OFPP opens competition for training, development program pilots

The U.S. Digital Service and Office of Federal Procurement Policy have opened the submission period for their Digital Service Contracting Professional Training and Development Program prize competition.

Through a multi-phased challenge, submitters will be eligible for prize money up to $360,000.

This competition is part of an Office of Federal Procurement Policy initiative to transform the marketplace by simplifying federal procurement and improving performance, kicked off by a memorandum that OFPP administrator Anne Rung issued in December 2014.

This competition is meant to spur innovation in the training and development of government contracting professionals who will be fundamental in the succ3ess of digital service acquisitions, OFPP said in a release.

The goal of the prize competition is to develop a digital service contracting professional training and development program for the federal government, which will be used to add a digital service core-plus specialization for contracting professionals under the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program issued by OFPP.

The final results will be issued to federal training institutions like the Federal Acquisition Institute and will be implemented and maintained as programs.

An ideal training and development program will be no longer than six months in total, and may include strategies such as rotational assignments, mentoring, in-classroom training, and detail assignments woven into an innovative approach to accomplish the stated objectives.

A definition of a successful digital service buyer, novel ideas, leading-edge approaches and iterative methodologies are encouraged, OFPP said.

The outcomes that OFPP expects are that participating government contracting professionals become digital service procurement experts, are equipped with the knowledge needed to work on Digital Service teams, and have the knowledge to lead agency training, workshops and consultations in order to expand digital service procurement expertise within their agency and the government.

The challenge will have three phases. Phase I will have participants submitting a white paper describing their concept for a training and development program. Phase II will have Phase I finalists designing in further detail their proposed concept program. Phase III will have one winning participant to develop and pilot its program for around 30 students.

The submission period lasts from May 23, 2015 to June 23, 2015.

For more information, click here.