HRSM PWS DRAFT RFI.docx

Human Resource Service Management (HRSM)

VA-26-00037243

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Human Capital Management (HCM)

Human Resource Service Management (HRSM) Solution

Date: April 9th, 2026

VA-26-00037243

PWS Version Number: 2.0

Contents

BACKGROUND

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Human Capital Management (HCM) is committed to providing high-quality, efficient, and modern human resources (HR) support to those who deliver care to our Nation’s Veterans. With increasing workforce transparency and accountability demands, evolving regulations and policies, and a growing need to accelerate hiring there is a requirement for the evolution of VHA’s talent acquisition strategy and HR service management capabilities. This evolution is essential to ensure VHA can quickly source, attract, and hire top talent while improving service delivery and the employee experience.

To meet these challenges, VHA HCM is pursuing the acquisition of a next generation Human Resource Service Management (HRSM) Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that is a cohesive suite of applications designed to streamline HR services across the enterprise. This initiative will augment USA Staffing and USA Hire capabilities to assist in the recruitment and hiring of healthcare professionals, as well as onboarding of other employee types identified in Optional Task 8. The solution will integrate modern technologies, including analytics, to identify bottlenecks, hiring trends, and gaps to assist in tracking and reducing of VA’s Time‑to‑Hire, currently averaging 80–100 days. The solution will also include digital tools that enhance service delivery for our current employees by providing a range of knowledge, resources, service desk and self-service tools, resulting in enhanced candidate and employee experience as well as productivity. Integrating enterprise systems and consolidating capabilities into a single modern solution, the HRSM initiative directly supports VA’s enterprise talent acquisition strategy and HR service delivery goals.

The HRSM solution will also integrate with VA’s personnel system, the future Federal HR 2.0 system and core architecture to ensure seamless, secure, and scalable operations across VHA’s 374,000+ user enterprise.

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

In the performance of the tasks associated with this Performance Work Statement, the Contractor shall comply with the following:

1. “Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014”

2. Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 140-3, “Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules”, March 22, 2019

3. FIPS Pub 199. “Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems,” February 2004

4. FIPS Pub 200, “Minimum Security Requirements for Federal Information and Information Systems,” March 2006

5. FIPS Pub 201-3, “Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors,” January 2022

6. 10 U.S.C. § 2224, "Defense Information Assurance Program", as amended

7. 5 U.S.C. § 552a, as amended, “The Privacy Act of 1974”

8. Public Law 109-461 (P.L. 109-461), Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, as amended, Title IX, Information Security Matters

9. 42 U.S.C. § 2000d “Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964”, as amended

10. VA Directive 0710, “Personnel Vetting Program,” September 8, 2025, https://www.va.gov/vapubs/index.cfm

11. VA Handbook 0710, “Personnel Vetting Program,” September 8, 2025, https://www.va.gov/vapubs/index.cfm

12. VA Directive 6102, “Internet/Intranet Services,” August 5, 2019

13. 36 C.F.R. Part 1194 “Information and Communication Technology Standards and Guidelines,” as amended

14. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, “Managing Federal Information as a Strategic Resource,” July 28, 2016

15. 32 C.F.R. Part 199, “Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS)”, as amended

16. NIST SP 800-66 Rev. 2, “Implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule: A Cybersecurity Resource Guide,” February 2024

17. 45 C.F.R Parts 160 and 164, Subparts A and E, the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (“Privacy Rule”); and 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164, Subparts A and C, the Security Standard (“Security Rule”); as amended

18. Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as amended

19. Homeland Security Presidential Directive (12) (HSPD-12), August 27, 2004

20. VA Directive 6500, “VA Cybersecurity Program,” February 24, 2021 (see VA NOTICE 24-18, dated September 27, 2024, “Update to VA Directive 6500 Cybersecurity Program”, and VA Notice 25-07, dated 3/18/25, “Amending VA Directive 6500 to incorporate M-24-15”)

21. VA Handbook 6500, “Risk Management Framework for VA Information Systems VA Information Security Program,” February 24, 2021 (see VA Notice 25-01, dated October 15, 2024, “Update to VA Handbook 6500 Risk Management Framework for VA Information Systems VA Information Security Program”, and VA Notice 25-06, dated 3/18/25, “Amending VA Directive 6500 to incorporate M-24-15”, VA Notice 25-16, dated September 15, 2025, “Amending VA Handbook 6500 to Replace Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Services Tool With Office of Information Technology Governance Risk Compliance Tool, and VA Notice 25-17, dated September 22, 2025, “Rescission Of Office Of Information Security (OIS) Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) Memorandum – Requirements of Proper Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) Completion)

22. VA Handbook 6500.2, “Management of Breaches Involving Sensitive Personal Information (SPI),” June 30, 2023

23. VA Handbook 6500.6, “Contract Security,” March 12, 2010 (see VA Notice 24-12, dated April 22, 2024, “Update to VA Handbook 6500.6, Contract Security, Appendix C VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Language For Inclusion Into Contracts, As Appropriate”)

24. VA Handbook 6500.8, “Information System Contingency Planning,” March 25, 2025

25. VA Handbook 6500.10, “Mobile Device Security Policy,” February 15, 2018 (see VA NOTICE 25-10, dated June 9, 2025, “Use of Personally Owned Mobile Devices Policy Amendment of Department of Veterans Affairs Handbook 6500.10”, and VA Notice 25-15, dated August 22, 2025, “Update to VA Handbook 6500.10 Mobile Device Security Policy”)

26. VA Handbook 6500.11, “VA Firewall Configuration,” August 22, 2017

27. OIT Process Asset Library (PAL), OIT Process Asset Library.

28. One-VA Technical Reference Model (TRM) (reference at https://www.va.gov/trm/TRMHomePage.aspx)

29. VA Directive 6508, “Implementation of Privacy Threshold Analysis and Privacy Impact Assessment,” October 15, 2014

30. VA Directive 6510, “VA Identity, Credential and Access Management,” September 3, 2024

31. VA Handbook 6510, “VA Identity, Credential and Access Management,” September 27, 2024

32. VA Directive and Handbook 6513, “Secure External Connections,” October 12, 2017

33. VA Directive 6300, “Records and Information Management,” September 21, 2018

34. VA Handbook, 6300.1, “Records Management Procedures,“ March 24, 2010

35. NIST SP 800-37 Rev 2, “Risk Management Framework for Information Systems and Organizations: A System Life Cycle Approach for Security and Privacy,” December 2018

36. NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, “Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations,” September 23, 2020 (includes updates as of 12/10/2020)

37. VA Directive 0735, “Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) Program,” October 26, 2015

38. VA Handbook 0735, “Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) Program,” March 24, 2014

39. OMB Memorandum 05-24, “Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 – Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors,” August 5, 2005

40. OMB Memorandum M-19-17, “Enabling Mission Delivery Through Improved Identity, Credential, and Access Management,” May 21, 2019

41. OMB Memorandum, “Guidance for Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 Implementation,” May 23, 2008

42. Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) Architecture, June 30, 2023 (FICAM Architecture (idmanagement.gov))

43. NIST SP 800-116 Rev 1, “Guidelines for the Use of Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Credentials in Facility Access,“ June 2018

44. NIST SP 800-63 Rev 4, 800-63A-4, 800-63B-4, 800-63C-4, “Digital Identity Guidelines,” August 1, 2025

45. NIST SP 800-157, “Guidelines for Derived PIV Credentials,” December 2014

46. VA Memorandum, VAIQ #7100147, “Continued Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12),” April 29, 2011 (reference https://www.voa.va.gov/documentlistpublic.aspx?NodeID=514)

47. IAM Identity Management Business Requirements Guidance document, May 2013, (reference Enterprise Architecture Section, PIV/IAM (reference https://www.voa.va.gov/documentlistpublic.aspx?NodeID=514)

48. VA Memorandum “Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Logical Access Policy Clarification,” July 17, 2019, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4896

49. Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 3.0 Core Guidance Documents, https://www.cisa.gov/publication/tic-30-core-guidance-documents

50. OMB Memorandum M-19-26, “Update to the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Initiative,” September 12, 2019

51. OMB Memorandum M-08-23, “Securing the Federal Government’s Domain Name System Infrastructure,” August 22, 2008

52. Sections 524 and 525 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, (P.L. 110–140), December 19, 2007

53. Section 104 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, (P.L. 109–58), August 8, 2005

54. Executive Order 13221, “Energy-Efficient Standby Power Devices,” August 2, 2001

55. Executive Order 14148, “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions,” dated January 20, 2025

56. VA Directive 0057, “VA Environmental Management Program,” October 25, 2022

57. OIS VAIQ #7424808 Memorandum, “Remote Access,” January 15, 2014, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentListPublic.aspx?NodeId=28

58. Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, 40 U.S.C. §11101 and §11103

59. “Veteran Focused Integration Process (VIP) Guide 4.0,” March 2021, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4371

60. VA Memorandum “Proper Use of Email and Other Messaging Services,” January 2, 2018, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentListPublic.aspx?NodeId=28

61. “Product Line Management Transformation Playbook” version 3.1, August 2023, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4946

62. NIST SP 500-267B Revision 1, “USGv6 Profile,” November 2020

63. OMB Memorandum M-21-07, “Completing the Transition to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6),” November 19, 2020

64. Social Security Number (SSN) Fraud Prevention Act of 2017

65. Section 240 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) 2018, March 23, 2018

66. C.F.R Title 15 Part 7, “Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) Supply Chain”, as amended

67. Executive Order 14028, “Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity,” May 12, 2021, https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2025/01/16/executive-order-on-strengthening-and-promoting-innovation-in-the-nations-cybersecurity/

68. OMB Memorandum M-22-09, “Moving the U.S. Government Toward Zero Trust Cybersecurity Principles”, January 26, 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/M-22-09.pdf.

69. NIST SP 800-52 Revision 2, “Guidelines for the Selection, Configuration, and Use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) Implementations

70. OMB M-26-05, “Adopting a Risk-based Approach to Software and Hardware Security,” January 23, 2026

71. OMB M-21-31, “Improving the Federal Government’s Investigative and Remediation Capabilities Related to Cybersecurity Incidents,” August 27, 2021

72. NIST SP 800-88 Revision 1 “Guidelines for Media Sanitization,” December 2014

73. CISA Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 19-02: “Vulnerability Remediation Requirements of Internet-Accessible Systems,” April 29, 2019, BOD 19-02: Vulnerability Remediation Requirements for Internet-Accessible Systems | CISA

74. CISA BOD 22-01: “Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities,” November 3, 2021, BOD 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities | CISA

75. CISA BOD 23-01: Improving Asset Visibility and Vulnerability Detection on Federal Networks.” Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), BOD 23-01: Improving Asset Visibility and Vulnerability Detection on Federal Networks | CISA

76. VA Directive 6550, Pre-Procurement Assessment and Implementation of Medical Devices/Systems, June 03, 2019

77. VA Memorandum, “VA Security Controls,” January 17, 2025, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=5010

78. E.O. 13960, “Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government,” December 3, 2020

79. E.O. 14319, “Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government,” July 23, 2025

80. OMB Memorandum M-25-21, “Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust,” April 3, 2025

81. OMB Memorandum M-25-22, “Driving Efficient Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government,” April 3, 2025

82. OMB Memorandum M-26-04, “Increasing Public Trust in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Through Unbiased AI Principles,” December 11, 2025

SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall deliver a fully integrated, enterprise-level HRSM solution to support nationwide HR operations for the VHA. The solution shall utilize a scalable, Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)-authorized Software as a Service (SaaS) model capable of supporting high volume, complex HR transactions across VHA’s diverse mission set.

The Contractor shall provide all necessary services for successful implementation, to include: system configuration, SaaS subscription services, secure hosting, testing, training support, and deployment. The solution shall be fully configured to meet VHA’s HR operational and mission requirements and shall integrate seamlessly with VA’s core personnel system, the future Federal HR 2.0 system and other designated systems.

The Contractor shall obtain and maintain a VA Authority to Operate (ATO). The HRSM solution must provide secure, reliable, and high-performance capabilities to support talent acquisition, employee lifecycle management, HR service desk, case management, specialized hiring and onboarding workflows for healthcare personnel and other employee types outlined in Optional Task 8, as well as reporting and analytics.

The solution will serve as the enterprise system of record for HR service delivery and support all modules within the HR suite. It will complement and augment existing enterprise systems through standardized, integrated workflows and data exchange.

In addition, the Contractor shall provide government personnel training to ensure that all affected employees are proficient in the new systems configuration, administration and operations.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The Period of Performance (PoP) shall be one 12-month Base Period from date of award, with four 12-month option periods and fourteen optional tasks. The overall PoP shall not exceed 60 months.

Any work at the Government site shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO).

There are 11 Federal holidays set by law (USC Title 5 Section 6103) that VA follows:

Under current definitions, five are set by date:

If any of the above falls on a Saturday, then Friday shall be observed as a holiday. Similarly, if one falls on a Sunday, then Monday shall be observed as a holiday.

The other six are set by a day of the week and month:

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Tasks under this PWS shall be performed at Contractor facilities. The Contractor shall identify the Contractor’s place of performance in their proposal submission.

TRAVEL

No travel is anticipated in performance of this effort.

SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall perform the following:

Base Year Task Summary:

1. Contractor Project Management

2. HRSM Solution

3. Configuration of Recruitment and Hiring Module

4. Configuration of HR Helpdesk Case Management Module

5. Assessment and Interview Delivery Module

6. Fedramp ATO

7. Go-Live and Hypercare Support

8. Assessment Subscriptions

9. Vendor Managed SaaS Hosting

Optional Task Summary:

Priority One Business Outcomes - Timeline Estimate:

Start migrating hiring into the new HRSM solution

Full adoption and stabilization for phase 1 scope in HRSM

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

CONTRACTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The Contractor shall deliver a Contractor Project Management Plan (CPMP) that lays out the Contractor’s approach, timeline, and tools to be used in execution of the contract. The CPMP should take the form of both a narrative and graphic format that displays the schedule, milestones, risks, and resource support. The CPMP shall also include how the Contractor shall coordinate and execute planned, routine, and ad hoc data collection reporting requests as identified within the PWS. The initial baseline CPMP shall be concurred upon and updated in accordance with Section B of the contract. The Contractor shall update and maintain the VA PM approved CPMP throughout the PoP.

The Contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) with Weekly Progress Reports for priority one tasks and Monthly Progress Reports for all other tasks in electronic form in Microsoft Office format [docx (Word), .xlsx (Excel), or .pptx (PowerPoint)]. The reports shall include detailed instructions/explanations for each required data element, to ensure that data is accurate and consistent. These reports shall reflect data as of the last day of the preceding period.

The Progress Reports shall include the following elements:

1. Recent Accomplishments

2. Next Steps

3. Challenges

The Progress Reports shall cover all work completed during the reporting period and work planned for the subsequent reporting period. The reports shall also identify any problems that arose and provide a description of how the problems were resolved. If problems have not been completely resolved, the Contractor shall provide an explanation including their plan and timeframe for resolving the issue. The report shall also include an itemized list of all Information and Communication Technology (ICT) deliverables and their current Section 508 conformance status. The Contractor shall monitor performance against the CPMP and report any deviations. It is expected that the Contractor will keep in communication with VA accordingly so that issues that arise are transparent to both parties to prevent escalation of outstanding issues. The Contractor shall provide a Deployment Plan and define deployment goals, expected outcomes, environment readiness, data migration, configuration backup plan and estimated date and time for each phase of the deployment. The Contractor shall also include procedures to revert to its previous working state if issues arise during the transition. The Deployment Plan shall include roles and responsibilities of individual or organization for each task and procedure for communicating stakeholders before, during and after deployment. The Contractor shall provide key personnel, including a systems engineer, functional analyst, configuration developer, and architect, to ensure the project is staffed with individuals possessing the necessary expertise to meet the requirements. The Contractor shall present upcoming functionality for each scheduled and ad hoc release. The Contractor shall provide communications support and materials such as slide decks, support for presentations to key stakeholders, meeting facilitation, presentations to the Steering Committee etc.

Deliverable:

A. Contractor Project Management Plan B. Weekly Progress Report C. Monthly Progress Report D. Deployment Plan

HRSM SOLUTION

HRSM SUBSCRIPTIONS

The Contractor shall provide a Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) HRSM with a moderate FedRAMP SaaS solution to streamline human resources services.

The Contractor shall provide subscription‑based, cloud‑hosted access to a complete and cohesive HRSM solution for VHA VA users, with the final subscription quantity to be confirmed prior to the go‑live date. The current estimate of subscriptions will be approximately 374,000 users. Upon successful implementation and deployment of the HR helpdesk and/or Recruitment and hiring module, the Contractor shall provide HRSM SAAS License subscriptions. The solution shall include all modules, capabilities, and managed services necessary to support enterprise HR operations across VHA, ensuring that licensing, provisioning and access levels can be scaled to meet current and future workforce needs.

1) The HRSM solution shall include a comprehensive centralized onboarding and offboarding capability, aiming to complete the onboarding process within the organization’s hiring timeframe goals.

2) The HRSM SaaS solution shall require no development and minimal configuration to align with the specified needs. Configuration is defined as adjustments made to the SaaS through delivered workflows, rules, security settings, and administrative features but does not start from an as-is capability. To be considered configurable, functionality must be forward compatible with future releases. Platform extensions are considered configurations. The Government expects that the Contractor shall implement all functionalities using standard configuration, personalization, or vendor approved extensibility frameworks. Customizations may be proposed only when the required functionality cannot reasonably be achieved through configuration or integration and must be approved in writing by the CO upon recommendation of the COR via the Steering Committee. The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining approved customizations, ensuring compatibility with vendor upgrades and patches, and providing complete technical documentation to the Government. Any adverse impact caused by a customization shall be remediated by the contractor at no additional cost to the Government.

3) The Contractor shall implement a record retention solution in compliance with the agency and all applicable government regulations and guidelines including VA Handbook 6300, VA Directive 6502, OMB Circular A-130 and other government guidelines and requirements, ensuring the proper management and preservation of records throughout their lifecycle. The SaaS solution should include identifying the types of records to be retained, specifying retention periods, and establishing secure methods for storage and disposal.

4) The HRSM solution shall include record retention and allow users to upload files as attachments (pdf, word, etc.) to all areas of the solution, forms, cases, or other business objects, subject to configured file type controls. The solution shall maintain the linkage between each uploaded document and its parent record (form, case, or transaction) for the life of the record, even if documents are moved to lower-cost or archival storage. The HRSM record retention function shall:

a. Provide geographically distributed data centers with automatic failover capabilities.

b. Support restoration of service within VA‑acceptable Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) thresholds as stated in the VA Handbook 6500.8 – Information System Contingency Planning. The Contractor shall ensure that, in the event of a service disruption, the SaaS application and all associated services are restored and fully operational within a maximum RTO of 12 hours. The Contractor shall provide evidence of Disaster Recovery testing that demonstrates the ability to meet this RTO upon request.

c. Recovery Point Objective (RPO). The Contractor shall ensure data loss is less than 1 hour (RPO < 1 hour) in the event of a system failure or disaster. This shall be achieved through:

i. Real-time or near-real-time data replication across redundant systems.

ii. Transactionally consistent replication to ensure data integrity.

iii. The Contractor shall provide documentation of the data replication architecture and testing results upon request.

d. Backup and Data Restoration. The Contractor shall test backup and restore procedures at least quarterly and provide test results to the Government upon request. The Contractor shall:

i. Perform automated full and incremental backups of all customer data at least every 24 hours.

ii. Implement real-time replication to a secondary site to support RPO requirement.

iii. Encrypt all backups using FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption in transit and at rest.

iv. Retain backups for a minimum of 30 days, unless otherwise specified by the Government.

v. Provide the ability to restore any data set within 30 minutes of request.

vi. Ensure that all system backups (including full, incremental, and real-time replicated backups) are securely maintained and made accessible to the Government upon request.

vii. Perform continuity testing at least annually to ensure system stability and reliability.

viii. Notify the Government of any deviation from agreed RTO/RPO thresholds within one business hour.

e. Support configurable retention schedules.

f. Allow record archival, deletion, or transfer based on approved retention rules.

g. Maintain linkages between uploaded documents and their parent record for the full life cycle of the record.

h. Support secure storage, retrieval, and disposal per federal records management standards.

5) The HRSM solution shall include integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and capabilities that enhance HR service delivery, strengthen case management operations and support secure, compliant automation across the enterprise. The HRSM solution shall provide the following AI‑enabled functionality:

a. Provide an integrated Generative AI (GenAI) virtual agent within the HR helpdesk case management module, capable of answering HR questions, guiding users through self‑service workflows, and assisting with case intake and routing.

b. Provide AI‑assisted responses to employee inquiries, including capabilities such as case summarization, next‑step recommendations, automated categorization and intelligent case triage to improve resolution speed and service quality.

c. Provide AI‑powered search features that improve discoverability of HR services, catalog items, knowledge articles, and helpdesk resources, ensuring employees receive accurate and relevant information quickly. AI search functions shall replace legacy or custom search widgets to reduce maintenance overhead and improve long‑term sustainability. AI‑powered search capabilities shall support an enterprise‑wide, authoritative information model by retrieving HR data exclusively from VA‑designated Authoritative Data Sources (ADS) and other approved enterprise repositories in accordance with VA governance requirements. The solution shall not independently crawl or index legacy, station‑level, VISN‑level, or ad‑hoc SharePoint sites unless those sites have been formally designated as ADS or approved content sources by VA.

VA staff shall retain full control over which content sources the AI is permitted to access, ensuring that AI‑powered responses are approved, accurate, and compliant HR information.

d. Provide sensitive data protection and exclusion controls. Support configurable exclusion rules and indexing controls to prevent sensitive or restricted data from being crawled, stored, or used in AI models, in alignment with VA data governance and security requirements.

e. Provide a secure, low‑code capability to enable VA staff to efficiently build, deploy and manage AI‑enabled products, including workflows and automations.

f. Maintain complete and auditable logs for all AI‑generated interactions, including prompts, outputs, decision paths, automated actions, and system‑generated recommendations, ensuring full traceability and compliance with federal AI governance expectations.

6) The HRSM solution shall provide a comprehensive, enterprise‑grade case management capability that enables HR teams to manage employee inquiries and issues effectively and efficiently. The HRSM solution shall:

a. Support end‑to‑end management of employee inquiries through a structured case management framework that includes intake, categorization, assignment, prioritization, and automated routing.

b. Enable accurate tracking, prioritization, and timely resolution of employee requests across all HR functional domains.

c. Provide real‑time case visibility for both employees and HR staff, allowing users to monitor status, progress and required actions at any point in the lifecycle.

d. Include workflow automation, notifications and escalation rules to streamline processing, minimize manual effort and ensure cases are addressed within defined service expectations.

e. Real-time metrics capturing ticket volume, tickets opened/completed, response/resolution times, user satisfaction, etc.

f. Maintain complete and auditable case histories, including all actions, updates, assignments and communications, in compliance with VA retention and record management requirements.

7) The HRSM solution shall provide a comprehensive Knowledge Management capability that enables employees and HR staff to easily access accurate, current and authoritative HR information. The solution shall:

a. Provide an enterprise knowledge base where employees can locate answers to common HR questions and access essential HR documents, reducing dependency on HR staff for routine inquiries.

b. Include a fully searchable knowledge repository accessible to both employees and HR personnel, supporting efficient information discovery across HR topics.

c. Allow content tagging, version control and controlled publishing workflows to maintain accuracy, ensure proper review, support lifecycle management, and prevent outdated content from being displayed.

d. Support linking knowledge articles directly to cases or service requests to improve case deflection, enhance self‑service resolution, and guide employees toward relevant content.

e. Integrate seamlessly with employee‑facing portals to ensure employees can easily access knowledge articles, FAQs and HR resources through self‑service channels.

8) The HRSM solution shall provide an intuitive, employee‑focused self‑service portal that enables users to access HR services quickly, accurately and without requiring direct HR assistance. The portal shall:

a. Provide a user‑friendly interface that allows employees to submit requests, access HR information and track the status of their inquiries independently.

b. Deliver a secure, responsive portal experience that allows employees to submit, view and manage HR requests from any supported device.

c. Display real‑time case, task and request status, ensuring full visibility into progress and required actions throughout the request lifecycle.

d. Enable personalized content, navigation, and service recommendations based on user role, location, organizational assignment and HR needs, consistent with Employee Center‑style functionality.

e. Integrate seamlessly with the HR knowledge base to provide self‑help resources and guide employees to the most relevant and accurate HR information, supporting faster understanding and resolution of their HR needs.

9) The HRSM solution shall provide a modern forms capability that enables VA to create, manage, route, track and complete HR forms through standardized, end‑to‑end workflows fully integrated with downstream HR systems.

10) The HRSM solution shall provide import and export tools that:

a. Provide data import/export functionalities and robust tools for data manipulation.

b. Filtering, transforming, and validating HR data during imports.

11) The HRSM solution shall provide data security and compliance tools that:

a. Provide encryption capability to safeguard Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data.

b. Provide encryption at rest and in transit for all PII/PHI data, consistent with FedRAMP and VA security controls.

c. Maintain full auditability of data access and activity.

d. Comply with NIST, federal, and VA data protection requirements.

e. Maintain service level availability consistent with commercial SaaS provider commitments.

12) The HRSM solution shall support communication and transparency that:

a. Improves communication with HR users and candidates by providing clear status updates, timelines and feedback.

b. Delivers regular progress notifications and transparent explanations where appropriate.

13) The HRSM solution shall provide Platform Performance Monitoring Tools that:

a. Be capable of implementing real-time monitoring dashboards to provide visibility into performance, usage and issues.

b. Be capable of setting up alerts and notifications for performance anomalies and potential issues.

c. Provide real‑time dashboards displaying health, throughput, error rates and latency.

d. Support configurable alerts for performance anomalies, degradation, or outages.

e. Support monitoring tools that align with enterprise‑scale operations and 374,000+ users.

f. Provide performance tuning recommendations as part of ongoing solution optimization.

g. Monitoring and alerting services to proactively address performance issues and ensure SLA compliance.

14) The HRSM solution shall provide reporting and analytics that enable the VA to accomplish various HR functions as listed:

a. Include robust reporting tools that enable HR teams to analyze trends in employee inquiries, track service performance metrics (e.g., volume, cycle time, etc.), and derive insights that inform service delivery strategies and continuous improvement

b. Provide analytics dashboards and workforce reporting capabilities with visualizations and KPIs suitable for immediate use by HR stakeholders.

c. Support predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and trend analysis for HR inquiries and service performance.

d. Supports ad hoc reporting

e. Allow users to build custom reports and interactive dashboards (e.g., Power BI)

f. Provide data access capabilities (e.g., secure APIs, data exports, connectors) supporting data consumption and cross‑system analytics. Data access capabilities include:

· Provide robust data access for large enterprise datasets, timely refresh frequency and security measures to ensure data integrity and prevent vulnerabilities.

· Ability to customize reports and pull data on every data point in the system.

· Data capabilities shall enable accurate, secure, and timely (refreshed and available for reporting at least once every 24 hours) insights to support large-scale HR operations. The solution shall support up to multi-terabyte (TB) datasets with capabilities for handling spikes in data volume, ensuring it can handle the extensive volume of HR-related data and scaling to accommodate organizational needs.

15) The HRSM solution shall provide virtual, self‑paced digital training to support users in learning and effectively operating the software. The Contractor shall ensure that VHA staff have 24/7 access to online training resources and help materials, including guidance on software best practices. The training resources and materials shall include, video walkthroughs and step‑by‑step tutorials that guide users through software functions and workflows. Additionally, the solution shall include training for relevant staff on policies and procedures to ensure adherence and minimize risks associated with non-compliance. The contractor shall provide online help materials updated with each production release, for release items that impact the overall process of how the functionality is used.

16) The HRSM solution shall provide workflow automation capabilities that streamline and orchestrate business processes, enabling standardized, repeatable and auditable task automation across VA operations.

17) The HRSM solution shall provide capabilities to create, deliver, and manage comprehensive talent assessments and interview processes across synchronous, semi‑asynchronous, and asynchronous modes, supporting large‑scale hiring operations with secure data management, customizable content, psychometrically sound testing tools, structured interview capabilities, and full integration into VA’s HR workflows.

18) Integrations: The Contractor shall provide seamless, secure interfaces enabling automated data exchange with the following systems: VA Personnel System (HRSmart / PeopleSoft) — Priority #1 for base year integration.

19) Workflow Requirements: The HRSM solution shall provide standardized and configurable workflows, including but not limited to equipment return, deprovisioning, badge retrieval, and documentation closure. The system shall support configurable tasks, due dates, role-based assignments, and automated reminders. It shall enable document generation, electronic signatures, and HR form completion. All workflows shall include automated routing to HR, supervisors, IT, security, and other designated stakeholders, with full audit trails capturing all actions, updates, and approvals

20) The HRSM solution shall provide full mobile accessibility, ensuring that VA staff can securely access HR services, self‑service features, knowledge resources, case status, and workflow actions from mobile devices without requiring VPN‑dependent intranet access. The mobile experience shall be responsive, Section 508‑compliant, and optimized for smartphones and tablets to address current limitations in mobile access to VA systems

21) The HRSM solution will provide tools and capabilities that enhance VHA’s ability to manage and use data effectively, driving measurable improvements in completeness, accuracy, timeliness, uniqueness, consistency, and conformity.

22) The HRSM solution shall be fully scalable to support increased user volume, reporting demands and expanded functional requirements without degradation of performance. The Contractor shall ensure the architecture can accommodate future modules, integrations, and workflow growth as VA needs evolve. The HRSM Solution shall:

a. Include high availability architecture with redundancy to ensure continuity of HR services nationwide.

b. Ability to scale to support workforce surges, organizational changes, or mission critical HR events.

CONFIGURATION OF RECRUITMENT AND HIRING MODULE

The Contractor shall implement and configure a centralized, enterprise-wide recruitment and hiring capability that supports VA’s hiring timeframe goals and provides the technology capability needed to help VA reduce Time to Hire from the current 80–100 days to a more efficient, streamlined model. Transitioning the recruitment and hiring of Title 38 and Hybrid VHA employees into the new HR Service Management solution shall be established as the Contractor’s highest implementation priority.

The Contractor shall provide VA with customizable dashboards that monitor and visualize Time to Hire (T2H),Time to Fill (T2F), 30-day hiring and other hiring metrics as needed by different metrics such as by Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), location, and enterprise wide; enabling real‑time insight into recruitment performance.

The HRSM solution shall automate data flows and reporting capabilities to eliminate or reduce the current pain point of spending more than three hours per day manually uploading and preparing hiring data.

AUTOMATED ONBOARDING WORKFLOWS

The Contractor shall provide automated onboarding workflows that:

1. Generate and assign all required onboarding tasks based on VA hiring workflows.

2. Track task completion in real time.

3. Notify new hires, HR staff, onboarding partners and hiring managers of upcoming or overdue tasks and are alerted in real time when tasks are assigned via email/text

4. Ensure all onboarding steps are completed within VA timelines, with workflow controls that monitor deadlines and prompt timely action

RECRUITMENT & CANDIDATE CAPABILITIES

The Solution shall provide comprehensive recruitment and candidate‑management functionality to support end‑to‑end hiring operations. At a minimum, the solution shall provide:

1. Job posting capabilities for internal and external candidates with ability to cross-post on multiple websites.

2. Real time automated email and text notifications to applicants, hiring managers and hiring teams.

3. Receipt, tracking, and management of applicant resumes.

4. Functionality to evaluate, score, and make notes regarding resumes against job requirements.

5. Capability to generate and filter candidates to issue certificates, panels, and list of applicants including support for Veterans’ Preference.

6. Online resume creation and submission functionality for applicants with specialization options for each announcement.

7. National Applicant Case file that stores qualified/eligible applicants for non-competitive hire. Hiring Managers have ability to review, send resume/documents to other Hiring Managers, SME’s, and HR once they want to move forward with a selection.

8. Tools to evaluate, assess, customize and compare candidates, including structured assessment, multiple assessment hurdles and scoring capabilities.

9. Functionality for hiring officials to make selections and document consideration, justification, and decision history.

10. Support for end‑to‑end candidate assessment activities, including questionnaires, competency‑based evaluations, and structured synchronous and asynchronous interviews. Tool for an interview platform which allows hiring managers/SME’s to virtually interview applicants via system. Ability to schedule interviews within the system for both Hiring Manager and applicant. Managers can score and add interview notes via this tool. Interview notes are stored and able to be downloaded/printed.

11. Candidate communication and status‑tracking features enabling applicants, human resources, and hiring managers to monitor their progress throughout the hiring lifecycle. Real time updates for Hiring Manager and transparency between HR and New Hire due outs.

12. Ability to manage applicant documents, attachments, and required forms throughout the recruitment process.

13. Ability to add and modify documents for electronic completion and signature of new hires and hiring teams.

14. Real-time automated email and text notifications for new hire and hiring teams when work tasks are assigned.

15. Add the system enhancements below:

a. As an HR User, I would like to have an additional contact field in the New Hire record available for the Security/Background Investigations POC

b. As an HR/Onboarding User, I would like to allow auto-population of payroll office number for forms.

c. As an HR/Onboarding User, I would like the ability to track and report on New Hire Records that have a delayed start due to pending qualifications. I would also like the ability to track and report on new hire and/or applicants declination reasons.

d. As an HR user viewing one or more vacancies tied to a request (when viewing the request), display the Internal Contact for the Vacancy Announcement so I can see the name without having to click into the announcement and find the name.

e. As an Administrator I would like to be able to remove system wide permission profiles since I would like my users to use the custom ones created specifically for VA only.

f. As an HR user, I would like the ability to mass reassign tasks from one user (or unassigned) to another user from the task dashboard.

g. As an HR/Onboarding User, I'd like to be notified when a new document is uploaded from an onboarding New Hire.

h. As an HR User, when I add documents to an Additional Selection Request, I do not want the documents to automatically populate in the Vacancy Case File as this can cause duplicate documents.

i. As an Office Admin, I would like to add a recurring cc'd email in my notification template so there are not additional steps I have to take every time I am sending a TJO/OJO (Tentative Job Offer/Official Job Offer) to new hires. This cc will allow the person a means for keeping up to date on the onboarding process.

j. As an HR User, I want the following data fields to be received through the Request Processing Interconnection (RPI) with HR Smart onto the Request. I would like the fields to be pushed into the New Hire (NH) record created against this specific request and populate the VA Onboarding Additional Employee Information from within Onboarding.

i. Station Number

ii. Cost Center Code

iii. VA Dept ID

iv. Duty Station Code

v. VA Region (VISN)

vi. Bargaining Unit Status

k. As an HR User, I would like a data field in the request module that contains a department level identifier so requests can be easily assigned to appropriate HR User and staff can use field as a filter for workload management purposes; this field would also need to be able to be transmitted from Request Processing Interconnection RPI.

l. As an HR user I want to add Nature of Action and Legal Authority Code to a selectee in the audit modal so onboarding users can know the type of appointment the person was selected under.

m. As an HR user I want my pages to auto save.

n. As an HR User (HR Supervisor) I want a single source dashboard to monitor the work/tasks assigned to my team members.

o. As an Administrator I would like to be able to remove/hide system tasks & workflows since I would like my users to use the custom ones created specifically for VA only.

p. As an HR User, I need the ability to amend a tentative job offer and official job offer if the new hire has accepted. If an amended TJO/OJO is sent, then the solution should capture the new hire's response (accept/decline/request more info).

q. As a Hiring Manager user, I want to be able to save a set of filters on the positions being filled dashboard so that I don't have to add all the Hiring Manager for which I have area of responsibility for every time I login.

r. VHA needs to assign onboarding tasks to…