HHS sole-source award to Anthropic continues to raise questions

The Department of Health and Human Services shared new details about its plans to provide an award to Anthropic without a competition amid questions about its rationale. In response to a FedScoop inquiry, an HHS spokesperson said the award will be “a temporary six-month sole-source bridge contract” and was necessary to “to maintain continuity of vital” AI services when a discounted offering from the Claude maker expires at the end of the month. Like other major AI developers, Anthropic offered access to its tools through the General Services Administration’s OneGov program for $1 for one year. That deal, however, is expiring Oct. 31. OpenAI announced a deal for consumption-based pricing through 2028 before its expiration, but Anthropic has not yet made an equivalent announcement.

First reported by FedScoop. This page is a short excerpt; the full text is theirs.