VA tightens contract review process, appoints new gatekeepers for major deals

The VA has instituted revised and more stringent review requirements for many of its contracts, effective immediately, according to an internal memorandum dated 13 May 2025, as tipped by Federal News Network.

The new guidance, which supersedes previous instructions from late April 2025, mandates that all VA contracts for IT, professional services, or valued at $10 million or more undergo an additional review by two named officials: Christopher Roussos and Cary Volpert. The memo explicitly states that "no new contracts can be signed or modified unless and until Mr. Roussos or Mr. Volpert have provided review and approval."

This initiative is a direct response to executive order 14222, "Implementing the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency' Cost Efficiency Initiative."

To facilitate thorough reviews, VA contracting officers must provide Roussos and Volpert with a minimum of seven days for their assessment. VA's Acting Senior Procurement Executive will then furnish reviewers with weekly spreadsheets of all applicable contracts, organized by the recency of their option periods. According to the memo, Roussos and Volpert will exclusively manage the scheduling of these review sessions to "prevent last-minute and incomplete reviews right before the option period." That’s a lot of responsibility to willingly take on.

The memorandum, issued by the office of the Acting Principal Executive Director for Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction, and Acting Chief Acquisition Officer Phillip W. Christy, designates Acting VA Senior Executive Joseph Maletta as the point of contact for any questions regarding these new contract review requirements.