SDVOSB set-aside construction bids at the VA

Why the VA matters for SDVOSB contractors

The Department of Veterans Affairs runs medical centers, clinics, community living centers and national cemeteries across the country, and it keeps them running with a constant flow of construction and repair projects: roofs, flooring, mechanical upgrades, seismic work, renovations and new buildings. Under the VA's Veterans First program, VA contracting officers are required to look at veteran-owned small businesses first. In practice, much of the VA's construction work on SAM.gov is set aside for SDVOSBs.

That makes the VA one of the most important customers for a service-disabled veteran-owned construction firm. The catch is volume and noise. VA notices are posted by many regional Network Contracting Offices (NCOs), each with its own naming style, and they sit alongside supply buys, service contracts and design work.

SDVOSB vs. VOSB at the VA

Two kinds of veteran set-aside show up on VA notices:

• SDVOSB set-asides are for firms at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans. SDVOSB set-asides are not VA-only. Any federal agency can use them under FAR Subpart 19.14.
• VOSB set-asides are for firms owned and controlled by veterans who are not necessarily service-disabled. These are a VA-only program (Veterans First, 38 U.S.C. 8127). There is no government-wide VOSB set-aside. Sources: SBA veteran contracting programs, VA OSDBU.

At the VA, SDVOSBs generally get the first look, then VOSBs. So if you are a certified SDVOSB, you can compete for both kinds of VA set-aside.

Certification: SBA VetCert is required

Self-certification no longer counts. Certification moved from the VA to the SBA on January 1, 2023, and since January 1, 2024 a firm needs SBA certification to win SDVOSB set-aside or sole-source awards. The only exception is a firm that applied by December 31, 2023 and is still pending. Sources: FAR Subpart 19.14 (19.1403(b), 19.1405(c)); 13 CFR Part 128 (§128.200). Apply through the SBA VetCert portal.

You also have to be small under the size standard for any NAICS code in your SAM profile. For most building work (236220) that is $45.0M in average annual receipts; for most specialty trades in 238 it is $19.0M (13 CFR 121.201).

How to read a VA construction notice

VA titles look cryptic, but they follow a pattern. The leading code (Z1DA, Z2DA, Y1DA, Y1DZ) is the product service code: Z means repair or alteration, Y means new construction. The number like 612A4-27-018 is the VA project number. The solicitation number starting with 36C names the issuing office: 36C261 is NCO 21 in the West, and 36C10F is the Office of Construction & Facilities Management, which handles larger projects.

Look past the title at three things: the response date and time zone, the site visit date (often only a week or two after posting), and the place of performance. A presolicitation tells you a bid is coming; a solicitation means the clock is running.

Finding them without scrolling SAM.gov every night

You can set up a saved search on SAM.gov filtered to the VA, the SDVOSB set-aside and your NAICS codes. It works, but you still get every notice that matches, including amendments, award notices and design-only work. BidMuster reads every new notice for you and emails a short daily list of the set-aside construction jobs that fit your trade and territory, with plain-English scope and due dates.