The Department of Veterans Affairs will start allowing applicants to correct minor deficiencies before an initial denial is issued for veteran-owned small business contracts issued through the Veterans First program.
"A large percentage of verification denials are due to single points of failure that can be easily and quickly corrected," said VA secretary Eric Shinseki. The process change is expected to reduce the number of VA’s initial denials and subsequent requests for reconsideration from companies, according to the department.
It said firms that would otherwise be denied based on easily corrected issues would receive a preliminary finding before a determination letter of eligibility is issued then have 48 hours to respond with their intent to correct and resubmit the documents within a specified timeframe.
The VA also said its next generation Verification Case Management System is currently under development, with an estimated contract award for a new system in May 2013, and will be a phased program with an initial operational capability expected in October 2013.
