Heather Kirk April 18, 2023 0 Comments

Leaders from many of the top Federal Health agencies and IT consulting firms are in Chicago this week for the very popular HIMSS 23 Health IT conference. Anyone who has been to this conference before knows that it can be quite overwhelming if you do not have a plan, so having a deliberate approach, to include a list of daytime and after-hours events, as well as a targeted list of individuals and firms to get to know, is important.  

VA’s #T4NG2 is not even in the rear view mirror yet, but the recent and anticipated announcements related to the recompete of two other high-profile multiple-award Digital and Healthcare Transformation IDIQ contracts will and should shift the priority for some Federally focused HIMSS attendees when it comes to both discussion topics to be had, as well as which firms (potential teaming partners/competitors) and individuals, will be important to try to connect with while in the Windy City.  

$1B VA IHT IDIQ – Now, that was a successful contract! Last awarded just three short years ago, the multiple-award Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Integrated Healthcare Transformation (IHT), which was initially expected to go for 10 years, has already blown through its ceiling and will need to be recompeted this year. In the meantime, VA announced that it intends to take urgent action now to increase the current contract maximum value by $450M to allow task order competitions to continue until the next IDIQ is solicited and awarded – and that will be soon. 

VA has now confirmed that the competition for the next IHT contract is expected to take place this year. The next contract is expected to remain as an SDVOSB set-aside action, and it promises to have an even higher ceiling than the original $1 Billion value. There will be more to come from VA soon on any related industry days, draft RFPs, and pre-solicitation conferences. 

VA SPRUCE Digital Modernization Support IDIQ – With a stated intent of scaling “the success accomplished in the current Customer Experience, DevOps and Agile Releases (CEDAR) IDIQ, while expanding access to exceptional vendors with more diverse skillsets and enabling larger contracts as appropriate”, VA recently announced plans to stand up a new multiple-award IDIQ to tap into companies that specialize in the development of digital services using modern technologies. 

The intent of the new Secure, Performant, Reliable, and User-Centered Experiences (SPRUCE) IDIQ is to create a contract mechanism that promotes rapid delivery, applying private sector best practices, and measurable outcomes, while ensuring that the agency can rapidly adopt commercial technology and design-industry best practices such as those described in the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB’s) Digital Services Playbook. 

Just Announced: Several Veterans Affairs Leaders included in the list of Engage FedGov Honorees. 

Partnering – Starting with the many happy hour events last night, this week at HIMSS 23 is all about partner [and competitor] identification. Not surprisingly, the OrangeSlices AI team has seen a very steady and relentless set of inquiries over the past many months from companies seeking information about the top IT and Consulting partners supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs. Shared below is a list of those service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses which are drawing interest and that should be on your list to target both this week and in the future.   

VA focused SDVOSBs drawing the most attention: 

Included below is a list of the service-disabled Veteran-owned small companies we have noted as drawing the most views by Government and industry leaders on the OrangeSlices AI consultant directory since the beginning of 2023 and that bring direct past performance and/or related relationships in support of the Department of Veterans Affairs.  

Please note that for the purposes of this report, we are *defining small business as a company that self-identifies in SAM as a small business under $34M, calculated using a multi-year average revenue calculation. If we misrepresented your company and/or missed your company and you expected to be here, please contact us below. We aim to get it right 100% of the time.    

** An Elev8 GovCon Honoree, noted for a corporate culture that demonstrates its own excellence, making the company a beacon for talent, for partners, and for clients.   

We cannot and will not speculate here as to the reasons for the increased interest, but whether it is a company evaluating them as a potential partner; a federal acquisition leader doing their due diligence; or a consultant weighing their next job move, this group of companies has been receiving increased interest.    

Looking for some good teaming partners that are supporting VA today? Click Here 

You can filter the list by several key indicators, to include socio-economic status, NAICS, Contract vehicle, etc.  

If you are an SDVOSB looking at IHT or SPRUCE as a Prime or key subcontractor, comment below to let others know.  

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About OrangeSlices AI   

Developed by a team of government and industry contracting subject matter experts, the OrangeSlices AI data driven platform is a publicly available searchable listing of the top information technology and consulting services contractors doing business with the Federal government today. Driven by a robust and comprehensive set of authoritative and trusted data sources, the OS.ai tool is intended to help government and industry leaders find the right partner to help deliver on the important missions of the Federal government.  

36C10X23R0032 | VA-23-00053369 | 36C10B23Q0225 

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