Shared accountability is shaping a new era for VA IT contractors. Collaboration and advanced digital capabilities are essential to effectively serving stakeholders.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) exists to serve those who selflessly serve their country. The VA relies on the right technology and strong partnerships to fulfill this mission. With the support of IT contractors, the VA has made strides in improving service quality, accessibility, and efficiency.

The future of veteran-focused services depends on a partnership built on shared accountability and innovation. This blog explores the importance of shared responsibility, its benefits, and its impact on VA and IT contractor success.

The Current IT Landscape at the VA

The VA’s services span a broad spectrum, including healthcare, benefits administration, and cemetery services, making its operational needs complex and multifaceted. IT is critical in ensuring these services are carried out effectively, using technology to streamline processes, enhance communication, and improve decision-making. The department’s IT contracting scope is immense, from electronic health records (EHR) to online benefit claims systems and cyber security infrastructure.

Given the scope and scale of these projects, the VA relies extensively on the expertise of contractors for its IT transformation efforts. While this partnership has led to significant progress, many challenges remain, particularly in project accountability, communication, and long-term innovation. Despite being critical contributors to the VA’s success, contractors sometimes operate at an arm’s length, with accountability unevenly distributed or with contributions to innovation limited by rigid frameworks.

Why Shared Accountability Is Essential

Accountability must be a shared responsibility for any project as complex and impactful as the VA’s. When one party—be it the VA or its IT contractor—is solely viewed as the ‘owner’ or ‘executor’ of a project’s success or failure, risks increase in several areas, including:

1. Misaligned Goals: The VA’s overarching mission and a contractor’s responsibilities may not align, resulting in a fragmented approach to critical projects. Both parties must mutually understand project goals and work collaboratively toward them.
2. Delayed Progress: Unbalanced accountability leads to inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and a lack of urgency in resolving issues. This can harm the VA’s ability to meet the needs of its primary stakeholders, veterans.
3. Limited Trust and Collaboration: Uneven accountability undermines collaboration. Projects flourish in environments where both parties trust each other to contribute their best work and hold one another to high standards.

Shared accountability fosters a sense of joint ownership, where contractors are as invested in successful outcomes. It ensures that everyone involved—whether on the government or contractor side—has an equal stake in achieving project goals while addressing challenges head-on.

Driving Innovation Together

Innovation is one of the pillars of modern IT. In serving the veteran community, staying at the forefront of digital trends is non-negotiable. Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), cloud-based solutions, blockchain, and telehealth, hold immense promise to revolutionize VA services. However, driving innovation requires more than implementing off-the-shelf solutions. It calls for co-creation and forward-thinking collaboration between the VA and IT contractors.

Here’s how shared innovation can yield better results:

1. Custom Solutions for Veteran Needs: Veterans have unique needs, and few organizations understand those needs better than the VA. When contractors share an equal role in the innovation process, they can co-create custom tools and systems that align with these specific requirements rather than relying on generic solutions.
2. Agility and Adaptability: The speed at which technology evolves demands that the VA and contractors maintain a flexible, innovative culture. Equal partnerships allow quicker pivots, better risk management, and a proactive approach to issues during implementation.
3. Solving Complex Challenges through Expertise: IT contractors often have specialized expertise across various industries. When empowered to innovate, they can bring fresh ideas and devise cutting-edge solutions to address legacy issues and modernize VA systems.
4. Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement: Innovation isn’t a one-time event—it’s an ongoing process. By working together as equals, contractors and VA teams can create long-term systems designed to adapt and grow over time rather than becoming obsolete within a few years.

A shared culture of innovation keeps the VA at the cutting edge while ensuring that contractors are fully aligned with the department’s mission of delivering the best possible outcomes for veterans.

Benefits of Equal Partnerships

The benefits transcend the partnership when the VA and IT contractors collaborate as equal partners with shared accountability and innovation. The ultimate beneficiaries—veterans and their families—gain access to more effective, efficient, and accessible services. Here are some ways equal partnerships can enhance outcomes:

1. Improved Service Delivery: Equal commitment ensures smoother service planning, execution, and delivery. Whether it’s an EHR implementation project or the rollout of a telecommunications system, shared accountability leads to higher-quality results.
2. Increased Cost Efficiency: Full collaboration creates opportunities to identify inefficiencies, streamline processes, and leverage contractor expertise to develop cost-effective solutions.
3. Reduced Risk: Projects are less likely to encounter critical delays or failures when both parties share responsibility for potential risks and develop joint mitigation strategies.
4. Stronger Relationships: Collaboration based on trust and mutual respect fosters stronger, longer-lasting relationships between the VA and contractors, paving the way for future innovations.
5. Empowered Workforce: Enhanced trust and communication benefit contractors and VA employees alike, leading to a more motivated, capable workforce focused on shared goals.

Steps to Build Equal Accountability and Innovation into VA-Contractor Partnerships

To achieve the goal of equal partnerships, the VA and its IT contractors must take intentional steps to break down silos and establish a balanced framework. Some key strategies include:

1. Clear Contracts with Mutual Accountability Metrics: Contracts should articulate deliverable expectations and shared metrics to ensure everyone is accountable for successes and challenges.
2. Open Communication Channels: Frequent and transparent communication builds trust and prevents misunderstandings that might derail progress.
3. Collaboration-Oriented Team Structures: Integrated project teams with members from the VA and contractors ensure that both sides contribute their expertise throughout the project lifecycle.
4. Inclusive Innovation Workshops: Hosting brainstorming sessions and innovation challenges with mixed VA staff and contractor teams can yield creative solutions to ongoing challenges.
5. Feedback Loops and Lessons Learned: A continuous improvement process ensures that successes and failures are evaluated together, providing valuable insights for future projects.
6. Mutual Investment in Training and Development: Both the VA and contractors should agree to invest in their teams’ knowledge, skills, and familiarity with emerging technologies.

Conclusion: Building a Partnership That Serves Veterans Best

Veterans have given so much to this nation and deserve a Department of Veterans Affairs equipped with the best tools and technologies to meet their needs. Achieving this lofty ambition requires nothing less than a true partnership between the VA and IT contractors.

By sharing accountability and fostering an environment of open, collaborative innovation, the VA and its contractors can create transformative change. Together, they can transition from a transactional relationship to a truly collaborative one—delivering projects and meaningful, impactful outcomes for veterans and their families.

It’s time to move beyond traditional roles and embrace a shared approach. With equal accountability and innovation at the heart of this partnership, the VA and its IT contractors can build a brighter future for those who dedicate their lives to protecting America. This partnership is built not just for technology’s sake but also for the people it serves.

Tom Rooney