# VA Awards Ambient AI Scribe Contract

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awarded a **$775.72 million** multiple-award, five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to expand ambient AI scribe technology across more than 75 VA medical centers and outpatient care providers nationwide. Vendors including Abridge and Knowtex secured positions on this contract, enabling VA facilities to competitively procure task orders for AI-powered clinical documentation integrated with both legacy and modern electronic health record (EHR) systems. This contract supports the VA's modernization efforts in clinical workflows, emphasizing scalable AI governance, data integration, and legal compliance.

- **Why this matters:** The contract represents a significant investment in ambient clinical AI technology, creating substantial opportunities for healthcare IT and AI solution providers to engage with the VA's extensive healthcare network serving over 9 million veterans.
- The multi-award IDIQ structure allows multiple vendors to compete for task orders, encouraging innovation and competitive pricing in AI-powered clinical documentation.
- Procurement professionals should note the VA's focus on integrating AI solutions with existing and new EHR systems, highlighting the importance of interoperability and compliance in future proposals.
- Contractors can leverage this contract to expand AI-driven clinical documentation services across diverse medical specialties including primary care, behavioral health, rehabilitation, and surgical care within the VA system.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Healthcare, Information Technology
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence, Digital Infrastructure, Regulatory Compliance, Cloud Services
**Published:** September 23, 2026

### Government Entities
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

### Vendors
- Abridge (awardee)
- Knowtex (awardee)
- Optum Public Sector Solutions, Inc. (prime contractor)
- UnitedHealth Group (UNH) (prime contractor)

### Key Quotes
> Veterans have declined the use of the technology less than 1% of the time since October 2025.
> — Dr. Rebecca Gladding, Acting Deputy Chief of Psychiatry at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

### Sources
- [Abridge selected for VA ambient AI enterprise contract - Nextgov/FCW](https://www.nextgov.com/artificial-intelligence/2026/09/va-selects-abridge-ambient-scribe-under-new-enterprise-contract/416140) - Nextgov/FCW
- [Abridge Wins Seat on $775.7M VA Enterprise Contract to Power Ambient Clinical AI](https://hitconsultant.net/2026/09/22/abridge-awarded-va-enterprise-contract-ambient-ai-veterans-health-administration) - HIT Consultant
- [VA Awards New AI Scribe Contract, With Lessons for Governing AI at Scale - CDO Magazine](https://www.cdomagazine.tech/us-federal-news-bureau/va-awards-new-ai-scribe-contract-with-lessons-for-governing-ai-at-scale) - CDO Magazine