TAC Robotic Process Automation Training

1.0 BACKGROUND

This request for information is for market research purposes only in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 10 procedures. This is not a solicitation, nor does it guarantee a solicitation will be issued. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This is not a request for proposals, and it does not obligate the government in any manner.

The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics, Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) is to support our Nation’s Veterans by providing acquisition and logistics solutions for VA.  In meeting these goals, TAC is responsible for preparing and executing quality contracts that support the Information Technology (IT) efforts and needs of its customers across VA, which enables our customers to provide best value solutions to Veterans and their families. TAC employees are forward-thinking, smart, and innovative acquisition professionals, with strong technical and leadership competencies. To continue to offer our customers customized and responsive service, maintain nimble operations, and provide expert technical support services, TAC must ensure its workforce continues to enhance and maintain knowledge and awareness across a variety of current and emerging IT technologies and trends.

The TAC seeks to expand workforce awareness and readiness for Robotic Process Automation (RPA). This training shall be for up to three-days, predominantly informational and demonstration-driven course provides foundational understanding of RPA, VA-aligned use cases, and a limited hands-on component to reinforce learning. 

2.0 TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

The TAC has a requirement for RPA training to be delivered to its workforce.

1. Facilitation – All training courses shall be “live,” virtual, instructor led training delivered in real-time and not pre-recorded or self-paced.
2. Schedule – All training shall be delivered in Fiscal Year 2025 between October 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. No training is permitted during 4th quarter of the Fiscal Year. The Contractor is responsible for coordinating a final training schedule in accordance with the requirements in this notice for approval by the Government within two (2) weeks of the training start date.
3. Course Content – Contractors shall effectively utilize demos, knowledge checks, and hands-on learning activities as appropriate. The training courses shall include up-to-date training material on the latest versions of the latest products. Students should be provided with or have access to view, listen, and/or print all course content. Course content shall be available online to students in video, audio and/or written transcript formats.
4. Changes – The Contractor shall accommodate student changes within 24-hours of the start of any training class session. Changes include student drop-out, student additions, and student switches. It does not include additional students beyond the stated student maximums.
5. Technical Support – The Contractor shall be always available during the course.
6.  Section 508 – The training shall meet Section 508 compliance standards

TRAINING DELIVERABLES

All deliverables shall be in a standardized format.

1. Kick-off Meeting and Course Schedule (Deliverable 1)

The Contractor shall conduct a kick-off meeting within one (1) week of contract award with the Government POCs. The Contractor shall coordinate a final course schedule for approval by the Government. The Contractor shall coordinate a final Training Schedule with draft course curriculum in accordance with the requirements of this PWS for approval by the Government.

2. Welcome Letter / Course Curriculum and Training Materials (Deliverable 2)

The Contractor shall provide the Course Curriculum and Training Materials to the Government POCs no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled start date of the training course. The Course Curriculum and Training Materials shall include the course agenda, learning objectives, presentation materials, and materials for practical exercises, case studies, and job aids, as applicable. The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating with the Government point of contract (POC) to release a welcome letter and virtual training invites to all attendees within three (3) days prior to the start of the training.

3. Attendee Roster (Deliverable 3)

The Contractor shall take attendance for each training course and provide an attendance sheet to the Government delivery POCs. The attendee roster shall include the name, email, and timestamps of the attendees.  Training that is multi-day shall have attendance taken each day. Training course attendance is estimated to be 20- 25 students per class.

​​​​​​​4. Certificate of Completion (Deliverable 4)

The Contractor shall coordinate with the designated Government POC for Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) approval with all awarded training. Training that extends for a working day (including lunch and breaks) shall be 8 CLPs per full day. The Contractor shall email a certificate of completion to each student within one (1) week of course completion. Certificates of Completion shall include, at a minimum, the name of the training course, training date(s), instructor, Contractor’s name, student’s name, and number of CLPs earned.

​​​​​​​5. Feedback Survey (Deliverable 5)

The Contractor shall collect training feedback from attendees upon completion of each training course. Feedback shall be provided to the Government delivery POC within three (3) weeks of the training course completion. Feedback information shall be organized and clearly presented.

3.0 SPECIFIC TASKS

3.1 INFORMATIONAL FOUNDATIONS & CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING

The Contractor shall deliver an instructor-led session introducing RPA fundamentals, VA use cases, and automation value. 

Tasks 

• Explain what RPA is, how bots follow rules, and how automation aligns with VA mission needs. 

• Demonstrate VA-aligned RPA workflows to build conceptual understanding. 

• Introduce core criteria for automation suitability (rules-based, repetitive, high-volume).

• Discuss VA Tools for RPA such as UiPath, Blue Prism, and the use of VA RPA Platform.  

Deliverables 

1. Presentation deck 
2. Demonstration scripts and recordings 

3.2 DEMONSTRATION-DRIVEN WORKFLOW DEEP-DIVE

The Contractor shall conduct demo-intensive instruction deep-diving into RPA workflow design and operations. 

Tasks 

• Demonstrate step-by-step bot logic (triggers, rules, decisions, exception handling, audit logging). 

• Show operational dashboards for monitoring and orchestrating workflows. 

• Provide narrated, multi-step RPA workflow walk-throughs relevant to VA operations. 

Deliverables 

1. Demo walkthrough documentation 
2. Workflow visualizations 

3.3 BOT SUITABILITY MODULE, GROUP BRAINSTORMING, AND GUIDED MINI-LAB USING MICROSOFT POWER AUTOMATE 

3.3.1 BOT-SUITABILITY INSTRUCTION MODULE

Teach class how to evaluate whether a process is appropriate for automation. 

• Characteristics of strong candidates: repetitive, rules-driven, structured inputs, high volume, stable decisions. 

• Characteristics of poor candidates: subjective judgment, frequently changing workflows, unstructured/inaccessible data. 

• VA-specific considerations: data sensitivity, compliance, system constraints. 

Deliverables 

1. Bot Suitability Evaluation Guide 
2. VA-aligned suitability checklist

3.3.2 BRAINSTORMING SESSION (TALK, DEMO, GROUP EXERCISE)

Conduct a structured session to identify RPA opportunities. 

• Talk: Explain problem identification, workflow pain-points, and target improvements. 

• Demo: Decompose a VA process into discrete steps and map to automation criteria; present impact-effort examples. 

• Group Exercise: Small groups brainstorm tasks, define current and target states, validate against suitability criteria. 

Deliverables 

1. Brainstorming exercises packet 
2. Group-generated candidate list 
3. Completed impact-effort matrices 

3.3.3 GUIDED MINI-LAB USING MICROSOFT POWER AUTOMATE (HANDS-ON)

Provide a limited, tightly structured hands-on activity (60–90 minutes) using Microsoft Power Automate. 

• Set up a safe demo environment (SharePoint list, demo mailbox, or Teams trigger). 

• Build one basic automated flow. 

• Teach triggers, actions, connectors (Outlook/Teams/SharePoint/Excel), dynamic content, and testing/validation. 

• Link a brainstorming idea to a working Power Automate example. 

Deliverables 

1. Power Automate mini-lab instructions and starter dataset 
2. Capstone demo package (slides, workflow diagrams, working flow screenshots) 
3. Certificates of completion 
4. Training evaluation summary

DISCLAIMER

Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Respondents will not be notified of the Government's evaluation of the information received. Any information or comment resulting from this request that is determined to be useful will be used to help the Government further define their requirement and may be incorporate into the final version of the Product Description. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

RESPONSES/RFI SUBMISSION

Please provide the following information:

• Detailed Course overview

• Learning objectives

• Course content

• Duration of course

• Min/Max number of students allowed per course

• Cost per course – please include the number of students included in the cost of each course.

• Cost per each additional student.

Please answer the following questions and include the requested information as part of your response. Include the following identification information as it pertains to your organization:

• Company Name

• Company Unique Entity Identification Number

• Company Address

• Company points of contact name, telephone number, and email address

Please submit a capability statement describing your company’s abilities to provide the requested training identified in this Request for Information (RFI). The capability statement shall be limited to 10 pages. Please submit the information requested in this RFI by 3:00 p.m. EST on October 30, 2026, to the Management and Program Analyst, Meryl Czaplinski, Meryl Czaplinski@va.gov. VA reserves the right to not respond to any, all, or select responses or materials submitted

REQUIREMENT CLASSIFICATION

The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 611430 – Professional and Management Development Training, is most appropriate for this requirement. The size standard is $13M. The Product Service Code (PSC) is U012 - Education/training- Information Technology/ Telecommunications Training