Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) Training

Active

Contract Opportunity

BACKGROUND

The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics, Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) is to support our Nation’s Veterans by providing acquisition and logistics solutions for VA. In meeting these goals, TAC is responsible for preparing and executing quality contracts that support the Information Technology (IT) efforts and needs of its customers across VA, which enables our customers to provide best value solutions to Veterans and their families. TAC employees are forward-thinking, smart, and innovative acquisition professionals, with strong technical and leadership competencies. To continue to offer our customers customized and responsive service, maintain nimble operations, and provide expert technical support services, TAC must ensure its workforce continues to enhance and maintain knowledge and awareness across a variety of current and emerging IT technologies and trends.

All training shall be delivered prior to the end of June 2026. No training is permitted during 4th quarter of the Fiscal Year.

SPECIFIC TASK

The Contractor shall provide training on the following topics: Artificial Intelligence. Training will be delivered primarily to General Schedule (GS) series 0801 (GS-0801) General Engineering, GS-0854 Computer Engineering professionals as well as Contracting Professionals (GS-1102) who support TAC acquisition and business partners in the development and drafting of technical requirements and have expertise in one or more engineering service related to IT.

Training attendees may include, but are not limited to:

• GS-0801 / 0854 General Engineer / Computer Engineers who support the development of the technical portions of the acquisition packages as well as the technical evaluations.


• GS-1102 Contract Specialists and Contracting Officers who support, write, and administer acquisition contracts for IT commodity and services in accordance with Federal law, regulation, and policy.


• GS-0340 Program Managers and GS-1101 General Business and Industry professionals who support Contracting and TAC business partners in management of programs and TAC organizational needs.

Training course attendance is estimated to be 25 students per class.

The Contractor shall provide Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) and Certificates of Completion for each training course.

All training courses shall be “live” virtual instructor led in real time, and meet the requirements identified in this PWS.

Contractors shall effectively utilize demos, knowledge checks, and hands-on learning activities as appropriate. The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating with the Government POCs to release a welcome letter and virtual training invites for attendees.

TRAINING DELIVERABLES

All deliverables shall be in a standardized format

1. Kick-off Meeting and Course Schedule – The Contractor shall conduct a kick-off meeting within one (1) week of contract award with the Government POCs. The Contractor shall coordinate a final course schedule for approval by the Government.


2. Welcome Letter – The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating with the Government point of contract (POC) to release a welcome letter and virtual training invites to all attendees within three (3) days prior to the start of the training.


3. Attendee Roster – The Contractor shall take attendance for each training course and provide an attendance sheet to the Government delivery POCs. The attendee roster shall include the name, email, and timestamps of the attendees. Training that is multi-day shall have attendance taken each day. Training course attendance is estimated to be 25 students per class.


4. Certificate of Completion – The Contractor shall coordinate with the designated Government POC for Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) approval with all awarded training. Training that extends for a working day (including lunch and breaks) shall be 8 CLPs per full day. The Contractor shall email a certificate of completion to each student within one (1) week of course completion. Certificates of Completion shall include, at a minimum, the name of the training course, training date(s), instructor, Contractor’s name, student’s name, and number of CLPs earned.


5. Feedback Survey – The Contractor shall collect training feedback from attendees upon completion of each training course. Feedback shall be provided to the Government delivery POC within three (3) weeks of the training course completion. Feedback information shall be organized and clearly presented.

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

1. Facilitation – All training courses shall be “live,” virtual, instructor led training delivered in real-time and not pre-recorded or self-paced.


2. Schedule – All training shall be delivered in Fiscal Year 2025 between October 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. No training is permitted during 4th quarter of the Fiscal Year. The Contractor is responsible for coordinating a final training schedule in accordance with the requirements in this notice for approval by the Government within two (2) weeks of the training start date.


3. Course Content – Contractors shall effectively utilize demos, knowledge checks, and hands-on learning activities as appropriate. The training courses shall include up-to-date training material on the latest versions of the latest products. Students should be provided with or have access to view, listen, and/or print all course content. Course content shall be available online to students in video, audio and/or written transcript formats.


4. Changes – The Contractor shall accommodate student changes within 24-hours of the start of any training class session. Changes include student drop-out, student additions, and student switches. It does not include additional students beyond the stated student maximums.


5. Technical Support – The Contractor shall be always available during the course.


6. Section 508 – The training shall meet Section 508 compliance standards.

TRAINING COURSE: Advanced Artificial Intelligence Training Course

The Contractor shall provide Advanced Artificial Intelligence training in accordance with Section 3.1 above. The training course shall be a minimum of two (2) but not exceed three (3) full business days in length. Training shall be varied to include hands on experience and activities.

1. AI Fundamentals & Applications
   
   
   
   • Overview of AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning
   
   
   • Use Cases in the Federal Government, e.g., VA AI Use Cases, other
   
   
   • AI Model Types, e.g., Generative AI, Hybrid AI, predictive maintenance, NLP, computer vision
   
   
   • Understanding AI results and methods to identify AI generated results (e.g. documents)
   
   
   
   


2. AI System Design and Architecture
   
   
   
   • Designing Scalable AI Systems for the Federal Infrastructure
     
     
     
     • What is the general process for building an AI model? An AI System?
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Integration with existing IT systems and databases
   
   
   • Hardware Considerations, e.g., Graphics Processing Units (GPU), Tensor Processing Units (TPU), edge computing for AI deployments
   
   
   
   


3. Data Management and Preprocessing
   
   
   
   • Understand role of data in AI: collection, preprocessing, cleansing, and labeling for Federal data sets
   
   
   • Explore structured vs. unstructured data
   
   
   • Handling of sensitive, classified data, e.g., PII, FOUO
   
   
   • Data governance and compliance with federal regulations, e.g., FISMA, HIPAA
   
   
   
   


4. AI Security and Ethics
   
   
   
   • Securing AI Models against adversarial attacks and data breaches
   
   
   • Ethical AI principles, fairness, transparency, and bias mitigation
   
   
   • Compliance with federal AI policies, Dept. of VA AI Ethical Principles, NIST AI Risk Management Framework
   
   
   
   


5. AI in the Federal Acquisition Process
   
   
   
   • Automating contract analysis, cost estimation, and risk assessment with AI
   
   
   • Natural Language Processing (NLP) for processing RFPs, proposals, and legal documents
     
     
     
     • Specifically, how to formulate questions to a GenAI tool (e.g., ChatGPT or VA GPT) to obtain the information needed to prepare technical/IT work requirements for a Performance Work Statement without compromising the integrity of the acquisition, so ChatGPT, for example, doesn’t learn about the acquisition before the action is solicited.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Predictive analytics for supply chain optimization and vendor performance
   
   
   
   


6. AI Models Development and deployment
   
   
   
   • Building and training ML models using frameworks like Tensor Flow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn
   
   
   • Deploying AI models in federal cloud environments, e.g., AWS, GovCloud, Azure Government
   
   
   • Monitoring and maintaining AI systems, i.e., Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) in a federal context
   
   
   
   


7. Cybersecurity Applications for AI
   
   
   
   • AI for threat detection, anomaly detection, and intrusion prevention
   
   
   • Implementing AI-driven security operations (SecOps/DevSecOps) in federal networks
   
   
   • Zero-trust architecture integration with AI
   
   
   
   


8. Regulatory and Compliance Frameworks
   
   
   
   • Understanding federal AI standards (e.g., NIST SP 800-53, FedRAMP)
   
   
   • Navigating acquisition regulations (FAR, DFARS) for AI procurement
   
   
   • Risk management for AI systems in federal environments
   
   
   
   


9. Interoperability and System Integration
   
   
   
   • Integrating AI with legacy systems and Federal IT ecosystems
   
   
   • Application Programmable Interfaces (API) and microservices for AI-driven workflows
   
   
   • Cross-agency data sharing and AI collaboration
   
   
   
   


10. Deep Learning Basics


11. Neural Networks Basics


12. Emerging AI Trends and Tools
    
    
    
    • Familiarity with federal AI initiatives, e.g., Joint AI Center (JAIC), GSA AI CoExcellence
    
    
    • Exploring generative AI, federated learning, and explainable AI (XAI)
    
    
    • Tools like Jupyter, Docker, or Kubernetes for AI development in federal settings
    
    
    
    


13. Overview of Recent Federal AI Procurement Memorandums
    
    
    
    • OMB Memorandum M-25-21: Accelerating Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust
    
    
    • OMB Memorandum M-25-22, Driving Efficient Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government
    
    
    
    


14. Core AI Skills Every Engineer Needs

Training approach:

1. Hands-on Labs: practical exercises using federal relevant data sets and tools


2. Case Studies: Real world examples of AI in Dept. of Veteran Affairs (VA), DoD, or other federal civilian agencies

SECTION 508 COMPLIANCE

NOTICE OF THE FEDERAL ACCESSIBILITY LAW AFFECTING ALL INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) PROCUREMENTS (SECTION 508)

The Contractor shall comply with “508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements” for all electronic ICT and content delivered under this contract. Specifically, as appropriate for the technology and its functionality, the Contractor shall comply with the technical standards marked here:

E205 Electronic Content – (Accessibility Standard -WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Guidelines)

E204 Functional Performance Criteria

E206 Hardware Requirements

E207 Software Requirements

E208 Support Documentation and Services Requirements

COMPATABILITY WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

The standards do not require installation of specific accessibility-related software or attachment of an assistive technology device. Section 508 requires that ICT be compatible with such software and devices so that ICT can be accessible to and usable by individuals using assistive technology, including but not limited to screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech recognition software.

RFI SUBMISSION

Please provide the following information:

• Detailed Course overview


• Learning objectives


• Course content


• Duration of course


• Min/Max number of students allowed per course


• Cost per course – please include the number of students included in the cost of each course.


• Cost per each additional student.

Please answer the following questions and include the requested information as part of your response. Include the following identification information as it pertains to your organization:

• Company Name


• Company Unique Entity Identification Number


• Company Address


• Company points of contact name, telephone number, and email address

Please submit a capability statement describing your company’s abilities to provide the requested training identified in this Request for Information (RFI). The capability statement shall be limited to 10 pages.

DISCLAIMER

Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Respondents will not be notified of the Government's evaluation of the information received. Any information or comment resulting from this request that is determined to be useful will be used to help the Government further define their requirement and may be incorporate into the final version of the Product Description. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

RESPONSES

Please submit the information requested in this RFI by 5:00 p.m. EST on October 17, 2025, to the Procurement Analyst, Meryl Czaplinski, Meryl.Czaplinski@va.gov. VA reserves the right to not respond to any, all, or select responses or materials submitted.

Attachments/Links