Still Curious?

System for Award Management, SAM, is the platform that manages all government contracts and contractors in one huge database. SAM registration is a requirement for drafting a contract with the government, but you are welcome to submit your interest form without it. We do recommend familiarizing yourself with SAM and the registration process.

If your product or service is market ready (I.e., ready for use now, has existing customers, etc.), VA may evaluate and consider it for acquisition and purchase.

In contrast, if your product or service is not yet market ready or you are interested in developing or refining your solution, VA may innovate with you to advance your solution through testing and pilot programs. You may go back to the VA Pathfinder Homepage to navigate the innovation track, if your solution is not yet market ready.

Submitting your Vendor Interest Form here on Pathfinder is the most streamlined way to connect to VA customers.

After submitting your interest form, you will receive a confirmation email with a submission ID. Once your submission has gone through the complete review process, your information will be used to feed market research. VA customers will have access to this market research and can explore relevant products and services as needs arise in VA.

Please note that while submitting your interest facilitates getting your information in front of relevant customers, it does not guarantee future contracting opportunities with VA.

VA purchases products and services through various contracting vehicles. First, find currently open opportunities to sell to VA.

If you would like to make relevant VA customers aware about your product or service, submitting your interest form is the most streamlined way to do so. Submitting your interest form allows your submission to be viewed by relevant VA staff and potential VA customers. The interest form takes about 15 minutes to complete. After submitting your interest form, you will receive a confirmation email with a submission ID.

VA purchases products and services at a national, regional, and local level. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Category Management Leadership Council (CMLC) developed 10 government-wide product and service categories to support federal procurements. Learn more here.

VA buys products and service within these 10 categories:

• Facilities & Construction
• Professional Services
• Office Management Products and Services
• Human Capital
• Security and Protection
• Transportation and Logistics Services
• IT
• Medical
• Travel
• Industrial Products and Services
  
  

VA is the only Federal agency that sets a goal and tracks participation of VOSBs. As a commitment to our mission and mandate to support our Nation’s Veterans, VA sets ambitious goals to allocate contracts to VOSBs and SDVOSBs. As a complement, VA contract specialists conduct market research to seek out VOSBs that can meet our procurement needs. Our partners at the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) are the advocates that monitor the Veterans First Contracting Program.

You can take the quiz to identify whether your company is eligible to be verified as a VOSB/SDVOSB. Our VetBiz site has lots of resources to learn more about the resources to support Veteran-Owned Businesses. Don’t worry, once you submit our interest form, we’ll help you through the process as well!

VA, as a Federal agency, is required to set aside contracting opportunities for qualified small businesses. Limiting competition to these firms ensures that small businesses do not have to compete with large businesses for the same contracts or procurement opportunities. In fact, VA has aggressive goals to provide robust opportunities for small businesses.

VA has a dedicated office to support small and disadvantaged businesses, called the Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU). This team provides support to small businesses by providing specialty resources regarding how to navigate the government contracting process. OSDBU is a key partner in the sales process! Learn more about the OSDBU.

"Full and open competition" means that all companies are allowed to submit bids / proposals to become the supplier for the good that the government is looking to purchase. The government works to identify the most economical, suitable, and efficient supplier for the particular good as aligned to federal acquisition regulation.

The Federal Government encourages Full and Open Competition because it generally reduces the price and increases innovation, while ensuring that all companies have a fair shot and an equal opportunity to compete, which is always good for up-and-coming businesses that may not have the same resources as one that is more well established.