TAC Talks: S2 #2: TAC engineering tech tips

In Series 2, Episode 2 of  VA’s Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) podcast, TAC Talks, we discuss TAC engineering tech tips. The VA TAC’s acquisitions relate to the many technologies employed by VA, including: hardware, software, servers, data centers, software applications and cloud hosting. Software applications cover topics such as conference reservation systems, mobile apps for clinicians and Veterans, and enterprise wide financial and electronic health record systems.

The TAC is a unique, diversified, multi-disciplined organization of acquisition professionals, dedicated to providing streamlined business and contracting solutions for major Information and Technology (IT) requirements. As such, the TAC has a cadre of IT engineers – with program management subject matter expertise – to bolster our highly specialized team of IT-experienced contracting officers and contract specialists to ensure our mission is successfully attained.

Specifically, the engineering arm of the TAC provides customers with assistance in requirements refinement, analysis of market research, technical consultation, and assistance in proposal evaluation. Many of our valued customers find great benefit with leveraging the expertise of TAC engineers to ensure optimal products are acquired and delivered the first time, thereby providing the best technologies for the care of our Veterans.

In this episode, Jon Smolenski, the TAC’s engineering service director, helps us break down the Division’s involvement with the acquisition process, tips for developing requirements documents and much more valuable, technical insight.