$100M cancelled VA contract could be up for grabs again

VA spikes key part of its electronic health record project, but a recompete is likely.

 A $100 million contract might be recompeted at the Veterans Affairs Department now that the agency has cancelled the contract it had with ASM Research.

The company was to build a system to make it easier for VA and the Defense Department to share information with the private sector as it creates a digital health record system. The contract was awarded in January and is worth $102.6 million.

According to Nextgov, the contract was spiked because some of ASM’s subcontractors might have had inside information about it and therefore there was a conflict of interest.

Nextgov is also reporting that a whistleblower at the Military Health System informed VA officials about the possible conflict of interest violation.

Because the contract was the starting point for DOD and VA building a joint health record system, the assumption is the work will be put out again for bid . The work was awarded under VA’s Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology contract, known as T4, a multiple-award, task order contract.

Calls to VA and ASM Research for comment were not returned.