The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to release a solicitation for Enterprise Artificial Intelligence Support Services in October 2026 or early first quarter of FY2027. Sources Sought notice 36C10B26Q0834 describes a firm-fixed-price, 36-month services buy under NAICS 541519. VA wants integration, help desk, adoption, and agent-building support for an AI product it is buying separately. RFI responses are due October 7, 2026, at 10:00 AM Eastern.
What exactly is VA buying with Enterprise AI Support Services?
VA is buying the people and processes that make an enterprise AI product work inside VA, not the product itself. The draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) expressly excludes subscriptions, user licenses, model or API consumption, and cloud consumption. Those come through a separate "first-party" acquisition. This contract is the "third-party" services layer around it.
The draft PWS, Version 2.0 dated September 22, 2026, belongs to the VA Office of Information and Technology (OIT) Chief AI Office. It breaks the work into recurring core services plus separately authorized advanced work:
- Project management — a management plan, monthly status reports, and an annual rebaseline.
- Enterprise integration and sustainment — endpoint deployment, identity and entitlement administration, configuration and release management, and activation readiness.
- Service desk, Tier 1 through Tier 3 — intake, triage, configuration support, provider reachback, major incident management, and root-cause analysis.
- Security, privacy, and governance — Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authority to Operate (ATO) support, an AI bill of materials (AI-BOM), annual baseline regression testing, and AI incident response including emergency disablement.
- Adoption — customer success leads per business unit, up to 50, plus role-based and champion training.
- Advanced technical services — data connectors, VA-built agents, evaluations, FinOps, and migration support.
The RFI states there is no incumbent, which makes this a greenfield AI services requirement.
What are the notice details, NAICS code, and key dates?
The notice is a Sources Sought posted on SAM.gov on September 22, 2026, by VA's Technology Acquisition Center (TAC). It carries NAICS 541519 and Product Service Code DA01. No set-aside is designated on the notice, and no contract vehicle has been named. Responses are due October 7, 2026, at 10:00 AM Eastern.
| Item | What the notice says |
|---|---|
| Notice number | RFI 36C10B26Q0834 ("VA Enterprise Artificial Intelligence Support Services") |
| Notice type | Sources Sought / Request for Information, third of three in VA's enterprise AI series |
| Issuing office | VA Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) |
| NAICS / PSC | 541519 / DA01 |
| Set-aside | None designated at the RFI stage |
| Contract type | Firm-fixed-price, with contractor-proposed payment milestones |
| Period of performance | 12-month base plus two 12-month options, not to exceed 36 months |
| Response deadline | 10:00 AM Eastern, October 7, 2026, by email to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer |
| Planned solicitation | Early Q1 FY2027 or October 2026, for planning only |
Read the notice, RFI, and draft PWS on SAM.gov. As of October 4, 2026, I found no solicitation posted under this requirement. Put "RFI# 36C10B26Q0834" in your email subject line, or your response may not get routed.
How big is the rollout VA is planning?
Big enough to drive staffing and price. VA's rollout table projects 110,000 notified users in Wave 1 growing to 540,000 by Wave 3. Chat monthly active users grow from 30,000 to 111,388 across six waves, and agentic users from 1,062 to 83,541.
| Metric | Wave 1 | Wave 3 | Wave 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notified (provisioned) users | 110,000 | 540,000 | 540,000 |
| Chat monthly active users | 30,000 | 50,700 | 111,388 |
| Agentic monthly active users | 1,062 | 15,210 | 83,541 |
| Code monthly active users | 650 | 1,302 | 2,300 |
VA treats these as planning assumptions that authorize no additional users or work. Your price model has to flex with demand without assuming VA pays for growth it has not authorized.
Which OMB AI memos and other rules will apply?
The draft PWS lists OMB M-25-21 on federal AI use and governance, OMB M-25-22 on AI acquisition, and OMB M-26-04 on Unbiased AI Principles. Those are the current OMB AI memos; M-25-21 and M-25-22 replaced the rescinded 2024 memos. Section 508, VA personnel vetting, and the SHARE IT Act also apply.
- OMB M-25-21 (April 3, 2025) — agency AI governance, high-impact AI use cases, and minimum risk practices. Expect to support VA's Chief AI Office on documentation and human oversight.
- OMB M-25-22 (April 3, 2025) — AI acquisition practices, including data rights, vendor lock-in, and performance monitoring. That is why the PWS demands portability.
- OMB M-26-04 (December 11, 2025) — implements Executive Order 14319 and requires LLM contracts to address truth-seeking and ideological neutrality. It lands mainly on the product contract.
- SHARE IT Act (P.L. 118-187) — custom code goes to VA's GitHub source code inventory throughout development.
Official texts are on the OMB memoranda page; see also my breakdown of OMB AI policy for vendors. If you also hold a GSA Schedule, track GSA's AI clause, GSAR 552.239-7001, separately.
What technical requirements will separate serious bidders?
Open standards, build-vs-buy discipline, and safety controls. VA requires integrations built on Model Context Protocol (MCP) or an equivalent, reusable capabilities in an open Skills format, OpenTelemetry instrumentation, and model-agnostic design. VA calls portability "an acceptance criterion, not a preference."
- Solution mode recommendation per use case. Before any build, you deliver an artifact comparing your approach against the native features of VA's authorized commercial product.
- No duplication. You may not rebuild single sign-on, audit logging, usage metering, or agent scaffolding the product already provides.
- Relationship disclosure. The artifact must disclose your and your subcontractors' ties to the product vendor.
- Read-only by default. Connectors touching VA systems of record start read-only. Write paths need separate approval and human sign-off on consequential actions.
The RFI also flags organizational conflict of interest under FAR Subpart 9.5. If you resell or partner with an AI model vendor, plan your mitigation now. VA also plans a technical challenge in evaluation.
Which vehicle and set-aside will VA likely use?
VA has not said. The RFI asks respondents to list existing vehicles such as GSA and NASA SEWP, their business size, VetCert status, and ability to comply with VAAR 852.219-75. Those questions are the market research VA needs to decide vehicle and set-aside.
Here is how I would read it from the CO seat. VA's Veterans First program under 38 U.S.C. 8127 requires the Contracting Officer to set aside for SDVOSBs or VOSBs when the Rule of Two is met. The RFI asks non-VetCert firms which veteran-owned partners they work with. VA is testing whether a veteran-owned set-aside is viable.
- If you are SDVOSB or VOSB: confirm your SBA VetCert status today and attach proof to your response.
- If you are a large AI integrator: name your veteran-owned partners, and remember the 50 percent services limit in 13 CFR 125.6 if VA sets it aside.
- If you hold GSA MAS: confirm SIN 54151S is on your contract with labor categories that map to this PWS. VA can order off MAS under FAR 8.405.
When I worked as a Contracting Specialist, the vehicle and set-aside lines in RFI responses fed directly into the market research memo. If you want VA to choose your lane, show you are already in it.
Where does the VA Federal Supply Schedule fit in?
It mostly does not. VA FSS runs VA's medical schedules: drugs, medical equipment, dental, and healthcare services. AI integration services are IT work under NAICS 541519. For this requirement, GSA MAS, SEWP, and VA's IT vehicles are the realistic channels, not VA FSS.
VA FSS is still busy. Its September 2026 field contracting notification, posted September 24 on GSA Interact, reported these figures:
- 1,585 Multiple Award Schedule contracts covering nearly one million medical products, pharmaceuticals, and services.
- $25 billion in FY25 medical supply chain acquisition support, a program record.
- 194 new contracts, 78 options exercised, and 9,191 modifications in FY26 to date.
If you sell clinical AI that is a medical product, the VA FSS Service may be the right door. Clinical staffing firms should read my VA FSS 621 I guide.
How should you write an RFI response VA will actually use?
Answer VA's questions in VA's order, inside 20 pages, in Word, at 11-point font or larger. VA says generic capability statements will not be reviewed and marketing materials are not allowed.
As a Contracting Officer, I read RFI responses with one question in mind: does this help me write a better requirement? The responses that shaped my strategy flagged what was unpriceable and proposed a fix.
- Give a ROM by PWS task 5.1 through 5.5 with labor types, labor mix, and hours.
- Name your cost drivers — user population, ticket volume, service hours, rollout waves, connectors, agents, and evaluation cycles.
- Propose payment milestones that balance your cash flow with VA accountability under firm-fixed-price.
- Flag FFP risks such as open-ended agent demand, and recommend fixes.
- Suggest a technical challenge that tests real capability, such as building a certified MCP connector under observation.
What should you do now?
- Download the RFI and draft PWS from SAM.gov and submit by 10:00 AM Eastern on October 7, 2026, with "RFI# 36C10B26Q0834" in the subject line.
- Confirm your vehicle position: GSA MAS SIN 54151S, SEWP, or another IT contract VA can order from. See how to add AI services to your GSA Schedule.
- Lock in veteran-owned teaming and VetCert proof before the solicitation drops, not after.
- Map your governance practices to OMB M-25-21, M-25-22, and M-26-04, and document your build-vs-buy method.
- Resolve any conflict of interest with AI model vendors before you write a proposal.
I spent 18 years in federal acquisition as a Contracting Specialist and Contracting Officer at GSA, IRS, DoD, DOI, HHS, FTC, and Energy. I hold FAC-C Level III and a Harvard Master of Liberal Arts, and I have helped clients earn 70+ GSA contract awards. If you do not yet have a vehicle VA can order AI services from, start your GSA Schedule with Blackfyre so you are positioned for the next enterprise AI requirement, even if this one moves faster than your offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is VA solicitation 36C10B26Q0834?
It is a Sources Sought notice titled VA Enterprise Artificial Intelligence Support Services, posted on SAM.gov on September 22, 2026, by the VA Technology Acquisition Center. It is the third of three RFIs supporting VA's enterprise AI acquisition strategy. Responses are due October 7, 2026, at 10:00 AM Eastern.
When will VA release the Enterprise AI Support Services solicitation?
VA says it anticipates releasing the solicitation in early first quarter of FY2027 or in October 2026. VA notes those dates are for planning only and do not commit the Government. As of October 4, 2026, no solicitation had been posted.
What NAICS code and set-aside apply to the VA Enterprise AI Support Services requirement?
The notice lists NAICS 541519 and PSC DA01. No set-aside is designated at the RFI stage. The RFI asks about VetCert status and VAAR 852.219-75 compliance, which suggests VA is testing a veteran-owned set-aside under 38 U.S.C. 8127.
Does the VA contract include the AI product or licenses?
No. The draft PWS excludes product subscriptions, user licenses, model and API consumption, and cloud consumption. VA is buying those through a separate first-party acquisition, and this contract covers the integration, support, adoption, and development services around the product.
Which OMB memos apply to VA's AI services contract?
The draft PWS cites OMB M-25-21 on AI use and governance, OMB M-25-22 on AI acquisition, and OMB M-26-04 on Unbiased AI Principles. Map your governance and evaluation practices to them before the solicitation drops.
Can I compete for the VA AI services contract through my GSA Schedule?
Possibly. VA has not named a vehicle, but the RFI asks respondents to list existing vehicles such as GSA and NASA SEWP. A GSA MAS contract with SIN 54151S and AI-relevant labor categories gives VA an ordering path under FAR 8.405.
Is the VA Federal Supply Schedule the right vehicle for AI services?
Generally no. VA FSS covers medical products, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare services, while enterprise AI support is IT work under NAICS 541519.