Aquia Inc. Announces Contract to Advance AI Innovation at Veterans Affairs National Artificial Intelligence Institute

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., October 10, 2025 -- Aquia Inc., a cloud and cybersecurity digital services firm, today announced Aquia Nava II LLC — a joint venture between Aquia Inc. and Nava Public Benefit Corporation — has been awarded a three-year, $8.8 million contract to support the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII) under the Digital Health Office in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

The Aquia Nava team will support NAII in identifying, testing, and deploying AI solutions that improve Veteran health and well-being while enhancing VA health care delivery. The work spans the full AI product lifecycle — from use case discovery and prioritization through solutioning and piloting — with an initial focus on community care documentation automation and AI-assisted discharge planning.

"Government agencies shouldn’t have to choose between innovation and security,” said Chris Hughes, chief executive officer and co-founder, Aquia. “As VA works to deploy trustworthy AI at enterprise scale, our team is uniquely positioned to help ensure these solutions are not only innovative but also secure, compliant, and impactful for Veteran care and outcomes.”

The work addresses critical inefficiencies in VA health care operations, including manual community care documentation and discharge planning that delays care coordination, affects timely access to benefits, and impacts Veteran health outcomes. By applying human-centered design principles and rigorous security practices, the team will help VA identify AI solutions that measurably improve care coordination, reduce administrative burden, and enhance patient outcomes.

This is Aquia Nava II LLC’s second prime award under VA’s Secure, Performant, Reliable, and User-Centered Experiences (SPRUCE) IT modernization vehicle. The JV also supports VA’s Disability Benefits Crew, ensuring Veterans can access their earned benefits with greater speed and accuracy.

About Aquia Inc.

Securing The Digital Transformation ®

Aquia is a digital services firm specializing in cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and compliance automation for the U.S. government. Since 2021, we’ve generated millions in cost savings through cloud services and licensing optimization, enabled civil servants to double health care fraud investigations through streamlined cloud-based systems, and reduced authorization timelines by 74% through modernized security processes. 

As strategic advisors and engineers, we help our customers develop and deploy innovative cloud and cybersecurity technologies, adopt and implement digital transformation initiatives, and navigate complex regulatory landscapes. 

Named the “2024 Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) of the Year” by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we are passionate about making our country digitally capable and secure.

Aquia has been recognized as the #1 Best Remote Startup to Work for in 2025 by Built In and a 2024 Great Place to Work by Inc. Learn more at aquia.us. 

About Nava PBC

Nava is a public benefit corporation working to make government services simple and effective. We're trusted by some of the largest federal and state agencies to solve complex and highly scrutinized technology modernization challenges.

We guide agencies constrained by legacy systems to a future with sharp user experiences built on secure, reliable, fault-tolerant cloud infrastructure. Learn more at navapbc.com.

Press contact for Aquia:

Ashling Knight

comms@aquia.io

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