Enterprise Artificial Intelligence Governance, Management, and Implementation Support

Background
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is one of the largest federal agencies in the United States, serving millions of Veterans across hundreds of facilities and digital touchpoints. The VA Chief AI Officer (CAIO) and associated offices require contractor support to facilitate enterprise-level artificial intelligence (AI) management, standards, and strategic implementation. This support aims to enable the VA to responsibly adopt, scale, and oversee AI technologies in a manner consistent with federal law, policy, and the best interests of Veterans and VA personnel.

As AI technologies become increasingly embedded in VA operations, the need for structured, enterprise-wide AI governance has grown significantly. Federal mandates have established clear expectations for responsible AI use in government, necessitating dedicated expertise and robust tooling.

Work Details
The Contractor shall provide a multidisciplinary team capable of managing the full lifecycle of AI use case review, regulatory compliance tracking, stakeholder engagement, data pipeline management, and governance product development. Specific tasks include:
1. **AI Management and Standards:**
- Conduct structured intake, review, and risk tiering of all VA AI use cases.
- Design and implement LLM- and AI-enabled technical solutions for governance tooling.
- Apply AI capabilities to improve governance guidance and stakeholder communications.
- Build data pipelines supporting AI governance workflows with ongoing validation checks.
- Develop governance-facing products using human-centered design principles.
- Execute communications strategies for diverse audiences regarding AI governance requirements.
- Support transition from centralized to federated AI governance model with defined roles and responsibilities.
- Maintain a Federal AI Compliance Tracking Report to ensure adherence to applicable regulations.
2. **AI Strategy and Enterprise Execution:**
- Deliver an Enterprise AI Landscape Assessment identifying tools, gaps, risks, and opportunities.
- Develop a VA enterprise AI investment roadmap aligning priorities with strategic goals.

Period of Performance
The contract consists of one 12-month base period with four 12-month option periods for continued support.

Place of Performance
Work will primarily be performed at Contractor facilities but may also require on-site activities at VA Central Office (Washington, D.C.) or other VA facilities as mission needs dictate.

Bidder Requirements
Bidders must demonstrate experience in managing large-scale AI projects across organizations. They should possess necessary security clearances as required by the VA. Additionally, contractors must maintain sufficient staffing levels with succession plans to prevent lapses in governance coverage. Key personnel changes require notification and approval from the VA Representative (COR). All contractor personnel must comply with VA security, privacy, and data handling requirements.