What GAO Found The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has long encountered challenges in executing and managing its acquisitions. For example, a 2015 independent review identified VA’s supply chain management as unduly complex and duplicative. VA acquisition management has been on GAO’s High Risk List since 2019 because of challenges such as inconsistent leadership and lack of strategic planning. While subsequent high-risk updates have noted meaningful progress, GAO continues to find persistent challenges with VA’s acquisition. VA’s current acquisition workforce is large and decentralized. While most contracting officials are in VA’s operating administrations, primarily the Veterans Health Administration, others are located in offices across the department. The Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction oversees four department-level contracting organizations, but acquisition is dispersed among multiple levels across the agency. As of November 2025, VA’s acquisition workforce consisted of 2,658 contracting officials, spread across numerous organizations. Number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Veterans Affairs Contracting Officials (as of November 2025) VA and its administrations have taken steps in recent years to reorganize some aspects of its acquisition function. However, these efforts were relatively modest and did not collectively address the persistent fundamental challenges GAO has found in the past, such as managing its…
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Veteran Affairs: Acquisition Reorganization Should Reflect Leading Practices
Source: US GAO Reports — US Government, Public Domain