Review non-competed contracts that grew far beyond their first obligation.
The dataset shows 1,161 matches for this pattern; the 50 largest are cited here — VA contracts recorded as not competed whose net obligations reached at least three times the first obligation — $2.4B in total. Growth within priced options is expected; growth beyond the options ceiling or the original justification's scope is the question for review. The recommendation is grounded in 50 pattern-detector matches across the VA award data. Each cited match links back to specific source records, so every dollar in the headline can be re-added from them. Dollars are obligations on the cited records, not estimated losses.
Net obligations involved is the sum of the cited matches' obligations (commitments recorded on USAspending.gov). It is the scale of the records to review, not an estimate of loss, improper payment or recoverable money; totals across recommendations can overlap.
Risk overview
Growth beyond a justified scope without a new justification or competition raises FAR Part 6 compliance questions of the kind GAO cites in its High Risk List entry on VA acquisition management.
Contracts that outgrow their original basis are harder to manage and to re-compete when they expire.
Sole-source growth is a recurring subject of VA OIG and GAO reports.
Justification & audit trail
50 cited matches · $2.4B in net obligations involved
The dataset shows 1,161 matches for this pattern; the 50 largest are cited here — VA contracts recorded as not competed whose net obligations reached at least three times the first obligation — $2.4B in total. Growth within priced options is expected; growth beyond the options ceiling or the original justification's scope is the question for review. The recommendation is grounded in 50 pattern-detector matches across the VA award data. Each cited match links back to specific source records, so every dollar in the headline can be re-added from them. Dollars are obligations on the cited records, not estimated losses.
- growth_ratio$41source: app.award_current
- obligated_total$6.7Msource: app.award_current
- growth_ratio$38source: app.award_current
- obligated_total$62.4Msource: app.award_current
- growth_ratio$34source: app.award_current
- obligated_total$6.1Msource: app.award_current
| Source | Row | Field | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C25721P0930_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | growth_ratio | 41 |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C25721P0930_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | obligated_total | 6,651,167 |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C77620P0091_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | growth_ratio | 38 |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C77620P0091_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | obligated_total | 62,360,025 |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_VA262P0585_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | growth_ratio | 34 |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_VA262P0585_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | obligated_total | 6,117,268 |
Timeline & dependencies
- D+14Audit committee briefed
- D+45Evidence pack assembled
- D+90Decision recorded
Calibrated next steps
- 01Compare each award's net obligations with its base-and-all-options value and the justification & approval on file.
- 02Where growth exceeded the justified scope, confirm a new J&A or competitive action was considered (FAR 6.3).
- 03Cross-check the purpose-drift detector: growth plus a changed description is a stronger signal than either alone.