Accelerating VA Innovation and Learning (AVAIL)

The Department of Veterans Affairs Strategic Acquisition Center Frederick established AVAIL, a multiple-award master IDIQ for healthcare innovation design, development, and testing services, on September 30, 2022, with ordering authority through September 29, 2027 — approximately 14 months remain for new task orders against a $650 million shared ceiling.

The vehicle supports the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning across five growth areas: Personalized Care, Data Transformation, Digital Care, Immersive Technology, and Care and Service Delivery Models. Awarded task orders span clinical innovation projects including autonomous caregivers robotics, sexual harassment prevention training via immersive simulation, chronic conditions payment models, care coordination payment models, digital twin simulation, and field engagement strategy support. Work is performed across the Veterans Health Administration's 1,700-site integrated healthcare system nationwide.

Ordering momentum has declined sharply: five task orders were placed in the vehicle's first year (2022), four in 2023, then one each in 2024 and 2025 (most recent award February 7, 2025). The vehicle has executed 11 task orders totaling $41.5 million in combined potential value, with $30.8 million obligated to date (74% utilization). This represents roughly 6 percent of the vehicle's $650 million shared ceiling, indicating substantial remaining capacity.

Four prime contractors hold all awarded work. Edmond Scientific Company leads by potential value at $14.7 million across two orders; Guidehouse Inc. follows with $13 million across five orders; ECS Federal, LLC holds $11.4 million across three orders; and Customer Value Partners, LLC holds one order valued at $2.4 million. All 11 task orders are unrestricted (no set-aside designation). The customer base is singular: all ordering is placed by VA Strategic Acquisition Center Frederick on behalf of the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning.

Task-order values range from approximately $1.6 million to $7.8 million ceiling, with durations typically four to twelve months. Several early awards have terminated for convenience or closed out; current performance extends through October 2026. Firm Fixed Price pricing dominates; one Labor Hours order is represented in the portfolio.

The AVAIL - Accelerating VA Innovation and Learning - contract serves as an opportunity to further VA's long-standing tradition as a pioneer in medical innovation and VHA's journey towards excelling as a learning organization by offering VHA, and the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning, the availability to augment its ongoing design, development and testing efforts around healthcare innovation. The Office of Healthcare Innovation has identified 5 major innovation task categories or "growth areas" in which ongoing efforts are focused on: (1) Personalized Care; (2) Data Transformation; (3) Digital Care; (4) Immersive Technology; and (5) Care and Service Delivery Models. AVAIL will augment VHA and OHIL's capacity, through subject matter expertise, to design, develop and test novel solutions and accompanying care and service models in a real-world setting (in this case, the Veterans Health Administration), ensuring that solutions create meaningful value for VHA clinicians, administrators, caregivers, and most importantly, Veterans, before being scaled into clinical production.