Zach Forrest
Federal Solutions Architect
linkedin.com/in/zachforrest
github.com/zachforrest
zachforrest.com
- $430M+ TCV won
- 43% win rate
- $500M+ architected
- 11+ yrs federal
- 1 patent pending
Summary
Federal solutions architect with a decade leading cybersecurity, cloud architecture, and technical solutioning across the VA / FedHealthIT space. Tech lead for the first Medallia deployment at any U.S. federal agency. Early AI adopter who fine-tuned a first image-recognition model on an Nvidia Jetson in 2020 and now leads AI innovation as founder of BDR's AI Community of Practice.
Experience
Solutions Architect · BDR Solutions LLC
- $422M+ architected
- VA · DoD · IRS · DHS
- Led technical solutioning for federal pursuits across VA, DoD/DHA, Treasury/IRS, DHS/FEMA, Air Force, NASA, and Commerce.
- Architected $422M+ in federal contract value since May 2024, including VA FSC SW Dev ($174M), VA Privacy Compliance Support (Recompete), IRS BTA Agile Web Development (sole source), and DHA EIDS CSO.
- Founded BDR's AI Community of Practice. Built, developed, and deployed more than a dozen AI solutions across the enterprise. Pioneer AI innovation inside the organization and across the federal community as an early innovator for federal growth.
Solutions Architect · Sierra7, Inc.
- $8M VA LEAF re-compete win
- 7 bids led
- 3 strengths · 1 significant
- Instrumental in winning the VA LEAF contract re-compete valued at $8M.
- Led technical solutioning for 7 bids in the year; provided strategic support on 5 additional pursuits.
- Recognized with 3 strengths and 1 significant strength in government evaluations, with direct impact on solution quality and compliance.
- Pioneered AI / LLM integration into the solutioning process, measurably lifting bid accuracy and creativity.
Sr. Cyber Security Specialist & Solution Architect · PingWind Inc. (HUBZone / SDVOSB)
- GSA HACS vehicle secured
- 7.5 opps/mo at $500K-$18M+
- 26% corp security lift
- Led technical solutioning for federal pursuits under the VA T4NG vehicle.
- Secured the GSA Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services (HACS) vehicle, driving ~7.5 new opportunities per month at $500K-$18M+ each.
- Built an AWS Kendra intelligent-search POC that cut proposal information-gathering time 20% and lifted productivity 15% under tight deadlines.
- Concurrent SME support across two federal programs totaling $81M.
Principal, InfoSec & Architecture · Halfaker and Associates → SAIC (acquired Jun 2021)
- First federal Medallia deployment
- Full Cloud ATO in 6 months
- Fine-tuned first AI model in 2020
- Tech lead for the first Medallia deployment at the VA, and the first Medallia deployment at any U.S. federal agency.
- Shepherded the Medallia SaaS platform and the VA through Cloud ATO in 6 months while the program was still in active development.
- Architecture lead on Trusted Internet Connection implementation, SSO and IAM integration, mobile app deployment for the VA app catalog, and networking workstreams.
- Reduced certificate-deployment downtime by 80% via a new maintenance process.
- Maintained ATO through multiple SCA audits and renewals, sustaining a continued 3-year ATO. Influenced future ATO processes for VA leadership across 10+ programs. Exceptional CPARS ratings throughout.
- Fine-tuned my first image-recognition model in 2020 on an Nvidia Jetson via the fast.ai course. Active member of the firm's AI Community of Practice.
- First Medallia Certified Professional at Halfaker. Built the internal repository that onboarded future team members.
Senior Analyst · Analyst · FS Advisory Specialist · PwC
- 326% accuracy gain
- 86-page VistA guide authored
- Increased Perceptive Reach risk-table precision and accuracy 326% via a Python ICD-code scraping pipeline, future-proofing the system ahead of nationwide code updates.
- Self-taught HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and Angular 2 to ship dashboard modules and development tasks on program.
- Rapidly picked up Ruby / Cucumber / Gherkin / Jenkins for test automation, dropping test cycle times significantly.
- Authored an 86-page clinical system test data population guide for VistA, used to support data efforts for the remainder of the contract.
- Drafted Requirements Traceability Matrices, Master Test Plans, and Test Evaluation Reports delivered directly to the VA.
VA Programs Served
VA VSIGNALS / VOICE / EMACS · Halfaker · SAIC
Tech lead and solutioning lead for the VA's flagship Customer Experience Management program, known variously as VSIGNALS, VOICE, and today VA EMACS. A Medallia SaaS platform collecting near-real-time feedback from Veterans, dependents, caregivers, survivors, VA employees, and partner organizations, used to measure trust in VA, surface actionable intelligence for service design, and respond quickly to concerns. Led the first deployment of Medallia at the VA, and the first Medallia deployment at any U.S. federal agency. Shepherded the Medallia SaaS platform and the VA through full Cloud ATO in 6 months while the program was still in active development. Built on AWS GovCloud with Trusted Internet Connections, SSO, and full enterprise integration. System of record: 43VA008.
- First federal Medallia deployment (ever)
- Full Cloud ATO in 6 months
- 3-year ATO sustained through multiple SCA audits
VA Perceptive Reach · PwC
Built a Python ICD-code scraping pipeline that drove a step-change in the risk table powering outreach to at-risk Veterans, future-proofing the system ahead of the nationwide ICD-10 code migration. Self-taught Angular 2, JavaScript, and Python on-program to ship dashboard modules inside the first sprint.
- 326% risk-table accuracy gain
- Future-proofed for ICD-10
VA VLER eHealth Exchange · PwC
Supported nationwide health information exchange between VA and non-VA healthcare providers, enabling Veterans' health records to follow them across care settings. Drafted Requirements Traceability Matrices, Master Test Plans, and authored an 86-page VistA clinical data population guide used for the remainder of the contract.
- 25% testing-cycle reduction
- 86-page VistA guide authored
VA VLER Direct · PwC
Supported the VLER Direct program, a secure email-based mechanism allowing VA clinicians and trusted non-VA providers to send encrypted health information directly to known recipients. Pulled patient context from the Master Person Index, Cerner Joint Health Information Exchange, and VA care provider systems.
- HIPAA-compliant direct send
- Encrypted provider-to-provider exchange
Personal Projects
NilesAI · nilesai.com
An automated medical billing compliance scanner. Upload a bill, EOB, or itemized statement and NilesAI checks it against 2.6M NCCI edits, Medicare fee schedules, and CMS compliance rules, returning a cited findings report in minutes. Built for patients, personal injury attorneys, and insurance claims teams. Every flag cites a specific rule, not an AI guess.
Scannd · scannd.com
Lightweight web security scanning service that runs non-intrusive vulnerability audits against your site (XSS, SQL injection, authentication issues, misconfigurations, data exposure) and returns personalized, actionable reports. No setup, no credit card.
AI Community of Practice (BDR)
Founded BDR's AI Community of Practice. Built, developed, and deployed more than a dozen AI solutions across the enterprise. Pioneers AI innovation both inside the organization and across the broader federal ecosystem, regularly informing proposal strategy and program delivery. Building on a personal AI track record going back to 2020, when I fine-tuned my first image-recognition model on an Nvidia Jetson via fast.ai.
Software Bill of Materials Scanning System
Invented, architected, and developed an SBOM scanning system in Rust that inspects software dependency chains for security and compliance risk. Filed as U.S. Patent Application 63/385,378 in November 2022.
Education & Certifications
- B.S. Finance & Management, University of South Carolina
- CompTIA Security+
- Series 7 (FINRA)
- Medallia Certified Professional
- U.S. Patent App. 63/385,378: SBOM Scanning System (Pending)
References
Visit zachforrest.com/#references for LinkedIn recommendations and the IGS letter from Claudine D. Beron, PMP. Additional references available on request.