Veterans Integrated Service Network 16

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Veterans Integrated Service Network 16 is a sub-agency within the Veterans Health Administration that procures medical equipment, facility services, and healthcare support for VA medical centers and clinics across its regional footprint in the South-Central United States. VISN 16's Network Contracting Office (NCO 16), based in Houston, Texas, executes procurement on behalf of multiple Veterans Healthcare Systems including Central Arkansas, Gulf Coast, Southeast Louisiana, Alexandria, and Overton Brooks facilities.

VISN 16 has awarded 64,912 federal contracts cumulatively since 2002, with combined award potential value of $9.86 billion and $8.23 billion obligated to date. Recent annual contract awards total 2,347 in 2023, 2,079 in 2024, 1,745 in 2025, 858 in 2026, and 2 year-to-date in 2027, reflecting a declining activity trend over the last five years. The most recently recorded award date is March 15, 2027. Across the portfolio, 5,948 distinct prime contractors have been awarded contracts.

The competitive base is highly fragmented. Over the last five years, Permobil Inc. leads by award count with 379 awards and $6.5 million combined potential value, followed by Beckman Coulter, Inc. with 269 awards and $64.7 million potential value, and Pride Mobility Products Corporation with 267 awards and $2.9 million potential value. The top five primes by award count hold only 13% of recent awards. When ranked by potential value, Beckman Coulter, Rotech Healthcare Inc., and Venergy Group LLC dominate, but the top five by value account for only 2% of combined potential value, indicating that many awards are small-dollar, high-volume procurements—typical of Schedule task orders, BPA calls, or below-threshold purchase orders. Recent awards with no reported potential value underscore this pattern.

Set-aside activity favors small and veteran-owned businesses. Approximately 87% of awards carry no set-aside designation. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-asides comprise 7% of awards (4,394 awards), Total Small Business accounts for 5%, and smaller shares go to VOSB, HUBZone, 8(a), and WOSB designations.

Representative recent contract opportunities reflect facility and equipment maintenance across VISN 16 medical centers. A pre-solicitation for unarmed security guards at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (due November 4, 2026, SDVOSB set-aside) represents facility security contracting. A separate pre-solicitation for perimeter security fence replacement at Veterans' Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Arkansas (due November 5, 2026, SDVOSB set-aside, firm-fixed-price construction) indicates capital improvement activity. A solicitation for fire alarm and fire suppression maintenance and repair services at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (due November 4, 2026, SDVOSB set-aside) targets facility systems maintenance. Medical equipment procurement is represented by a pre-solicitation for osmometer equipment replacement at Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System (due October 26, 2026, no set-aside, sole-source market research). Special notices of intent to sole source indicate recurring equipment leasing and service agreements—Olympus endoscopy equipment at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and Cepheid GeneExpert instrument rental at Alexandria VA Medical Center.