R408--GOVT ANSWERS TO INDUSTRY'S INITIAL RFI QUESTIONS

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document contains the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' responses to initial industry questions regarding Solicitation Number 36C10D25Q0058.

• The document provides answers to questions submitted by vendors regarding the RFI (Request for Information).
• Specific details of the questions and answers are not provided in the metadata, but the document itself contains these clarifications.

This document serves to clarify aspects of the upcoming solicitation, potentially impacting bidder understanding of requirements and submission details. Bidders should review these answers to ensure their proposals align with the government's expectations. The response date for the solicitation remains 07-24-2025 at 15:00 Eastern Time.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document contains vendor questions and government answers related to the Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) Prevention Services opportunity, providing clarifications on various aspects of the Statement of Objectives (SOO).

• Government Role in Fraud Risk Governance: The government's role is collaborative and focused on proactive risk management, control development, and measuring effectiveness, rather than oversight and compliance.
• Data Sources & Access: The government welcomes recommended external data feeds for approval and will provide access to existing structured and unstructured data sources (e.g., claims forms, scanned records, call transcripts, historical case files). AI/ML models will be deployed within a secure, VA-compliant enclave.
• Technology & Tools: The government is open to new tools and modern cloud-based environments. Current machine learning is coded in Python, with R for data preparation. Python and R are used for custom scripts and models. The government is migrating to an Azure workspace and plans for cloud computing in the future state.
• Contract Type & Scope: The government is still researching contract types (FFP, T&M, Managed Services) and will finalize based on industry feedback. The current scope focuses on recommendations and support for identifying vulnerabilities and enhancing controls, not direct procurement or implementation of technological enhancements.
• Prioritization: Identification of fraud and prevention of improper payments due to administrative error or unintentional misrepresentation are equally prioritized.
• Data Management & Security: Legacy systems containing personally identifiable information cannot be accessed. The transition plan will be made available upon award. No regular on-site work is required, and the work can be performed remotely.

These clarifications provide vendors with a deeper understanding of the technical requirements, data access, security protocols, and the government's expectations regarding the scope and execution of the FWA Prevention Services contract. Vendors should use this information to refine their proposals.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to questions raised by industry participants during an Industry Day event held on June 9, 2025, related to an upcoming procurement. It clarifies aspects of the government's requirements and expectations.

• Data Access: The government will provide access to existing structured and unstructured data sources for ingestion, analysis, and fraud detection workflows.
• AI/ML Deployment: AI/ML models will be deployed within a secure, VA-compliant enclave (FedRAMP High, GovCloud), and contractors will operate within this same enclave.
• Integration Flexibility: The government is open to ideas for system integration showing return on investment and is solution-agnostic regarding integration with existing platforms. An API-based solution is acceptable if it adheres to security requirements and ATO processes.
• Fraud Risk Framework: While aligning with GAO and OMB A-123, the government welcomes new or additional scoring methodologies for consideration.
• Training Customization: Training content will need to be customized for different VBA user groups, though some content may be enterprise-wide.
• External Data Feeds: The government welcomes recommendations for external data feeds that vendors deem relevant for mission execution.
• Policy Visibility: Contractors will have full visibility into VBA policy, legislative, and regulatory changes to effectively manage risk.
• Existing Systems: There are existing performance dashboards, fraud KPIs, and risk management systems, but the government is open to innovations or improvements.
• Prioritization: Identification of fraud and prevention of improper payments due to administrative error or unintentional misrepresentation are equally prioritized.
• Incumbent: BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC. is the current incumbent.
• Contract Type: The government has not finalized the contract type and will determine the best approach based on requirements.

This Q&A document provides significant clarification on data access, deployment environments, integration flexibility, and performance expectations, which bidders should consider when preparing their proposals. The government reserves the right to utilize Option Clause 52.217-8 to extend the current contract if deemed in the best interest of the Government.

Other / Unclassified

This document is a presentation from an Industry Engagement Day held on June 9, 2025, concerning VBA Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Prevention Services (BDP&R). It outlines the agenda, introduces key personnel, and provides an overview of the BDP&R organization, its mission, vision, and future efforts, including the Data Analytics Research and Innovation Center (DARIC).

The presentation details the "Rules of Engagement" for the event, including how questions will be handled and that Q&A will be posted on SAM.gov. It also provides sample Statement of Work (SOW) service categories related to Contract Project Management, FWA Risk Management, FWA Incident and Case Management, FWA Research and Development, FWA Data Analysis, FWA Education/Outreach/Communications, and FWA Performance Reporting. Additionally, it includes a series of questions and answers from the industry day, covering topics such as BDP&R's role in governance, fraud risk management strategy, leveraging confirmed fraud cases, support for specific VBA programs, access to external data, performance dashboards, data sources, system maintenance, AI/ML deployment, source code delivery, preferred analytics platforms, cloud migration, data science collaboration, stakeholder scope for outreach, technology tools for communication, fraud data warehousing, prioritization of fraud vs. improper payments, risk frameworks, visibility into policy changes, data source access, fraud case package formats, IT system log access, reporting automation, current anomaly detection tools, AI/ML challenges, and risk monitoring frameworks.

This presentation provides potential bidders with insight into the VA's current and future needs regarding fraud, waste, and abuse prevention services. It details the scope of work, technical requirements, data sources, technology expectations (including AI/ML), and collaboration strategies. The Q&A section directly addresses bidder concerns and clarifies government expectations, offering valuable information for understanding the opportunity and preparing a response. The RFI Announcement number (36C10D25Q0058) is also provided.

Other / Unclassified

This document serves as a follow-up to an industry day concerning the planned requirement for Fraud, Waste and Abuse Prevention Services. It provides links to related documents for vendor benefit.

This document directs interested vendors to key resources for understanding the planned requirement:

• Industry Day Questions and Answers: Likely contains clarifications and responses to vendor queries from the industry day.
• Fraud Prevention Services Request for Information Industry Day-20250609 1802-1: This RFI document is crucial for understanding the government's initial information gathering and potential scope.
• BDP and R Industry Day PowerPoint: This presentation likely outlines the government's objectives, requirements, and expectations discussed during the industry day.

All future inquiries regarding this requirement should be directed to VBA_Procurements.VBACO@va.gov. The solicitation number is 36C10D25Q0058, with a response date of June 23, 2025, at 3:00 PM Eastern Time.

Statement of Objectives (SOO)

This Statement of Objectives (SOO) outlines the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Financial Management (OFM), Benefits Delivery Protection & Remediation (BDP&R) Directorate's requirements for contractor support to identify, prevent, and mitigate Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) impacting Veteran benefits. The goal is to leverage industry expertise and innovative solutions, including advanced analytics and emerging technologies like AI, to safeguard Veteran benefits and ensure fiscal stewardship.

The contractor will provide services across five core areas:

• Contract Project Management and Task Coordination: Including project planning, monthly reporting, and administrative support.
• FWA Risk Management: Conducting risk research, analysis, assessment, and monitoring to identify and mitigate FWA vulnerabilities.
• FWA Incident and Case Management: Responding to FWA incidents, managing the intake and investigation of cases, and interfacing with industry partners.
• FWA Research and Development: Establishing a research and development capability to identify, scope, and propose FWA solutions using modern technology and private sector expertise.
• FWA Data Analysis: Examining and utilizing data for mining, research, and analysis to enhance decision-making, improve detection capabilities, and integrate emerging technologies like AI and Machine Learning.
• FWA Education, Outreach, and Communications: Promoting FWA awareness through communication strategies, outreach campaigns, and employee training.

Contractor performance will be assessed based on technical quality, meeting project milestones, cost and staffing appropriateness, and management integration. Specific metrics for FWA performance reporting include instances of fraud, investigation results, resolution times, recovery of losses, and analytic agility.

The contract will have a one-year base period followed by four one-year option periods. Work will be performed at Government and Contractor sites within the Continental United States (CONUS). The contractor may also be required to support 24/7 operations.

• Security: Strict adherence to VA security policies, including background investigations for personnel, PIV card authentication, Zero Trust Architecture compliance, and data protection measures. All work must comply with Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), HIPAA, NIST, and other relevant regulations.
• Accessibility: Compliance with Section 508 standards for Electronic and Information Technology (EIT).
• Technology: Emphasis on integrating emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Large Language Models (LLMs), and Machine Learning (ML). Solutions must support IPv6 and Trusted Internet Connections (TIC).
• Reporting: Regular monthly progress reports, deliverable tracking, and invoice reconciliation are required.
• Key Personnel: Specific key personnel roles are identified, including Project Manager, Data Engineer, FWA SME, and Financial Crimes SME.

Request for Information (RFI)

This RFI is issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) for Fraud Prevention Services (FPS). The purpose is to gather information for planning and developing a Performance Work Statement (PWS). This is not a solicitation, and no contract will be awarded from this RFI. The VA seeks innovative solutions to identify, mitigate, and eliminate Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) impacting Veteran benefits and taxpayer dollars.

Vendors are requested to provide:

• Company Information: Name, address, POC, UEI, NAICS codes, business size/status, and existing Multiple Award Contract (MAC) vehicles.

• Capability Statement: Overview of capabilities to fulfill the Statement of Objectives (SOO), including joint ventures, resources, relevant experience, and past performance on similar contracts.

• Answers to Questions: Responses to specific questions detailed in Section 5.0 regarding strategy, innovation, scaling, quality assurance, threat assessment, financial crime mitigation, evolving technologies, specialized qualifications, data protection (PII/PHI), cloud migration support, and pricing structures.

• Draft SOO Comments/Questions: Feedback on the attached SOO, including recommended changes, errors, or areas needing clarification.

• RFI Response Due Date: May 19, 2025, 3:00 PM Eastern Time.

• Submission Method: Email to gregory.stevens@va.gov with subject line: "Response to RFI 36C10D25Q0058."

• Response Limit: Maximum 30 pages, Microsoft Word format, Times New Roman 12pt font, 1" margins.

• File Size Limit: 40MB per email.

• Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2025

• Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern Time

• Registration and Join Links: Provided in the document.

• The RFI includes a draft Statement of Objectives (SOO) as Attachment 1.

• Responses are not offers and will not be used to form a binding contract.

• The government will not pay for any time or information submitted.