The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a five-year, $15.5 million contract for unarmed security services across its Caribbean healthcare system, including the VA community-based outpatient clinics on St. Croix and St. Thomas.
The contract was awarded September 1 to One Corps Inc., a Puerto Rico-based company that also held the previous regional security contract. The new agreement runs through August 31, 2031 and covers VA facilities throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
According to federal procurement records, the total value of the award is $15,506,155.20 based on the quantities included in the VA’s request for proposals. The figure applies to the entire VA Caribbean Healthcare System and is not an amount designated solely for the Virgin Islands.
The federal price schedule does not publicly disclose how much of the overall contract is attributable specifically to the St. Croix and St. Thomas clinics.
Under the contract, unarmed guards are required at the St. Croix Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in The Village Mall in Kingshill and at the St. Thomas Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. Both Virgin Islands posts require security coverage Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding federal holidays.
The two clinics are part of the VA Caribbean Healthcare System, which serves veterans throughout Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands through the San Juan VA Medical Center and a network of outpatient and community-based clinics.
The security contract extends well beyond the two territorial facilities. Federal procurement documents identify 23 contract line items covering security posts at the San Juan medical center, outpatient and rural clinics, parking facilities, warehouses and other VA locations. Some posts operate during normal business hours, while others require round-the-clock security.
The contractor is responsible for providing the personnel, supervision, equipment, supplies and other resources necessary to maintain the required security coverage.
The work includes controlling access to VA facilities, checking identification, conducting patrols, monitoring assigned areas, assisting with traffic control, responding to emergencies and performing other protective-security functions established by the VA.
Federal requirements also mandate that guards be properly licensed in the jurisdiction where they work. For personnel assigned in the Virgin Islands, the contractor must meet applicable territorial requirements for security agencies and guards.
Employees must also satisfy federal background-investigation and credentialing requirements before working at VA facilities. The procurement documents require guards to meet minimum education and experience standards and establish requirements governing training, medical fitness and other qualifications.
One Corps is not a new provider to the VA Caribbean system. The company was awarded the previous regional unarmed-security contract in 2021. That agreement initially carried an aggregate value of approximately $8.84 million when the base period and available option periods were calculated at the time of award.
Federal contracting records show the arrangement continued through subsequent options and contract actions before reaching the end of its performance period in 2026.
When the prior long-term contract expired earlier this year, the VA awarded One Corps a short-term bridge contract to prevent an interruption in security services while the agency completed procurement of the new five-year agreement.
The VA then issued the new competitive solicitation during the summer, seeking a single contractor to provide security throughout the Caribbean healthcare system. The procurement was reserved for small businesses and was structured as a requirements, firm-fixed-price contract.
The contract price is based on an all-inclusive monthly amount for individual posts. According to procurement documents, bidders were expected to incorporate expenses such as labor, supervision, uniforms, training, medical examinations, licensing and other operational costs into their pricing.
At the Virgin Islands clinics, the contract requires continuous coverage throughout the specified 8½-hour weekday periods. During the bidding process, prospective contractors questioned how meal breaks should be handled at posts with schedules longer than eight hours.
The VA responded that the required hours represent actual guard coverage and left it to the contractor to determine how to maintain that coverage while complying with applicable labor laws.
The contract also allows the VA to add, remove or transfer security posts as operational needs change, including in response to construction projects throughout the Caribbean healthcare system.
The St. Croix and St. Thomas VA clinics provide primary care and a range of other health services to veterans in the territory. Both facilities operate as satellite clinics of the VA Caribbean Healthcare System.
