UDD RFI PWS_7.14.26.docx

Unified Discovery and Disclosure (UDD) Platform

<VA-27-00004607>

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Office of Information & Technology (OIT) Product Delivery Service (PDS)

Unified Discovery and Disclosure (UDD) Platform

Date: July 14, 2026

<VA-27-00004607>

PWS Version Number: 0.5

Contents

BACKGROUND

VA, Office of Information and Technology (OIT), Office of General Counsel (OGC), with business stakeholders including the FOIA Service (Compliance, Risk, and Remediation) and OGC eDiscovery under the Secretary of VA, Congressional, Legal Affairs (SCLA) product line currently operates two separate enterprise applications; Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act case management (eFOIA) and eDiscovery and litigation review. These systems do not share a common evidentiary corpus, a chain of custody, a redaction engine, a legal hold registry, an audit log, or a user interface. The eFOIA system supports FOIA and Privacy Act request intake, processing, redaction, response, public posting, appeals processing and tracking and reporting, while the eDiscovery system supports litigation and administrative discovery across the matter lifecycle.

This separation drives duplicative collection and storage of the same VA records, inconsistent legal hold and redaction practices, and inconsistent service levels across components. VA seeks a single, integrated, FedRAMP-authorized cloud platform that performs both eDiscovery and eFOIA work end to end on the same corpus, with a single chain of custody, redaction engine, audit log, and user interface, while preserving role-based separation across matter types and components.

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

83. VA Directive 6066, Business Associate Agreements, September 2, 2014

SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall furnish a single, integrated, FedRAMP-authorized cloud platform that performs eDiscovery and electronic FOIA processing for the VA enterprise, together with implementation, data migration, integration, training, sustainment, managed-service support, and transition services. VA possesses components nationwide, inclusive of United States territories. This effort requires Development, Modernization, and Enhancement (DME), and shall encompass modern delivery practices such as Agile development, Development Security Operations, Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery, Human-Centered Design, Section 508 conformance, Zero Trust principles, cloud-native architecture, and data migration from legacy systems.

IN-SCOPE WORKSTREAMS

FOIA and Privacy Act request intake, processing, redaction, response, public posting, appeals processing, judicial tracking, and reporting.

· Litigation and administrative eDiscovery support across the matter lifecycle.

· Legal hold and preservation across enterprise data sources.

· Investigative and oversight electronic information support.

· Production, public posting, and records disposition in accordance with NARA-approved records retention schedules.

SCALE (INDICATIVE, NOT BINDING)

VA operates at an enterprise scale nationwide. The following figures are provided for planning purposes only and are not binding: approximately 400 concurrent and 1,900 named users, and approximately 120,000 FOIA and Privacy Act requests per year, with litigation eDiscovery operating at large-Federal-agency scale. Detailed volumetrics will be provided in the solicitation.

GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE AND AVAILABILITY

Users access the Platform nationwide, including United States territories. All Platform infrastructure and all Contractor personnel shall be located within the United States; no offshore access or storage is permitted. The Platform is expected to be available on a 24x7 basis, with help-desk coverage during business hours and after-hours coverage for high-severity issues.

OBJECTIVES AND DESIRED OUTCOMES

· A single source of truth for information under legal hold, FOIA processing, or investigative review.

· A defensible, repeatable, audit-ready workflow from preservation through production.

· Reduced cycle time and unit cost for FOIA and eDiscovery production.

· Transparency to VA leadership, oversight bodies, and the public on FOIA workload and disposition.

· A FedRAMP-authorized security posture with continuous monitoring.

· An open architecture suitable for integration with VA enterprise systems, including Microsoft 365.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

One 12-month base period plus four 12-month option periods and transition tasks to support a phased rollout and continuity of services. The Government requests a transition-in period at the start of performance and a transition-out period at the conclusion of performance to preserve continuity and protect VA data and records.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Performance is at Contractor facilities (offsite), and work is performed remotely. The Platform is a Contractor-provided cloud solution. All Platform infrastructure, data, and contractor personnel supporting the platform shall be located within the United States; no offshore access or storage is permitted. Users access the platform nationwide, including United States territories. The primary Government location is VA, OIT, Washington, DC.

TRAVEL

No travel is anticipated for this effort during the market-research (Request for Information) stage.

SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall perform the following:

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

CONTRACTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Contractor shall deliver and maintain a Contractor Project Management Plan (CPMP) that establishes the Contractor’s approach, schedule, and tools for executing this effort. As this is a development, modernization, and enhancement (DME) effort, the CPMP shall describe the Contractor’s Agile delivery approach, including release and sprint planning, backlog management, and the integration of DevSecOps and continuous integration and continuous delivery practices into the delivery lifecycle.

The CPMP shall address, at a minimum, project scope, schedule and milestones, the Agile delivery approach, staffing and resource support, risk identification and mitigation, dependencies, and communications and stakeholder coordination. The CPMP shall take the form of both a narrative and a graphic depiction that displays the schedule, milestones, risks, and resource support. The CPMP shall also describe how the Contractor will coordinate and execute planned, routine, and ad hoc data collection and reporting requests identified within this Performance Work Statement.

The Contractor shall deliver an initial baseline CPMP following award and shall maintain the VA Program Manager (PM) approved CPMP throughout the period of performance, updating it as the effort evolves. The Contractor shall manage performance against the approved CPMP and surface deviations to the Government in a timely and transparent manner. Specific deliverable cadence, format, baseline concurrence, and acceptance criteria will be established in the solicitation.

Deliverable:

A. Contractor Project Management Plan

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall conduct a Project Kickoff Meeting with the VA Program Manager (PM), Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and designated Government stakeholders following award to confirm scope, schedule, communications protocols, reporting formats, and the initial CPMP baseline. The Contractor shall participate in recurring program reviews with the Government throughout the period of performance and, where an Agile delivery approach is employed, shall conduct sprint reviews and supporting Agile ceremonies that provide the Government visibility into delivered increments and planned work.

The Contractor shall provide the COR with a Monthly Progress Report in electronic form. The report shall reflect data as of the last day of the preceding month. The Monthly Progress Report shall cover all work completed during the reporting period and work planned for the subsequent reporting period, identify any problems that arose and how they were resolved, and, for any problem not fully resolved, provide the Contractor’s plan and timeframe for resolution. The report shall 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 approved CPMP and report any deviations.

The Contractor shall maintain ongoing communication with the Government so that issues are transparent to both parties and are addressed before they escalate. Specific report formats, templates, and data elements will be established in the solicitation.

Deliverable:

A. Monthly Progress Report

CAPABILITY AREAS FOR MARKET RESEARCH

The capability areas below describe the outcomes the Government seeks from a single, integrated, FedRAMP-authorized cloud platform that performs both electronic Freedom of Information Act (eFOIA) and eDiscovery work end to end on a common evidentiary corpus, with a single chain of custody, redaction engine, audit log, and user interface, while preserving role-based separation across matter types and components. Vendors shall describe for each capability area how their solution delivers the capability today and note any areas that would require customization or integration. Vendors shall also identify additional capabilities the Government has not inquired about if it would benefit the mission wherever possible. For the purposes of this Request for Information only, the Government seeks outcomes, and vendors shall propose the methods, subject to stated constraints such as FedRAMP authorization, Section 508 conformance, and United States-only data and personnel. These capability areas represent a shared eDiscovery and electronic FOIA baseline that a mature, FedRAMP-authorized platform should be able to meet, aligned to the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) lifecycle: identification, collection, preservation, processing, review, analysis, production, and presentation.

PLATFORM AND ARCHITECTURE

The Government seeks a cloud-native, browser-based platform that is FedRAMP-authorized, keeps all data and personnel within the United States, scales elastically to a large Federal enterprise, and enforces role-based access with workspace separation across VA components. Vendors should describe how their solution delivers this architecture today and how it preserves role-based separation across matter types while operating on a common corpus.

LEGAL HOLD AND PRESERVATION

The Government seeks the ability to create, issue, track, escalate, and release legal holds; to preserve information in place across enterprise email and collaboration systems; and to produce defensible, audit-ready hold reporting. Vendors should describe end-to-end legal hold and preservation, including custodian notification, acknowledgment tracking, and release.

IDENTIFICATION AND COLLECTION

The Government seeks targeted and content-based collection from enterprise sources such as email, collaboration platforms, file shares, cloud storage, mobile devices, and structured data, supported by a defensible chain of custody with hashing and logging. Vendors should describe collection across these sources and the integrity controls that establish a defensible chain of custody.

PROCESSING AND INDEXING

The Government seeks the ability to ingest and process common file types; extract text, metadata, and embedded content; perform optical character recognition; de-duplication and efficient data decryption; handle document families and email threads; and manage exceptions transparently. Vendors should describe their processing and indexing pipeline and how exceptions are surfaced and resolved.

SEARCH, ANALYTICS, AND TECHNOLOGY-ASSISTED REVIEW

The Government seeks advanced search; concept, communication, and entity analytics; supervised machine learning; and sampling with statistical validation. Vendors should describe their search, analytics, and technology-assisted review capabilities, including how results are validated and defensible.

REVIEW, CODING, AND QUALITY CONTROL

The Government seeks configurable coding panels, multi-pass review and quality control, an integrated document viewer, and reviewer productivity reporting. Vendors should describe the review workflow, including quality control passes and the productivity and oversight reporting available to managers.

AUDIO, VIDEO, AND IMAGERY

The Government seeks automated transcription that produces searchable, redactable transcripts; media and image review; and detection of sensitive information within media. Vendors should describe transcription, multimedia review, and sensitive-information detection across audio, video, and imagery.

AI-ASSISTED REDACTION AND AI GOVERNANCE

The Government seeks assisted detection of personally identifiable information, protected health information, and sensitive Veteran information, with human review and confirmation, permanent redaction, and re-production tracking. Any artificial intelligence features shall operate inside the authorization boundary, shall not use VA data for model training, and shall comply with Federal AI policy, including AI use-case inventory expectations. Inherently governmental determinations, including FOIA exemption and privilege determinations, remain with VA personnel. Vendors should describe AI-assisted redaction and their AI governance approach including how AI features comply with Federal AI policy, remain inside the authorization boundary, and avoid using VA data for model training.

PRODUCTION

The Government seeks Bates numbering, redaction and confidentiality stamping, standard load-file and image formats, secure delivery, and clawback and re-production tracking. Vendors should describe production in standard formats and the controls supporting secure delivery and clawback.

FOIA CASE MANAGEMENT

The Government seeks a public intake portal with accessible identity options (for example Login.gov, with stronger proofing for Privacy Act first-party requests); multi-track processing; automatic statutory clock tracking; fee handling; configurable correspondence; appeals handling; Vaugh-index generation; and role-based dashboards. Vendors should describe FOIA and Privacy Act case management from intake through closure, noting that FOIA exemption, fee-waiver, appeal, and privilege determinations remain with VA personnel. The Government recognizes that certain FOIA-specific functions (public requester portal, FOIA Reading Room, correspondence and template management, request classification and auto-closure, DOJ-format annual reporting, second-level or review routing of individual requests, Vaughn-index generation, appeals processing and tracking, litigation tracking, Privacy Act request processing, appeals processing and tracking, DOJ Office of Information Policy periodic reports, processing-track metrics, and FOIA.gov integration) may be satisfied natively by the platform, by configuration, or through VA-provided components, Application Programming Interface (API) export, or supplemental tools; vendors should indicate how their solution meets these needs.

FOIA REPORTING AND PUBLIC POSTING

The Government seeks the data and outputs required for the Annual FOIA Report and the Chief FOIA Officer Report; integration with the national FOIA portal; and a compliant, searchable FOIA reading room. Vendors should describe statutory FOIA reporting and public posting. These outputs may be produced natively or by exporting data in standard formats (for example, Comma-Separated Values [CSV], JavaScript Object Notation [JSON], or Extensible Markup Language [XML]) sufficient to support VA’s compilation of statutory reports and its public posting; a FOIA Reading Room may be hosted on a VA public site or content management system rather than within the platform.

EDISCOVERY CASE MANAGEMENT

The Government seeks matter management; privilege log generation; production tracking; ingestion of opposing productions; and access controls at the matter level. Vendors should describe litigation and administrative eDiscovery case management across the matter lifecycle.

REPORTING, DASHBOARDS, AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

The Government seeks ad-hoc and standard reporting for end users, executive dashboards, and read-only data feeds to VA business intelligence tools. Vendors should describe their reporting, dashboard, and business intelligence capabilities, including transparency to VA leadership and oversight bodies.

MICROSOFT 365 INTEGRATION AND OTHER INTEGRATIONS

The Government seeks in-place hold and collection from Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams) via Microsoft Graph and Microsoft Purview eDiscovery; VA single sign-on and multi-factor authentication (e.g. Logn.gov); enterprise identity and group membership; records management; and integration with the national FOIA portal. Vendors should describe these integrations and any VA enterprise integration experience.

OPEN API

The Government seeks a documented, secure API that allows VA-authorized integration and data exchange. Vendors should describe their API, its documentation, and its security controls.

MOBILE AND ACCESSIBILITY

The Government seeks responsive access from VA-managed devices and Section 508 conformance across all user-facing functions. Vendors should describe responsive access and Section 508 conformance. If available, provide a current Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), for the proposed solution.

SECURITY, PRIVACY, AND COMPLIANCE (HIGH LEVEL)

The Platform shall be FedRAMP-authorized. The required impact level (Moderate or High) is a pending Government decision; responders shall state their current authorization status and impact level rather than assume one. At a high level, the Platform shall provide continuous monitoring; encrypt VA data in transit and at rest; support VA identity and multi-factor authentication; maintain audit logging; support incident response and breach notification; protect privacy consistent with applicable Federal law; keep all data and personnel within the United States, with no offshore access or storage; and conform to Section 508. Detailed information security and privacy control language is deferred to the solicitation.

IMPLEMENTATION AND DATA MIGRATION

The Government seeks a defensible approach to implementing and configuring the unified platform and migrating data from VA’s existing CasePoint eFOIA and eDiscovery systems, including cutover of active matters and FOIA requests, preservation of chain of custody and legal holds during migration, validation of migrated records, and minimal disruption to ongoing operations. Vendors should describe their implementation methodology, data-migration approach, and how they preserve defensibility and continuity during transition from legacy systems.

TRAINING AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT

The Government seeks role-based training and organizational change management to support adoption across VA Administrations, Staff Offices, and field components nationwide, including end-user, administrator, and train-the-trainer resources, reference materials, and a Section 508-conformant knowledge base. Vendors should describe their training delivery model and change-management approach for a large, geographically distributed Federal enterprise.

SUSTAINMENT AND MANAGED SERVICES

The Government seeks ongoing sustainment and managed-service support for the platform, including tiered help-desk and technical support, service-level agreements for availability and responsiveness, continuous monitoring, release and patch management, and capacity to scale with enterprise demand. Vendors should describe their managed-service model, support tiers, and proposed service levels.

TRANSITION (PHASE-IN AND PHASE-OUT)

The Government seeks orderly transition-in at the start of performance and transition-out at its conclusion, including knowledge transfer and, at the end of performance, export and return of all VA data and metadata in usable, non-proprietary formats with no loss of chain of custody, so that VA is not dependent on a single provider. Vendors should describe their transition-in and transition-out approach and their data-export and exit provisions.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

ENTERPRISE AND IT FRAMEWORK

VA TECHNICAL REFERENCE MODEL

The Contractor shall comply with the VA OIT Technical Reference Model (VA TRM). Compliance with the VA TRM is achieved by using only technologies and standards that are listed as approved for use in the VA TRM. The Contractor shall provide all necessary information requested by VA to ensure TRM approval is obtained prior to use on VA’s network.

ZERO TRUST – VA CRITICAL SECURITY CONTROLS

VA has established minimum mandatory security requirements and requires that any network connected software system or service must meet the VA Critical Security Controls as outlined in the VA Memorandum, “VA Security Controls”, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=5010. VA Critical Security Controls identify the minimum mandatory requirements that must be implemented across all VA enterprise infrastructure, cloud computing environments, information systems, networks, and specialized devices (medical devices/systems, special-purpose systems, and research scientific computing devices) that process, store, and/or transmit VA data. Effective July 1, 2025, the Contractor shall implement these VA Critical Security Controls, within any network connected software system or service prior to being authorized for use in the VA. This functional requirement is not negotiable, and Plan of Action & Milestones (POAM) will not be accepted in the event these controls cannot be implemented for new systems. Critical Security Controls are intended to increase VA’s security posture and provide security and privacy risk visibility into the VA network and is not a new requirement. The Contractor’s failure to maintain these VA Critical Controls after implementation will result in VA discontinuing the use of the system.

FEDERAL IDENTITY, CREDENTIAL, AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT (FICAM)

The Contractor shall ensure Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) product(s), software configuration and customization, and/or new software are Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card-enabled by accepting HSPD-12 PIV credentials using VA Enterprise Architecture (EA), and VA Identity and Access Management (IAM) approved Enterprise Technology Guidelines (ETG). The Contractor shall ensure all Contractor delivered applications and systems comply with the VA Identity, Credential, and Access Management policies and guidelines set forth in Executive Order 14028, VA Handbook 6510 VA Identity and Access Management, VA Handbook 0735 Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) Program, CISA Binding Operational Directive 23-01, and align with the Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management Roadmap and Implementation Guidance v2.0.

The Contractor shall ensure all Contractor delivered applications and systems provide user authentication services compliant with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-63-4, VA Handbook 6500, and VA IAM enterprise requirements for direct, assertion based authentication, and/or trust based authentication, as determined by the ETGs. Direct authentication at a minimum must include Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) based authentication supportive of PIV card and/or Common Access Card (CAC), as determined by the business need.

The Contractor shall ensure all Contractor delivered applications and systems conform to the specific Identity and Access Management PIV requirements set forth in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memoranda M-05-24, M-19-17, M-22-09, and NIST Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201-3. Contractor delivered applications and systems shall be on the FIPS 201 Approved Product List (APL). If the Contractor delivered application and system is not on the APL, the Contractor shall be responsible for taking the application and system through the FIPS 201 Evaluation Program.

The Contractor shall ensure all Contractor delivered applications and systems support:

1. Automated provisioning and are able to use enterprise provisioning service.

2. Interfacing with VA’s Master Person Index (MPI) to provision identity attributes, if the solution relies on VA user identities. MPI is the authoritative source for VA user identity data.

3. The VA defined unique identity (Secure Identifier [SEC ID] / Integrated Control Number [ICN]).

4. Multiple authenticators for a given identity and authenticators at every Authenticator Assurance Level (AAL) appropriate for the solution.

5. Identity proofing for each Identity Assurance Level (IAL) appropriate for the solution.

6. Federation for each Federation Assurance Level (FAL) appropriate for the solution, if applicable.

7. Two-factor authentication (2FA) through an applicable Technology Guideline as outlined in VA ETG.

8. A Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) implementation if the solution relies on assertion-based authentication. Additional assertion implementations, besides the required SAML assertion, may be provided as long as they are compliant with NIST SP 800-63-4 guidelines.

9. Authentication/account binding based on trusted Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) headers if the solution relies on Trust based authentication.

10. Role Based Access Control.

11. Auditing and reporting capabilities.

12. Compliance with VIEWS 00155984, PIV Logical Access Policy Clarification https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4896.

The required Assurance Levels for this specific effort are Identity Assurance Level 3, Authenticator Assurance Level 3, and Federation Assurance Level 3.

INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (IPv6)

The Contractor solution shall support IPv6-Only based upon the memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on November 19, 2020 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/M-21-07.pdf). Which defines IPv6-only as the state of an operational system or service when IPv4 protocol functions (addressing, packet forwarding) are not in use. The NIST USGv6 profile defines technical requirements for a product to be capable of operating in IPv6-Only environments. IPv6-Only technology, in accordance with the USGv6 Program (https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/usgv6-program/usgv6-revision-1), NIST Special Publication (SP) 500-267B Revision 1 “USGv6 Profile” (https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.500-267Br1), and NIST SP 800-119 “Guidelines for the Secure Deployment of IPv6” (https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-119), compliance shall be included in all IT infrastructures, application designs, application development, operational systems and sub-systems, and their integration. In addition to the above requirements, all devices, applications, and systems shall support all applicable functionality on native IPv6-Only as well as dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) connectivity without additional memory or other resources being provided by the Government, so that they can function in a mixed environment. All public/external facing servers and services (e.g., web, email, DNS, ISP services, etc.) shall support native IPv6-Only and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) users and all internal infrastructure and applications shall support using native IPv6-Only and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) for all functionality and operations.

TRUSTED INTERNET CONNECTION (TIC)

The Contractor solution shall meet the requirements outlined in Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-19-26, “Update to the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Initiative“ (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/M-19-26.pdf), VA Directive 6513 “Secure External Connections”, and shall comply with the TIC 3.0 Core Guidance Documents, including all Volumes and TIC Use Cases, found at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) (https://www.cisa.gov/publication/tic-30-core-guidance-documents).

STANDARD COMPUTER CONFIGURATION

The Contractor IT end user solution that is developed for use on standard VA computers shall be compatible with and be supported on the standard VA operating system, Windows 11, Edge (Chromium based), and 365 Apps for enterprise. Applications delivered to VA and intended to be deployed to Windows 11 workstations shall be delivered as a signed .msi package with switches for silent and unattended installation and updates shall be delivered in signed .msp file formats for easy deployment using Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (CM) VA’s current desktop application deployment tool. Signing of the software code shall be through a vendor provided certificate that is trusted by VA using a code signing authority such as Verizon/Cybertrust or Symantec/VeriSign. The Contractor shall also ensure and certify that their solution functions as expected when used from a standard VA computer, with non-admin, standard user rights that have been configured using the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Secure Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) specific to the particular client operating system being used.

VETERAN FOCUSED INTEGRATION PROCESS (VIP) AND PRODUCT LINE MANAGEMENT (PLM)

The Contractor shall support VA efforts IAW the Veteran-Focused Integration Process (VIP) Guide and Product Line Management (PLM) Playbook. The major focus of VIP is on Enterprise Oversight, Governance, reporting, and establishing practices that focus on outcomes and continuously delivering sustainable IT capabilities to benefit the Veteran. PLM is a framework that focuses on delivering functional products that provide the highest priority work to customers while delivering simplified, reliable, and practical solutions to the business, medical staff, and our Veterans. The VIP Guide is a companion guide to the PLM Transformation Playbook and can be found at: https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4371 and the PLM Transformation Playbook can be found at https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4946. VIP and PLM are the authoritative processes that IT projects must follow to ensure development and delivery of IT products.

The VIP Guide provides guidance for transitioning from project-centric to product-centric delivery. The VIP guide applies to all OIT Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reportable products that are required to collect and report costs, schedules, risks, and other valuable information in VA PARS (whether products are procured or developed by VA) and any VA Information Technology project effort in Software Product Management (SPM) and Infrastructure Operations (IO), or their successors, that touch the VA network regardless of IT organizational alignment (whether it spends government funding from VA’s Congressional IT Appropriation or any other appropriation).

The PLM Transformation Playbook details how OIT leadership expects Product Lines (PLs) to implement PLM, DevOps, and Lean-Agile principles, methods, practices, and techniques through levels of maturity. The PLM Transformation Playbook applies to all Information Technology (IT) products aligned to PLs in the Software Product Management, Infrastructure Operations and Product Engineering organizations within the OIT organization.

Others outside the referenced groups or organizations may use the VIP Guide and PLM Transformation Playbook for situational awareness as needed.

PROCESS ASSET LIBRARY (PAL)

The Contractor shall perform their duties consistent with the processes defined in the OIT Process Asset Library (PAL). The PAL includes a spectrum of OIT functions and activities, such as project management, operations, service delivery, communications, acquisition, and resource management. PAL serves as an authoritative and informative repository of searchable processes, activities or tasks, roles, artifacts, tools and applicable standards and guides to assist the OIT workforce, Government and Contractor personnel. OIT utilizes PAL processes to ensure compliance with policies and regulations and to meet VA quality standards. The PAL includes the contractor onboarding process consistent with Section 6.2.2 and can be found at process_CONB_ext.docx (live.com). The main PAL can be accessed at www.va.gov/process.

AUTHORITATIVE DATA SOURCES

The VA Enterprise Architecture Repository (VEAR) is one component within the overall EA that establishes the common framework for data taxonomy for describing the data architecture used to develop, operate, and maintain enterprise applications. The Contractor shall comply with the department’s Authoritative Data Source (ADS) requirement that VA systems, services, and processes throughout the enterprise shall access VA data solely through official VA ADSs where applicable, see below. The Information Classes which compose each ADS are located in the VEAR, in the Data & Information domain. The Contractor shall ensure that all delivered applications and system solutions support:

1. Interfacing with VA’s Master Person Index (MPI) (formerly the Master Veteran Index (MVI)) to provision identity attributes, if the solution relies on VA user identities. MPI is the authoritative source for VA user identity data.

2. Interfacing with Capital Asset Inventory (CAI) to conduct real property record management actions, if the solution relies on real property records data. CAI is the authoritative source for VA real property record management data.

3. Interfacing with electronic Contract Management System (eCMS) for access to contract, contract line item, purchase requisition, offering vendor, and solicitation information above the micro-purchase threshold, if the solution relies on procurement data. ECMS is the authoritative source for VA procurement actions data.

4. Interfacing with HRSmart Human Resources Information System to conduct personnel action processing, on-boarding, benefits management, and compensation management, if the solution relies on personnel data. HRSmart is the authoritative source for VA personnel information data.

5. Interfacing with VA Profile to access personal contact information, if the solution relies on VA Veteran personal contact information data. VA Profile is the authoritative source for VA Veteran Personal Contact Data.

6. Interfacing with VA/Department of Defense (DoD) Identity Repository (VADIR) for determining eligibility for VA benefits under Title 38, if the solution relies on qualifying active duty military service data. VADIR is the authoritative source for qualifying active duty military service in VA.

7. Interfacing with VA Systems Inventory (VASI) to access VA systems information, if the solution relies on VA system information. VASI is the authoritative source for VA Information Technology systems.

8. Interfacing with Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service (eMASS) to access the historical Authority to Operate (ATO) status of all VA Information Systems prior to migrating to ServiceNow Continuous Authorization and Monitoring (SNowCAM) until it is determined the migration is completed and eMASS is sunset. eMASS contains the historical Authority to Operate (ATO) status of all VA Information Systems prior to September 30, 2025, with all status provided through SNowCAM once migration is completed.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN) REDUCTION

The Contractor solution shall support the Social Security Number (SSN) Fraud Prevention Act (FPA) of 2017 which prohibits the inclusion of SSNs on any document sent by mail. The Contractor support shall also be performed in accordance with Section 240 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) 2018, enacted March 23, 2018, which mandates VA to discontinue using SSNs to identify individuals in all VA information systems as the Primary Identifier. The Contractor shall ensure that any new IT solution discontinues the use of SSN as the Primary Identifier to replace the SSN with the ICN in all VA information systems for all individuals. The Contractor shall ensure that all Contractor delivered applications and systems integrate with the VA MPI for identity traits to include the use of the ICN as the Primary Identifier. The Contractor solution may only use a Social Security Number to identify an individual in an information system if and only if the use of such number is required to obtain information VA requires from an information system that is not under the jurisdiction of VA.

SOFTWARE AND LICENSING…