VA IT Acquisition Engagement Luncheon Offers Insight, Advice and Networking

In October, the chapter hosted the VA IT Acquisition Engagement Lunch & Learn at the Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, New Jersey. The event focused on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) and Office of Strategic Sourcing (OSS) Industry Engagement Strategies and IT Acquisition forecasting. The featured speaker was Jeffrey Neill, associate executive director of the TAC. Neill discussed the TAC's missions and strategic initiatives for FY 25. He outlined his objectives to improve communication strategy, TAC procurement services, TAC workload management and collaboration with all partners.

Neill was followed Luwanda Jones, deputy chief information officer of the OSS. Jones presented and discussed the OSS missions and goals and she also highlighted many of their accomplishments, including 46.67% service-disabled veteran-owned small business acquisitions in FY 24. She provided insights and advice to vendors seeking to do business with Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Information Technology.

After speaking and answering audience questions, Jones and Neill sat down with industry panelists Kristin Gill of GovCIO, Donald Waymire Jr. of Booz Allen Hamilton, Monica Winthrop of CGI Federal, Kevin Seeley of GDIT, and Nitin Jain of InnovetHealth, for more Q&A from the audience.

The event was followed by happy hour networking at the hotel's lobby bar.

Event Photographs: