Healthcare Insights
Which organizations are issuing the most healthcare RFPs?
If you sell into the healthcare market, you’ve likely run into requests for proposals (RFPs) quite frequently as part of your sales process. Definitive Healthcare tracks RFP activity from thousands of healthcare organizations and government entities to provide you with the insights you need to identify new opportunities.
What is a request for proposal in healthcare?
A request for proposal is an official document that announces and outlines the specifics of a project that any hospital or other healthcare facility plans to undertake. The purpose of issuing an RFP is to solicit bids from qualified contractors and suppliers to complete the proposed project.
Healthcare organizations leverage RFPs to procure a wide range of different services, such as implementing new technology, securing surgical supplies, installing durable medical equipment, or expanding or renovating a facility. Before issuing an RFP, an organization may make a request for information (RFI) to more broadly understand a vendor’s capabilities and offerings.
Below, we’ve used data from our HospitalView product to compile a list of the top healthcare organizations and government entities issuing the most RFPs from January 2024 through August 2026.
| Rank | Name | # of RFPs | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Veterans Affairs (AKA Veterans Health Administration) | 9,709 | Explore |
| 2 | Indian Health Service | 2,468 | Explore |
| 3 | National Institutes of Health | 2,354 | Explore |
| 4 | Texas Health and Human Services Commission | 1,561 | Explore |
| 5 | U.S. Army Medicine | 1,480 | Explore |
| 6 | Department of Health and Human Services | 1,127 | Explore |
| 7 | New York State Office of Mental Health | 1,053 | Explore |
| 8 | Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Office of Health Services | 682 | Explore |
| 9 | Hawaii Department of Health | 634 | Explore |
| 10 | Ohio Department of Mental Health | 590 | Explore |
| 11 | SUNY, Buffalo State College | 568 | Explore |
| 12 | Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services | 460 | Explore |
| 13 | Alabama Department of Mental Health | 451 | Explore |
| 14 | West Los Angeles VA Medical Center | 449 | Explore |
| 15 | Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (FKA Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services) | 363 | Explore |
| 16 | California Department of State Hospitals | 358 | Explore |
| 17 | Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (FKA San Diego VA Medical Center) | 352 | Explore |
| 18 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | 351 | Explore |
| 19 | SUNY Upstate Medical University | 328 | Explore |
| 20 | Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center | 316 | Explore |
| 21 | City of Philadelphia | 315 | Explore |
| 22 | Michigan Department of Health & Human Services | 312 | Explore |
| 23 | Stony Brook University Hospital | 307 | Explore |
| 24 | Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services | 293 | Explore |
| 25 | Los Angeles County Health Services (FKA Los Angeles County Department of Health Services) | 282 | Explore |
Fig 1. RFP data is from the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product and represents the number of RFPs issued from January 2024 to August 2026. Data sourced August 2026.
Which healthcare organizations issue the most requests for proposals?
The top 25 organizations issued more than 27,000 RFPs from January 2024 to August 2026, with the Department of Veterans Affairs standing out as the clear leader.
The VA issued 9,709 RFPs during this time period, a level of volume that reflects the organization's massive national footprint. The VA serves more than 9 million enrolled veterans across thousands of healthcare facilities and outpatient sites of care. Its National Acquisition Center manages contracts covering areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, staffing services, and distribution.
Beyond the VA, the list is primarily populated by federal and federally-affiliated agencies. The Indian Health Service, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Army Medicine all rank within the top five for organizations with the most RFPs issued. The Department of Health and Human Services comes in sixth place.
Agencies at the state level also appear, such as in Texas, New York, Maryland, and Hawaii.
Why are RFPs important in healthcare?
RFPs (and requests for information) allow healthcare organizations and other entities to gather information on potential partners and vendors, making it easier to evaluate those best equipped to meet the unique needs of a planned project or initiative.
After all, buying decisions are rarely made based on price alone. An organization may need to compare vendors on clinical capabilities, cybersecurity infrastructure, scalability, implementation requirements, and other criteria. An RFI is typically issued early in the project planning process to gather this information. RFPs tend to be issued after a budget and timeline has been established for a project, with a focus on identifying a partner who can meet very specific needs.
For vendors operating in the healthcare industry, RFP information can be valuable beyond simply identifying a contract to bid on. At its best, RFP activity functions as a form of purchasing-intent data—it tells you which HCOs are actively going to market for a solution. These insights help sales teams more effectively prioritize customers in need of their product or service and give them added context for more personalized customer conversations. Analyzing RFPs in aggregate can point to broader changes in market demand, which your team can use to gain a deeper understanding of market trends earlier and adapt accordingly.
Definitive Healthcare seeks to report all healthcare-related RFPs to our RFP feed within two business days after being posted on their respective sources. However, not all RFPs are required to be publicly published, and some are sent to pre-selected vendors, so as a result they may not be captured.
Learn more
Healthcare Insights are developed with healthcare data and analytics from the Definitive Healthcare platform. Want even more insights? Read our guide on how to find and win more RFPs or start a free trial now and get access to the latest intelligence on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers.
