DA10--Brand Name Active Navigation or Equivalent Discovery Center (VA-27-00000574)
VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF.VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF.TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CENTER NJ (36C10B) · Response deadline: Wed, 14 Oct 2026
What the government is buying
The Department of Veterans Affairs' Technology Acquisition Center in New Jersey is seeking a brand-name solution: Active Navigation or an equivalent "Discovery Center" product—a type of information governance and data discovery platform. Classification code DA10 corresponds to automatic data processing (ADP) equipment and software-related acquisitions.
Discovery Center platforms typically help organizations locate, classify, and manage unstructured data across file shares, cloud storage, and email systems. For a federal agency like the VA, this supports compliance, records management, data privacy, and migration planning efforts. Think capabilities like automated data scanning, policy enforcement, reporting dashboards, and remediation workflows.
Because this is a brand-name-or-equivalent solicitation, the VA has identified Active Navigation as the known acceptable product but will consider proposals offering an equivalent that meets the same functional requirements. See the solicitation for the specific technical salient characteristics the equivalent must match.
Key facts
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Agency | Department of Veterans Affairs, Technology Acquisition Center NJ |
| Notice type | Combined Synopsis/Solicitation |
| Solicitation number | 36C10B27R0001 |
| NAICS | 541519 |
| Set-aside | Small Business Set Aside – Total |
| Response deadline | October 14, 2026, 3:00 p.m. EDT |
| Place of performance | Not specified in metadata (see the solicitation) |
Who can bid
This opportunity is 100% set aside for small businesses under NAICS 541519 (Other Computer Related Services). To qualify, your business must:
- Be designated "small" under the SBA size standard for NAICS 541519, currently $19.0 million in average annual receipts
- Be registered in SAM.gov with active status
- Have any required NAICS 541519 codes in your SAM profile
You may bid as a prime contractor if you meet these criteria, or participate as a subcontractor to a small business prime. If offering the Active Navigation product directly, you'll likely need established partnership or reseller authorization. If proposing an equivalent, you must demonstrate how your solution meets the VA's stated salient characteristics—see the solicitation for those exact requirements.
How to put together a competitive bid
For brand-name-equivalent proposals specifically:
Obtain and study the salient characteristics document attached to the full solicitation. This lists the mandatory features your equivalent must demonstrate. Missing even one typically disqualifies your proposal.
Prepare a detailed crosswalk. Map each salient characteristic to your proposed product's specific feature, version, and configuration. Include screenshots, technical documentation, or third-party validation where possible.
Demonstrate prior performance. The VA evaluates risk; include relevant federal or healthcare-sector deployments of your Discovery Center solution, emphasizing data volume handled, security compliance (FedRAMP, FISMA, VA-specific), and integration complexity.
Price competitively against the named brand. Active Navigation's pricing is the benchmark. Your equivalent must offer meaningful value—whether lower total cost, superior capabilities, or reduced implementation risk—to overcome any evaluation preference for the known quantity.
Address VA healthcare data sensitivities. Highlight HIPAA alignment, veteran data protection capabilities, and any existing VA authority to operate (ATO) or comparable federal certifications.
Watch the tight timeline. Posted October 9 with an October 14 deadline—only five days. Prepare your SAM registration, product documentation, and pricing infrastructure in advance of similar rapid-turn opportunities.
Next steps
- Read the full solicitation on SAM.gov using number 36C10B27R0001. The attached documents contain the salient characteristics, evaluation criteria, and any amendments.
- Confirm your SAM.gov registration is active and includes NAICS 541519 before attempting to access full documents or submit.
- Note the deadline: October 14, 2026, 3:00 p.m. EDT—late submissions are inadmissible in federal acquisitions.
View the official notice on SAM.gov →