HHS Splits $49M AI, Automation Contract Evenly Between Small, Large Businesses

The Health and Human Services Department awarded 57 spots on its Intelligent Automation/Artificial Intelligence, or IAAI, contract, a $49 million vehicle that officials hope one day will compete with the massive governmentwide acquisition contracts, or GWACs. The department awarded spots to 28 small business and 29 large vendors, according to data obtained by Nextgov. See the full list at the end of the article. The vendors will offer a "catalog of emerging technologies" centered around robotic process automation, or RPA, and general AI tools. "When we say'artificial intelligence,' we're using the term very broadly," Lori Ruderman, who leads the HHS Buy Smarter initiative and is a senior adviser at the Program Support Center, said in January in the middle of the solicitation process.