The Department of Veterans Affairs is the second-largest contracting agency in the federal civilian space, awarding around $40 billion in contracts annually to support the nation's largest integrated healthcare system. The Veterans Health Administration alone operates more than 170 medical centres and over 1,000 outpatient clinics, which translates into continuous procurement for medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, prosthetics, and a wide range of clinical and non-clinical support services. VA contracting is decentralised across Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), each with its own Network Contracting Office handling regional buys, alongside national-level acquisitions through the Strategic Acquisition Center and Technology Acquisition Center. The VA runs the most aggressive Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) set-aside programme in the federal government — the "Vets First" contracting authority gives verified SDVOSBs first priority on most VA procurements above the simplified acquisition threshold. Vendors targeting VA should complete CVE/SBA Veteran Small Business Certification, register on the VA's Vendor Information Pages, and maintain active SAM.gov registration. The Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) programme — particularly Schedules 65 (medical), 621 (professional services), and 70 (IT) — is a major path for VA buys. Construction and major renovation work is handled primarily by the Office of Construction & Facilities Management. For software and IT, the Technology Acquisition Center in Eatontown, NJ, is the dominant buying office. Small businesses should also watch for opportunities under the Pathfinder and T4NG follow-on vehicles. See our SAM.gov alternative and best SAM.gov alternatives pages for tools to track VA opportunities efficiently.
Main buying offices within VA
Department of Veterans Affairs contracting is delivered through a network of buying offices, each with its own delegated authority and mission focus:
- Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
- VA Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction
- Strategic Acquisition Center (SAC)
- Technology Acquisition Center (TAC)
- Network Contracting Offices (NCOs) — VISN level
Primary NAICS codes for VA work
Most VA contract awards are issued under a relatively concentrated set of NAICS codes. Vendors should align at least one primary NAICS to the work they target:
Annual contracting spend
Approximately $40 billion per year in contract awards. Spending is distributed unevenly across the buying offices listed above, with the largest dollars concentrated in major weapons systems, infrastructure, healthcare, or mission-critical R&D programmes depending on the agency.
Focus areas where VA buys most heavily
- Medical supplies and pharmaceuticals
- Healthcare staffing and services
- Medical facility construction and renovation
- Health IT and electronic health records
- Veteran benefits administration
- Cemetery and memorial services
- Prosthetics and medical devices
How to start bidding on VA contracts
The first step for any federal contracting target is an active SAM.gov registration with a Unique Entity ID, current representations & certifications, and selected NAICS codes aligned to the work you do. Beyond that, VA-specific paths typically include: registering on the agency-specific vendor portals where they exist, pursuing the relevant socioeconomic certifications (8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB/VOSB, WOSB/EDWOSB), and identifying the relevant GSA Schedule or government-wide IDIQ vehicles your work falls under. For larger or specialised programmes, subcontracting under an established prime contractor on an existing IDIQ is often the most accessible entry point. Our SAM.gov registration guide and 8(a) eligibility guide walk through the foundational steps in detail.
Finding live VA solicitations
Every VA solicitation above the simplified acquisition threshold is published on SAM.gov, but the native search experience is well-known for being slow and difficult to filter. WinAContract maintains a NAICS- and agency-aware search layer over SAM.gov data, with saved searches, email alerts on new postings, and structured filtering by set-aside, deadline, and contract value. See our SAM.gov alternative, federal contract search, and best SAM.gov alternatives pages for context.
Other federal agency pages
Founding membership
WinAContract is opening with a capped Founding 200 programme — $999 once for Year 1 free at US launch plus 50% off forever. If your business targets VA work, locking in founding-member pricing now is the cheapest way to get the full platform when it goes live.