Agile Six JA Final 9.5.25_Redacted.pdf

Benefits Intake Optimization

CONTROL NUMBER: VA-25-00104534

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics

Technology Acquisition Center 23 Christopher Way Eatontown, NJ 07724

2. Description of Action: The proposed sole source action is for a firm-fixed price (FFP) type contract for the iterative development and publishing of forms on VA.gov.

The proposed contractor is Agile Six Applications Inc. (Agile Six), 12830 Vineyard Crest Pl, Lakeside, CA 92040.

3. Description of Supplies or Services: The proposed action will provide and establish a data validation mechanism to develop and publish forms on VA.gov. The forms have high volume and a high impact to the Veteran community. These forms are being added to VA.gov in support of a Department driven priority goal of reducing average days to complete (ADC) for multiple types of claims processed by the Veterans Benefits Administration for Veterans and/or their beneficiaries. Adding data validation and the new forms will drive three key outcomes: 1) transition intake of paper forms, or electronic representation of paper forms for these claims to electronic intake to reduce scanning costs and improve information fidelity and accuracy; 2) ensure data is captured for these claims to reduce data fidelity losses related to variance in the accuracy of optical character recognition and optimize preparation for automation and; 3) drive validation of claimant inputs and optimize the completeness and accuracy of inputs required by automation to avoid extra time associated with “off ramps” that involve additional time incurred in handling. These actions directly align with the strategic objectives of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Deputy Secretary and are in alignment with Executive Order “Improving Our Nation Through Better Design” dated August 21, 2025.

The scope of work will require Agile Six to digitize two forms, VA 21P-601 and VA 21-0537, with optional tasks to also digitize four other forms, VA 21-4170, VA 21- 4171, VA 21P-0516-1, and VA 21P-0518-1, on VA.gov and make these available for use on VA.gov’s existing design system, content style guide, and claims systems.

The contractor shall provide a shippable product that is both functional and compliant with security and accessibility requirements. The goal for each sprint is to establish user-validated data submission, ensure semantic validation, and correct inaccuracies upon submission of evidentiary materials. This aims to maximize the automatability of the intake process, minimizing errors and reducing the need for manual intervention, thereby preventing automation off-ramps that lead to more manual requests to first and third parties. This proposed contract is for one (1) 12-month base period of performance which covers two (2) forms, VA 21P-601 and VA 21-0537. There are also six (6) optional tasks that can be exercised in this base period for four (4) additional forms (VA 21-4170, VA 21-4171, VA 21P-0516-1, 21P-

0518-1) and as well as one for operations and maintenance and one for the transition of each form. The total estimated value is inclusive of all optional tasks.

4. Statutory Authority: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for this acquisition is 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(5), “Authorized or Required by Statute”, as implemented by FAR 6.302-5. For this action, 38 U.S.C. 8127(c), known as the Veterans First Contracting Program provides the authority to directly contract with a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) or a Veteran- Owned Small Business (VOSB).

5. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: The proposed source for this acquisition is Agile Six. Agile Six is a certified SDVOSB and is technically qualified to develop and maintain the required forms specified in Section 3.

Agile Six has current awards performing work on VA.gov. Specifically, Agile Six is working on the Cross Benefits Crew Task Order and previously supported benefits on the VA.gov Toxic Exposure Task Order. Additionally, as part of market research, as discussed in Section 8, Agile Six demonstrated a substantially effective capability of employing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to produce a rapid form generation pilot demonstrating the innovative use of technology to break more traditional requirements driven processes that tend to lengthen development times. Agile Six is familiar with VA.gov which mitigates risks associated with delivery and performance requirements. Also, as a recognized current VA.gov support contractor, Agile Six will be able to build off the work already produced, capitalizing on both the technical architecture developed and the lessons learned to this point to inform its approach to this new requirement. This experience will enable Agile Six to provide added value and flatten the learning curve normally associated with a new vendor unfamiliar with this development space. In total, Agile Six’s previous experience working with VA, its familiarity with the VA technical environment, and its demonstrated capability in the high-risk technical areas of this requirement, will significantly increase the likelihood of a successful outcome on this effort.

Specifically for VA, success under this effort will achieve ADC reductions through reducing the time needed to gather evidence and using existing data sources which can enhance evidence reviews and requests while reducing exam needs and wait times. As such, the award of this effort to Agile Six is in the best interest of the Government.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted in August of 2025, as discussed in Section 8. Upon determination that a sole source award to SDVOSB Agile Six was in the best interest of the Government, the Contracting Officer confirmed that Agile Six meets all of the requirements detailed in VAAR 819.7008.

Consistent with the guidelines of the Veterans First Contracting Program, the proposed action described herein will be synopsized and this justification will be posted on the Contracting Opportunities Page in accordance with FAR Part 5.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The Government will continue to assess the market for this requirement should the need persist after the expiration of this contract. Market research for any future requirement will include assessment of Secure, Performant, Reliable, and User-Centered Experiences (SPRUCE) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity vehicle for capable vendors.

8. Market Research: Market research was conducted by the Government’s Government Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in August 2025, and the Contracting Officer considered other contractors in the marketplace. Government SMEs, participated in one-on-one market research discussions with interested SDVOSBs.

Those discussions determined that Agile Six was capable of meeting this requirement based on its successful experience working on VA.gov, its work to date building existing VA.gov solutions and a prototype that demonstrated the effectiveness of utilizing generative AI to produce a working interactive form prototype, and experience in the processing needs of Veteran benefits claims and the associated data required to produce decisions.

The Government’s SMEs also accessed the VetCert database on August 29th, 2025.

This search concluded that Agile Six qualifies as a SDVOSB in accordance with the federal small business size standard for the applicable North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) 541519. Further, it was verified by the Government’s SMEs on September 3, 2025 that Agile Six is registered in the SAM.gov database and is eligible to receive a government contract.

The Contracting Officer also reviewed all 43 records of Agile Six Applications Inc.

performance ratings in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System.

Agile Six Applications Inc.’s ratings were all “satisfactory” or above, demonstrating it is a responsible contractor with respect to performance.

9. Other Facts: The Procuring Contracting Officer has determined that this proposed action meets all the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 8127(c) and VAAR 819.7008. This acquisition is below the $5,000,000.00 threshold, Agile Six is a responsible SDVOSB for performance of the services described herein, the proposed contract can be awarded at a fair and reasonable price, and award to Agile Six is in the best interest of the Government.

10. Technical/Requirements Certification

I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in this justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

11. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination

I hereby determine that the anticipated price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable based on an analysis of historical prices paid by the Government for the same services to verify Agile Six proposed price is fair and reasonable per FAR 15.404-1(b)(2)(ii).

12. Contracting Officer Certification

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Approval

In my role as procuring activity Advocate for Competition, based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the acquisition of a contract for the development and publishing of forms on VA.gov on an other than full and open competition basis pursuant to the authority cited in Section 4 above, subject to availability of funds, and provided that the action herein described has otherwise been authorized for acquisition.