Attention all Veteran owned technology and software firms… there is a huge opportunity coming your way. Starting in either July or August of 2014, the Department of Defense will begin shopping for a company or companies to design and manage a new information technology system to maintain all medical records for service members.
For years, Veterans have had to leave the military with fully completed medical and dental records, only to have to reapply with the VA’s health care system. The transition eats up a lot of time and resources. A new record system that carriesover between the military and the VA is long overdue.
In May of 2013, officials at the Pentagon announced that they intended to install an improved electronic system for maintaining service members’ health records. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel promised to work with the VA in developing a “seamless system” for service members and Veterans. In light of this year’s VA scandal involving backlogs and wait times, the time to implement a new records system is now.
Many heavy hitters in the tech industry will be bidding on the contract. Veteran business owners in the tech industry would be wise to pay attention to this, which is estimated to be a 10 year, $11 billion contract. Whoever wins the contract will most likely be mandated to hire sub-contractors who are Veterans or Veteran-owned companies.
Companies that are expected to compete for the contract include Accenture Plc, Northrop Grumman Corp, Leidos Holdings Inc., Hewlett-Packard Inc., and IBM, who has already announced their plan to partner with Epic Systems Corp in a bid for the contract. Maybe your Veteran owned business can be added to this list as well.
The winner of the bidding gets to claim one of the largest contracts in federal information technology. But after the failed launch of the Obamacare website, bidders and their proposals will be under heavy scrutiny.
But either way, Veterans should still come out ahead through better, faster healthcare, seamless healthcare records, and the potential for subcontracting with the winning bidder.
The Veteran and Military Business Owners Association (VAMBOA) is a non-profit business trade association that promotes and assists Veteran Business Owners, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOB) and Military Business Owners. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and responsible for job generation. That is why VAMBOA provides its members with Business Coaching, Contracting Opportunities, a Blog that provides information, Networking contacts and other resources. Membership is FREE to Veterans. Join Now!
VAMBOA: Upcoming $11 Billion Federal Contract: By Debbie Gregory
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