Confirm VetCert status on SDVOSB set-aside awards before further options or orders.
The dataset shows 102 matches for this pattern; the 50 largest are cited here — VA contracts awarded since January 1, 2023 under an SDVOSB set-aside or sole-source authority where the recipient's UEI has no SDVOSB certification record, current or former, in SBA's public Small Business Search — $247M in net obligations. Joint ventures, orders under CVE-era vehicles and firms with any SBA certification record are already left out; remaining explanations include a UEI change, a firm without a public SBS profile, or a joint venture not marked as one. The contract file will show the eligibility check made at award (38 U.S.C. 8127(e)). 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
Eligibility, exclusion and registration requirements (38 U.S.C. 8127, FAR 9.405, FAR 4.1102) apply at award; an unexplained gap is a question for the contract file, and any resulting improper payment would be reportable under the Payment Integrity Information Act.
The later a gap is found, the harder it is to remedy through options, terminations or recoveries.
Awards to ineligible or excluded parties in veteran programs draw sustained oversight attention.
Justification & audit trail
50 cited matches · $247M in net obligations involved
The dataset shows 102 matches for this pattern; the 50 largest are cited here — VA contracts awarded since January 1, 2023 under an SDVOSB set-aside or sole-source authority where the recipient's UEI has no SDVOSB certification record, current or former, in SBA's public Small Business Search — $247M in net obligations. Joint ventures, orders under CVE-era vehicles and firms with any SBA certification record are already left out; remaining explanations include a UEI change, a firm without a public SBS profile, or a joint venture not marked as one. The contract file will show the eligibility check made at award (38 U.S.C. 8127(e)). 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.
- set_asideSDVOSBC SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDEsource: app.award_current
- obligated_total$40.1Msource: app.award_current
- veteran_cert_types_any_datenonesource: sba.cert
- set_asideSDVOSBC SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDEsource: app.award_current
- obligated_total$32.1Msource: app.award_current
- veteran_cert_types_any_datenonesource: sba.cert
| Source | Row | Field | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C77623C0114_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | set_aside | SDVOSBC SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C77623C0114_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | obligated_total | 40,130,672 |
| sba.cert | CONT_AWD_36C77623C0114_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | veteran_cert_types_any_date | none |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C77623C0104_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | set_aside | SDVOSBC SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C77623C0104_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | obligated_total | 32,066,312 |
| sba.cert | CONT_AWD_36C77623C0104_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | veteran_cert_types_any_date | none |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C26125C0061_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | set_aside | SDVOSBC SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C26125C0061_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | obligated_total | 25,347,000 |
| sba.cert | CONT_AWD_36C26125C0061_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | veteran_cert_types_any_date | none |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C77624C0129_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | set_aside | SDVOSBC SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C77624C0129_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | obligated_total | 19,859,022 |
| sba.cert | CONT_AWD_36C77624C0129_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | veteran_cert_types_any_date | none |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C26126C0026_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | set_aside | SDVOSBC SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE |
| app.award_current | CONT_AWD_36C26126C0026_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | obligated_total | 18,964,000 |
| sba.cert | CONT_AWD_36C26126C0026_3600_-NONE-_-NONE- | veteran_cert_types_any_date | none |
Timeline & dependencies
- D+14Audit committee briefed
- D+45Evidence pack assembled
- D+90Decision recorded
Calibrated next steps
- 01Look up each recipient in SBA's Small Business Search (VetCert) as of the award date, including any joint-venture certification.
- 02Where no certification existed, document the contracting officer's eligibility determination in the contract file before exercising options or issuing further orders.
- 03Refer unresolved cases to the SBA VetCert program office and, where misrepresentation is suspected, to the VA Office of Inspector General hotline.