of adjacent IT and clinical-modernization contracts.
5. Build VISN-level relationships; regional clinical contracting is relationship-driven even inside Veterans First lanes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Claiming SDVOSB status without proper verification. Uncertified bids are rejected and ineligible for Veterans First set-asides.
2. Under-staffing clinical proposals. VA clinical scopes require defensible ratios; low-ball staffing plans get downgraded or terminated.
3. Ignoring VA FSS pricing compliance after award. VA NAC audits Schedule contractors rigorously.

Small Business Programs

VA exceeds all major small-business goals. SDVOSB utilization at VA is the highest in government (often 15%+ of prime obligations), driven by Veterans First. 8(a), HUBZone, and WOSB are also strong.

Key Contracting Offices

• VA Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) — Eatontown, NJ
• VA Strategic Acquisition Center (SAC) — Frederick, MD
• VA National Acquisition Center (NAC) — Hines, IL
• VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) — Washington, DC
• VISN Regional Contracting Offices — nationwide (18 VISNs)

VA by the Numbers