The VA is one of the largest federal agencies, providing healthcare, benefits, and memorial services to veterans. The VA's Veterans First Contracting Program gives SDVOSB and VOSB firms mandatory priority on all VA acquisitions — making it the single best agency for veteran-owned businesses.
Department of Veterans Affairs historically awards the following percentages of eligible contract dollars to small and disadvantaged businesses. These figures reflect agency performance against statutory goals and represent real contract opportunities for certified firms.
Department of Veterans Affairs is an active buyer in the following categories. These represent the highest-volume procurement areas based on historical award data.
The contractors who win VA contracts consistently aren't just responding to solicitations — they're known quantities before the solicitation is published. Here's how to build that position.
Get SDVOSB or VOSB certified — VA's Veterans First gives you mandatory first look on all acquisitions
Register in the VA's vendor portal at va.gov/oal and select your NAICS codes
Contact the small business liaison at your target VA medical center directly
Attend VA industry days — each VISN (Veterans Integrated Service Network) hosts them
Monitor SAM.gov filtered to VA contracting offices and SDVOSB/VOSB set-asides
These NAICS codes represent the highest-volume procurement categories at Department of Veterans Affairs. Register these codes in your SAM.gov profile to appear in agency vendor searches.
SAM.gov + certify.sba.gov for SDVOSB/VOSB. Ensure your SAM.gov registration is active and includes the NAICS codes that match Department of Veterans Affairs's primary procurement categories before reaching out directly.
Department of Veterans Affairs awards 40% of eligible contract dollars to small businesses. SDVOSB firms receive approximately 20% of awards. 8(a)-certified firms receive approximately 5%. All applicable SBA certifications are recognized.
Department of Veterans Affairs spends approximately $25B+ annually on contracts. The total agency budget is $300B+, with procurement representing the contract-deliverable portion of that spending.
Monitor SAM.gov and filter by Department of Veterans Affairs as the contracting agency. Set up email notifications for your NAICS codes from this agency. BidEdgeHQ monitors SAM.gov and state portals in real time, scoring every VA solicitation against your ICP profile and delivering WhatsApp alerts for high-match opportunities.