Why VA Contracting Matters
The Department of Veterans Affairs has a statutory veteran-owned small-business preference that differs from the government-wide SDVOSB program. Under 38 U.S.C. 8127, VA establishes annual VOSB and SDVOSB participation goals and uses restricted competition when the Rule of Two and other legal conditions are met. A goal is not a guaranteed share for an individual vendor, and a set-aside is not an award promise. Certification does not make every VA notice a fit. Confirm SBA VetCert status, the exact set-aside or tiered-evaluation language, place of performance, licenses, past performance, limitations on subcontracting, and every amendment to the official notice. Funding Landscape currently tracks 2,049 open VA opportunities. The live count changes as records open and close. Healthcare services, construction, IT, supplies, and facilities support appear in the inventory, but each vendor should search its exact capability and place of performance.
What the Live VA Inventory Contains
The live VA inventory contains procurement solicitations, grants, forecasts, RFIs, sources-sought notices, and other acquisition records. Those notice types are not interchangeable. A sources-sought response can influence a set-aside, but it is not a bid. A forecast helps with planning, but the final solicitation and amendments control. Common work includes healthcare and medical services, construction and renovation, IT, facilities maintenance, equipment, and supplies. Do not rely on a frozen category breakdown because the mix changes daily. Use live VA contract results and filter by the exact capability and place of performance. VA contracting is decentralized across Network Contract Offices that align with Veterans Integrated Service Networks. A vendor should identify the offices covering regions it can serve, review their forecasts and industry events, and verify the contracting office on every notice. The current database-wide VA count is 2,049, rendered from the audited article-stat instrument.
🔍 Search related opportunities now
VOSB and SDVOSB Certification: What Changed
VOSB and SDVOSB certification transferred from VA to the Small Business Administration on January 1, 2023. New applications, changes, and renewals now use MySBA Certifications, not the old VA VetBiz verification application. SBA says a VOSB must be a small business and be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more veterans. An SDVOSB must meet those rules through one or more veterans whom VA has rated as service-disabled, subject to the detailed regulations and limited exceptions. Ownership on paper without qualifying control is not enough. Certification lets an eligible SDVOSB compete for covered federal SDVOSB set-asides and sole-source opportunities. VOSB status provides the additional VA-specific Vets First opportunities. It does not automatically qualify a firm for every NAICS code, license, clearance, vehicle, or solicitation. Before bidding, verify that the certification is active in SBA's public certification search, the SAM.gov registration is active, and the legal name, UEI, address, ownership, and relevant NAICS information agree. Use SBA's current veteran contracting page for eligibility and support.
How Vets First Actually Works
The current VA acquisition regulation places eligible, certified SDVOSBs first and eligible, certified VOSBs second within the VA small-business hierarchy. The acquisition still must follow applicable priority-source, statutory, market-research, and notice rules. Read the specific solicitation instead of assuming the hierarchy produces the same procedure every time. The Rule of Two generally asks whether the contracting officer reasonably expects offers from two or more eligible veteran-owned concerns and an award at a fair and reasonable price offering best value. When the conditions are met for a covered acquisition, restricted competition applies. VAAR 819.7008 and 819.7009 also describe discretionary sole-source authority with an anticipated award price, including options, not exceeding $5 million. The contracting officer must find the firm responsible and the price fair and reasonable, document the action, and satisfy the rule for the applicable SDVOSB or VOSB path. Being the only known vendor does not entitle a company to a sole-source award. Tiered evaluation is permitted in limited circumstances. The solicitation identifies the tiers, with SDVOSB first and VOSB second, and the agency moves to a lower tier only if it cannot make an award at the higher one. Do not infer tiered treatment from the presence of veteran-owned language; find the actual evaluation clause.
How to Qualify a Current VA Opportunity
A static list of VA notices becomes misleading as response dates pass and amendments change the work. Use the live VA contract results as a discovery queue, then qualify each notice on its official SAM.gov page. First identify the notice type. A solicitation or combined synopsis may accept an offer. A sources-sought notice, request for information, or special notice usually asks for market research rather than a bid. A forecast is earlier still. Responding to market research can help an office assess small-business capability, but it does not create an award. Next verify the response deadline and amendment history. Download the current attachments, note the time zone, and check whether the contracting officer extended the date or changed the scope. Then confirm the set-aside and certification requirement. A notice mentioning SDVOSB or VOSB is not enough; read the exact competition language and verify the business's current SBA VetCert status. Finally test operational fit: place of performance, facility access, staffing, licenses, security, delivery schedule, past performance, and subcontracting limits. A national-looking VA notice may still require local personnel or rapid on-site response. Reject weak fits early so proposal effort goes to work the business can actually perform.
The EHRM Opportunity
VA's Electronic Health Record Modernization program is one of the largest IT modernization efforts in federal history. VA is transitioning from its legacy VistA system to Oracle Health (formerly Cerner). This creates potential work in IT integration, data migration, interfaces, training, network and facility upgrades, user support, testing, and clinical workflow. It does not mean every technology or construction vendor is a fit. The controlling notice may require experience with a named platform, a specific VA facility, healthcare security, clinical operations, or an existing contract vehicle. Treat EHRM as a capability lane to monitor, not a promise of continuously open work. Search current records, open the official notice, and confirm the acquisition stage and requirements before investing in a response.
How to Find VA Contracts
VA opportunities appear in several places: SAM.gov is the primary source for federal contract opportunities. Filter by Department of Veterans Affairs, then verify the notice type, response date, set-aside, place of performance, and every amendment. The VA Forecast of Contracting Opportunities shows planned procurements before many solicitations are released. Use it for account planning, not as a substitute for the final notice. VA Network Contract Offices conduct industry days and small-business events. Check VA OSDBU announcements for the regions you can realistically serve. Funding Landscape aggregates current VA records from maintained sources. Search VA or Veterans Affairs to see the live 2,049-opportunity inventory, then narrow by capability, deadline, and type. Tips for finding relevant work: 1. Filter by NCO region when delivery or service is location-bound. 2. Watch for tiered evaluations that explicitly state SDVOSB or VOSB priority. 3. Check the forecast before the solicitation so you have time to find partners and validate certifications. 4. Monitor major modernization programs only when your capability fits a defined component. 5. Include Community-Based Outpatient Clinics and smaller facilities in regional searches.
Common Categories of VA Work
VA buys clinical services, construction, facilities maintenance, IT, medical equipment and supplies, transportation, food and laundry services, waste handling, security, and administrative support. That breadth is useful only after a vendor narrows it. Search by the product or service, NAICS or product-service code, place of performance, notice type, and responsible Network Contract Office. Separate a sources-sought request from a solicitation. Then test licenses, staffing, facility access, delivery time, cybersecurity, medical or privacy requirements, and the applicable subcontracting limitation. A category match is not a bid/no-bid decision. A local janitorial company may fit one medical center but not a multi-state requirement. A software vendor may fit a small integration task but not an EHR platform vehicle. Use the live record and attachments to identify a performable scope rather than assuming VA has an application for nearly every commercial service.
What Makes VA Proposals Win
The solicitation states what wins. Build a compliance matrix from its instructions, evaluation factors, clauses, attachments, and amendments. Do not substitute generic advice about VA culture for the announced criteria. For a veteran-owned set-aside, verify active certification and size status for the assigned NAICS code. Map the staffing and subcontract plan to the limitation-on-subcontracting clause. For healthcare or on-site work, document the licenses, credentials, privacy and security controls, location, schedule, and response capability the notice actually requires. Use relevant past performance and explain similarity in scope, scale, complexity, and recency. If the notice accepts corporate experience, key-person experience, or teammate experience differently, follow its definitions. Price to the required work and evaluation method rather than assuming every VA award is best value or lowest price. Before submission, reconcile every volume, page limit, representation, attachment, and electronic channel. A technically strong response can still be ineligible if certification, signature, acknowledgement, or timing requirements are missed.
What to Do This Week
If you are pursuing VA contracts: 1. Get certified if eligible. Veteran-owned and service-disabled-veteran-owned certification is administered through SBA's VetCert program. Use the current SBA site rather than an old VA certification link. 2. Verify the certification and business profile. Confirm that SAM.gov, DSBS, NAICS codes, address, and ownership information agree. 3. Keep SAM.gov active. You cannot receive a federal contract with a lapsed registration. 4. Identify the target region. Focus on VA medical centers, outpatient clinics, and Network Contract Offices the business can actually serve. 5. Check the VA forecast. Identify likely procurements before the formal solicitation and prepare past performance or teaming evidence. 6. Contact VA OSDBU through its current official contact page when published guidance does not answer a specific question. Search VA or Veterans Affairs on Funding Landscape to see the live 2,049-opportunity inventory with source links.