U.S. General Services Administration
GSA and VA Release New Verified Vet Icons on VA Advantage!
New Icons Make It Easier for VA Buyers to ID Verified Vet Vendors
Post filed in: Acquisition | Federal Acquisition Service | Jobs
Thanks to new “VA Verified” icons it is easier than ever for acquisition professionals at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to know they are purchasing from qualified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs). That’s because the special icons on the General Service Administration’s (GSA) VA Advantage are given only to SDVOSBs and VOSBs listed in the VA’s Verified Veteran Vendor VIP database and verified through the Department’s Vets First Verification Program.
The special VIP Verified Vendor icons are visible at the product and service level of GSA’s VA Advantage! “These new Verified Vendor icons really make veteran vendors stand out from the pack on VA Advantage!,” said Mr. Tom Leney, Executive Director, Small and Veteran Business Programs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “And they make it faster and easier for the VA’s acquisition professionals to identify VOSB partners.”
Vendors that are veteran-owned, but do not go through the verification process, cannot receive the special icons. They are also not qualified to participate in the VA’s Veterans First Contracting Program and other business opportunities available only to those listed in the VIP database.
The addition of these icons and other changes outlined in VA PROCUREMENT POLICY MEMORANDUM (2016-05) are aimed at enhancing the VA’s use of set-asides to the SDVOSB and VOSB communities under the authority of the Veterans First Contracting Program. These procedures affect all competitive VA contract actions, including those conducted using GSA and VA’s Federal Supply Schedules.