The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, responsible for providing care to over 9 million veterans at 1,293 health care facilities. With its annual budget of over $300 billion, the VA has invested substantial sums in making its operations more energy efficient and sustainable. As part of its ongoing efforts, the department awarded Taurian Consulting a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to support enterprise-wide sustainability initiatives at the VA.
The firm, a joint venture between Guidehouse and ReefPoint Group, is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business specializing in providing healthcare consulting services to the public sector. Under the contract, Taurian Consulting will provide insights to support initiatives focusing on energy and water, environment, fleet, sustainable buildings, and climate change. The firm’s assistance will help the VA address a broad range of sustainability challenges while continuing to execute its core mission.
"We are honored by this opportunity for Taurian Consulting to provide support to the VA through this important work," said Scott McIntyre, CEO of Guidehouse. "Given the transformational nature of this engagement for the VA, we will leverage our collective capabilities and strengths to bring forward innovative technologies and market-leading sustainability solutions to support the VA mission while helping them continue to provide high-quality services to our nation's veterans."
The VA’s sustainability efforts include investing in energy improvements, increasing use of renewable energy, reducing water use, and certifying buildings as sustainable through new construction and efforts to certify existing buildings. These efforts have produced concrete results, with energy and water use reduced by roughly 30% and VA hospitals overall using 40% less energy per square foot than the national average for all hospitals. In 2020, the department was the recipient of multiple awards from the non-profit sustainable healthcare organization Practice Greenhealth, winning eight of the organization’s “Top 25” category awards.
The combination of the VA’s commitment to sustainability and Taurian Consulting’s expertise should prove fruitful, allowing the department to draw upon the unique perspective of a veteran-focused workforce as it advances its efforts while continuing to care for millions of patients around the country.
