RFI 36C10B26Q0050 RFI VA Enterprise Cloud.docx

Department of Veterans Affairs Request for Information VA Enterprise Cloud 36C10B26Q0050

INTRODUCTION

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued for the purpose of conducting market research. Accordingly, this RFI constitutes neither a Request for Proposal (RFP) nor a guarantee that one will be issued by the Government in the future. Furthermore, it does not commit the Government to contract for any services described herein. Do not submit a Proposal. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is not, at this time, seeking proposals or quotes, and therefore, will not accept, review, or evaluate unsolicited proposals or quotes received in response hereto. This notice is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this request. The Government does not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with submission of the information being requested or, reimburse expenses incurred for responses to this RFI. The information provided may be used by VA in developing its acquisition strategy and Product Description/Performance Work Statement. Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI is strictly voluntary; however, any information received shall become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the respondent. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response. This is a request for information and does not obligate the Government in any way, nor does it commit the Government to any specific course of action.

BACKGROUND/SCOPE

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has successfully stood up its own VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) consisting of two Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. Additional security and tooling have been established on top of these Government clouds. VA has amassed significant Veteran-facing and VA-facing cloud IT solutions for its three administrations, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and National Cemetery Administration (NCA) as well for the Office of Information & Technology and VA Central Offices. Significant investment has been made in customizing workloads for the underlying CSPs. Security controls were inherited by the CSP’s FedRAMP Authority to Operate and VA added security controls to both clouds equally but separately.

VA maintains two contracts to procure enterprise-wide cloud capacity credits for all customers hosted in the VAEC. The cloud credits support VA’s consumption needs for applications and systems hosted in Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. VA also procures AWS (ProServe) and Microsoft Azure Professional Services support labor.

AWS and Microsoft Azure cloud services are critical for applications such as VA's Veterans Health Information System Technology Architecture (VistA), VA's digital medical imaging repository and Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) to deliver critical healthcare and benefits services to Veterans. The orders provide VA with a vehicle to quickly and easily acquire AWS and Azure cloud services and technical subject matter experts supporting the platforms. The VAEC cloud credits currently support ~757 VA applications and systems, including VA critical and bedrock applications and systems. The applications and systems provide operational support for all VA Full Time Employee staff, Contractor staff, and ultimately support Veterans and their families by accessing or receiving benefits from VA applications and systems hosted in AWS and Azure.

VENDOR RESPONSE

Please provide the following information by 10AM EST on November 12, 2025 via email to Lauren Sankar Contract Specialist (CS), at lauren.sankar@va.gov and John Fields, Contracting Officer (CO), at john.fields3@va.gov. VA reserves the right to respond to any, all, or select respondents. All VA current requirements identified herein are subject to change at any time. If you experience any problems or have any questions concerning this announcement, please contact the CS and CO via email. VA appreciates your time and anticipated response.

Please provide the following in your response:

· Vendor name

· DUNS

· Vendor POC

· Business size standard (Large, Small, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.)

· List any federal contracts in which you are a prime contract holder that may be utilized for this requirement, for example: GSA, NASA SEWP, SPRUCE, T4, etc.

To better posture the VAEC in the future, VA is requesting Industry input on the following topics.

1. Cloud Service Provider (CSP) Strategy:

a. What value and benefits could be achieved by expanding VA’s existing VAEC footprint to include additional FedRAMP High certified CSPs? Would the benefits outweigh potential duplicative up-front and ongoing sustainment costs? If so, how?

b. How would Industry approach CSP alignment of applications/systems hosted in VAEC with increased availability of CSP's that are obtaining FedRAMP High certifications? Please address cost, risk, schedule, operational and sustainment impacts of your recommended approach?

2. Pricing Model: Describe your pricing structure for CSP services. Do you offer pay-as-you-go, reserved instances or equivalent, or enterprise discount programs?

3. Credit or Incentive Programs: Do you offer any onboarding credits, migration incentives, long-term commitment discounts, or any other discount mechanisms?

4. Cost Optimization Tools: What tools or services do you provide to help customers manage and optimize cloud spend?

5. Service Level Agreements (SLAs): What SLAs do you offer?

6. Navigating Appropriation and Competition Rules:

a. What strategies have you seen successfully employed to structure Information Technology (IT) CSP credit contracts and use of reserved instances, savings plans or equivalent that comply with federal appropriation and competition requirements, while still enabling agencies to realize cost savings and maintain timely access to emerging technologies and scalable CSP services?

b. How can we design modular or phased contracts that allow for flexibility in funding availability without compromising performance or compliance?

7. Period of Performance (PoP) and Long-Term Planning:

a. What are best practices for structuring outcomes-based contracts that align with multi-year planning cycles, yet remain adaptable to evolving mission needs and technology shifts?

b. How can agencies ensure continuity of cloud services and cost optimization when operating under annual appropriation cycles, particularly in environments where cloud credits, savings plans, or committed use discounts require longer-term commitments to maximize value?

8. Marketplace and Procurement Limitations:

a. How can agencies better leverage existing Government and Commercial marketplaces (e.g., Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace, GSA Multiple Award Schedules) to access innovative services while avoiding duplicative or restrictive procurement paths?

b. What contractual mechanisms (e.g., Blanket Purchase Agreements, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQs) have you seen used effectively to streamline access to pre-vetted services or vendors?

c. How would Industry recommend assessing capability and negotiating pricing with 3rd party Vendors within a CSP's marketplace on an enterprise-wide contract? Please provide examples currently in practice on any Federal contracts.

9. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration:

a. Given the rapid evolution of AI, how can agencies structure contracts to allow for incremental adoption of AI capabilities without triggering full recompetes or major contract modifications?

b. What are examples of successful AI pilots or phased implementations that respected federal acquisition constraints?

10. Access to Learning and Knowledge Management Systems:

a. How can agencies ensure timely access to training and knowledge-sharing platforms when such services are available but not easily accessible due to funding or contract limitations?

b. What are examples of how industry has helped agencies overcome access barriers to internal or external learning platforms?

11. General Innovation Enablement:

a. What contract structures or incentive models have you seen that encourage continuous innovation and improvement, considering rigid federal acquisition frameworks?

b. How can agencies better align contract outcomes with innovation goals, especially when internal constraints limit direct access to new tools or services?

c. What structure can be provided to support the onboarding and management of new workloads into the VAEC? Considerations should include integrated quote generation capabilities to estimate cloud resource costs and facilitate approval workflows in alignment with federal IT governance and budgetary controls.

12. Cloud Cost Optimization and Savings Plans:

a. What are the best practices for federal agencies like VA to directly acquire and manage cloud savings plans or equivalent (e.g., AWS & Azure Savings Plans,) to maximize cost efficiency without relying on vendors who charge and/or keep a percentage of the savings?

b. What tools, governance models, or support services can help VA forecast usage and manage these plans effectively?

c. Are there examples of agencies successfully implementing these approaches and what lessons were learned?

13. Professional Services: How would Industry recommend obtaining Professional Services or Equivalent 3rd party Labor Services supporting VA CSP needs? What options and contract vehicles should VA consider?