Enhance Business Consulting · Market research
Could VA have opened this $5 million job to competition?
SAMPLE · built from public data · not a VA document · 2026-10-06Short answer: Yes, by VA's own test. Not counting the company that got the job, six certified service-disabled veteran-owned firms have already done this exact kind of work for VA, each on a single contract at least half this size. VA's rule only needs two.
What "rule of two" means
Before VA buys anything, its contracting officer has to ask one question: are there at least two veteran-owned small businesses that could do this job at a fair price? If the answer is yes, VA has to hold a competition among them. Only when the answer is no may it hand the job to a single company. This page answers that question for one real job, using only public records.
The job
- VA's contracting office for Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina (Network Contracting Office 7, in Augusta GA) needed outside help for its own buyers: people to research markets, draft paperwork and keep contract files in order.
- One year of work, 2026-09-22 to 2027-09-21, estimated at $4,944,258.50.
- VA did not hold a competition. It handed the job straight to the company already doing it, Veterans Management Services Inc. (VMSI), using a rule that lets VA skip competition for a veteran-owned firm on jobs up to $5 million. The estimate came in $55,741 under that limit.
- VA wrote down its reason: VMSI's eight straight 'Exceptional' performance ratings. It also wrote that it would consider a competition 'if market research shows there are at least two SDVOSBs capable' of the work. This page is that market research.
How we got from 162 firms to 6
We started with every service-disabled veteran-owned firm that won this kind of work anywhere in the federal government in the last five years, then kept only firms that pass each test. The incumbent is left out on purpose: the question is whether others exist.
The 6 firms that did this work for VA
Each of these firms holds an active SBA veteran certification today, is registered to do business with the government, is small for this job, and has won at least one VA contract for this exact kind of work worth $2.47M or more.
| Firm | State | VA jobs, 5 yrs | VA total | Biggest VA job | Certified until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stafford Consulting Company, Inc.GMQFM999K2E5 | Virginia | 65 | $97.90M | $4.61M | 2027-05-30 |
| Pathfinder Consultants, LLCNE7FN362JCH1 | Virginia | 46 | $45.40M | $3.52M | 2029-08-08 |
| The Arcanum Group, Inc.E5ACSBP2KK61 | Florida | 15 | $19.92M | $4.45M | 2028-03-07 |
| Cameo Consulting Group LLCGR37ULLYKLK9 | Maryland | 5 | $9.15M | $4.00M | 2027-04-15 |
| Concordant LLCL47XLX9LJLH5 | Wyoming | 3 | $7.98M | $2.96M | 2027-03-03 |
| Planate Management Group LLCZL3LH37LF183 | Virginia | 2 | $4.80M | $2.66M | 2027-12-27 |
One wrinkle: VA's award notice files this job under industry code 541511 (computer programming) instead of the usual 541611 (management consulting). Each code has its own size limit. Under 541511, 4 of the 6 firms still count as small, which is still more than two.
29 more firms that did this work at this size for other agencies
| Firm | State | Jobs, 5 yrs | Total | Biggest job | Certified until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hive Group, LLCWC2WA7J7DJJ9 | Virginia | 5 | $52.82M | $27.57M | 2027-08-18 |
| Trust Consulting Services Inc.RCAAJWT92AF6 | District of Columbia | 11 | $40.52M | $5.03M | 2028-02-20 |
| Voigt Peters Associates LLCEKZKYBYZTRK3 | Virginia | 6 | $30.21M | $14.95M | 2027-06-02 |
| Espire Services, L.l.cWCZUM3515KK7 | Virginia | 4 | $25.49M | $23.80M | 2029-08-18 |
| DJS Financial Services, LLCM9ZKYLPKGC49 | Virginia | 6 | $23.90M | $4.83M | 2028-03-13 |
| Primcorp, LLCMHCQWP82AAC3 | Virginia | 5 | $20.52M | $5.87M | 2027-02-15 |
| Z-tech Solutions, LLCXLRZU56NNMN7 | Virginia | 10 | $18.16M | $4.09M | 2029-05-06 |
| Trevor L Newman LLCFE35WM3URJ59 | New Jersey | 2 | $17.17M | $12.25M | 2026-11-13 |
| Bacik Group LLCDN7UQLDB21F5 | Alabama | 3 | $14.16M | $9.50M | 2027-05-25 |
| Procurement & Acquisition Center Of Excellence, LLCXRL8KCJ13M17 | Virginia | 8 | $13.61M | $3.26M | 2028-06-07 |
| St. Moritz Enterprises, L.l.c.PJKDKEL234X1 | Florida | 6 | $12.70M | $6.60M | 2027-03-13 |
| Seventh Dimension, LLCHUH6MX1KVMP3 | North Carolina | 3 | $11.70M | $6.50M | 2029-01-21 |
| Information Management Resources, Inc.UFLTL39NQJX5 | California | 3 | $11.08M | $7.99M | 2027-01-31 |
| Platinum Business Services, LLCPCNMDK3FLJB9 | Maryland | 6 | $9.44M | $2.95M | 2027-04-28 |
| Metrics, LLCF541XAYTKKN5 | Virginia | 6 | $7.49M | $3.08M | 2028-10-08 |
| Archimedes Global, IncCA8DEPBFKSY9 | Maryland | 2 | $7.08M | $3.63M | 2028-09-20 |
| Loch Harbour Group, Inc.J3LEG8T3BL27 | Virginia | 1 | $6.45M | $6.45M | 2027-08-07 |
| Immersion Consulting LLCPNFEKKN4HDS4 | Maryland | 1 | $5.69M | $5.69M | 2028-05-17 |
| GCC Technologies, LLCKS7JJ7X8L6S1 | Maryland | 2 | $5.55M | $5.51M | 2027-02-03 |
| Kent Campa & Kate IncWUYNHZFVR6R3 | Virginia | 7 | $5.50M | $4.04M | 2026-11-19 |
| Runyara, LLCDCGGAG1L5XE9 | Virginia | 1 | $5.15M | $5.15M | 2028-11-16 |
| Dynamic Management Associates LLCNFNAK88DBZ83 | Virginia | 2 | $5.06M | $3.32M | 2027-08-24 |
| A. Harold And Associates LLCJ8RRSCM1SKY7 | Florida | 1 | $4.85M | $4.85M | 2028-03-18 |
| Micro Systems Consultants, Inc.DK3YDPKR7DA9 | Virginia | 2 | $4.65M | $4.43M | 2027-07-12 |
| Arete Consulting LLCC2PNBME1GYB5 | Virginia | 1 | $4.49M | $4.49M | 2027-08-07 |
| Salmon Group IncN358T5EYS3G5 | District of Columbia | 5 | $3.93M | $2.97M | 2028-10-14 |
| U.s. Federal Solutions, Inc.FGBZR13DFU46 | Maryland | 1 | $3.82M | $3.82M | 2027-10-11 |
| Applied Development, LLCHD22ZQ4MGK33 | District of Columbia | 1 | $3.29M | $3.29M | 2027-01-20 |
| Jasint Consulting And Technologies, LLCHE9UEML9S8S5 | Maryland | 1 | $2.96M | $2.96M | 2028-10-28 |
33 firms we checked that do not count, and why
| Firm | Why it does not count |
|---|---|
| Veterans Management Services, Inc.YM2UURS758K9 | the company that got this job — left out on purpose |
| Blue Water Thinking,llcNKCBT3KN6EF3 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Military Service Alliance IncorporatedLNRBEMQ2ECZ7 | not found in SBA's certification list; biggest job $1.56M, under $2.47M |
| Worldwide Counter Threat Solutions, LLCL2NXZG3KANK3 | biggest job $1.20M, under $2.47M |
| MJL Enterprises, LLCH7WJBMKFSV78 | too large to count as small for this job; biggest job $723K, under $2.47M |
| CLJ Consulting & Contracting LLCKRRGMJ2QDQA1 | biggest job $1.96M, under $2.47M |
| TDB Communications IncSNA4S19RNL45 | too large to count as small for this job; biggest job $309K, under $2.47M |
| BTL Technologies, IncKWF1UL1EKG76 | biggest job $78K, under $2.47M |
| HX5 LLCC134QVM1QLB5 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Strategic Alliance Solutions LLCLTRQBRKY3DN5 | veteran certification no longer active; too large to count as small for this job |
| P E Systems, Inc.PUZ4TAWZLMS1 | veteran certification no longer active; too large to count as small for this job |
| Seventh Sense, LLCNKDGL87VMHM4 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Martek-cri JVP365SMNEXF54 | not found in SBA's certification list |
| Competitive Range Solutions LLCRM9GACFMSLG7 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Advanced Management Strategies Group, Inc.D72GB943Q923 | veteran certification no longer active; too large to count as small for this job |
| Evoke Research And Consulting, LLCE3HENZDGJQ85 | too large to count as small for this job |
| KT Consulting, Inc.WHH9LHLLN7L4 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Vets Etc LLCMBZKYKLWHR13 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Shadowobjects LLCJ1KBQQBFQHM5 | veteran certification no longer active |
| Reservoir International, LLCZPMURMTDMLK8 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Omni Consulting Solutions, Inc.Y4PCM34SMQV5 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Jstoogood LLCJ7M9KNLGXKR4 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Oak Grove Technologies, LLCGZMHL3R9LGZ3 | veteran certification no longer active; too large to count as small for this job |
| Obxtek IncSFBZYVFXLK13 | not found in SBA's certification list |
| Heartland Energy Partners LLCLV48TMKCY627 | veteran certification no longer active |
| D&g Support Services LLCC28JCZBFRRX5 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Minburn Technology Group, LLCWN8JFVZTBCA5 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Lunarline, Inc.M7HTX3LN7DF5 | not found in SBA's certification list |
| Acquisition Solutions Eagles, LLCY5DPUK3WLT91 | veteran certification no longer active |
| Acquisition Experts, LLCL8HHUTFM65S6 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Centuria CorporationUNHSMQN5UNR8 | too large to count as small for this job |
| Golden Key Group, LLCCJ7MKQHPL145 | veteran certification no longer active; too large to count as small for this job |
| Allied Technologies Sdvosb LLCLNJLQHYKLJS3 | veteran certification no longer active |
For context: over five years VA placed 164 contracts worth $213.07M for this kind of work with 16 different service-disabled veteran-owned firms. In the three states NCO 7 covers, another 1194 certified firms list this industry code; most have no track record in this work, so they are not counted.
What this means for Enhance
This is a sample of the work these contracts pay for.
Contracts like this one pay outside firms to help VA's buyers, and market research like this page is one of the core tasks. Enhance does it with AI, faster. This page is the proof to show a prime contractor.
Enhance is not on this list yet, so the way in is as a subcontractor.
Every firm that counts has already done this work for the government. Enhance has no federal contracts yet. Working under one of these firms builds the track record that a bid of its own will need.
The list doubles as a teaming list.
These 35 firms are the most likely primes to subcontract to. One, Bacik Group LLC, is in Alabama, inside NCO 7's own region.
There is a date to watch, and no guarantee of a warning.
This job ends 2027-09-21. VA's central office posted a notice before its own version of this job and took capability statements. NCO 7 posted its explanation only after awarding. So the move is to contact NCO 7's small-business liaison months before the end date, with this research in hand, rather than waiting for a notice.
Words used on this page
- SDVOSB
- Service-disabled veteran-owned small business. A company at least 51% owned and run by a veteran with a service-connected disability, certified by the SBA. Enhance is one.
- Rule of two
- VA must reserve a purchase for these firms when it reasonably expects two or more of them to bid at a fair price. The Supreme Court made this mandatory in 2016 (Kingdomware).
- Sole source
- Giving a contract to one company without a competition. VA may do this for a veteran-owned firm on jobs up to $5 million.
- Justification
- The document VA must post explaining why it skipped competition.
- Industry code (NAICS)
- A six-digit code for the kind of work. It sets the size limit for 'small'. 541611 = management consulting, small up to $24.5M a year in revenue.
- Product/service code (PSC)
- A four-character code for what was bought. R707 = contract, procurement and acquisition support.
- SAM
- The government's registry of companies allowed to win contracts. Registration must be active.
- USAspending
- The public database of every federal contract and how much was paid.
- UEI
- The 12-character ID every company in SAM gets. Shown under each firm name so anyone can look it up.
How this was made, and its limits
- Past contracts come from USAspending, the public federal spending database: every VA and government-wide contract coded R707 from 2021-10-01 to 2026-09-30, to firms marked service-disabled veteran-owned when they won it.
- Each firm was then re-checked on 2026-10-06 against SBA's public certification search. A firm counts only if SBA shows its certification active today.
- Built-in check: the incumbent shows up in every search and passes every test, so a firm missing from the list is a real miss, not a broken search.
- "Small" uses each firm's own size statement in its government registration. It is not an official SBA size ruling.
- Not checked: price, whether each firm has room for more work, or whether it would bid. A VA "sources sought" notice is how VA would confirm interest.
- Anyone can repeat this: every firm's UEI is listed, and the search is a script, not a judgment call.
Sources
- SAM.gov justification notice for 36C24726F0283 and attachment 'P03 - Sole Source Justifcation1_Redacted.pdf': https://sam.gov/opp/6051f65725b54102b93e291c692a9685/view
- USAspending award 36C24726F0283: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_36C24726F0283_3600_GS35F128DA_4732
- USAspending spending_by_award API (PSC R707, SDVOSB recipients, FY2022–FY2026)
- SBA certification search: https://search.certifications.sba.gov