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This is a DITAP Curriculum Update website to promote the official GitHub page. This page is not an official U.S. government website.

DITAP Curriculum Update: Aligning Federal Acquisition Training with Current FAR Requirements

Recent updates to the Federal Acquisition Regulation require procurement professionals to master outcomes-based and performance-based contracting for digital services and IT. Existing training no longer reflects current regulatory expectations. This initiative updates DITAP curriculum to meet that need.

This page is written for procurement officers who have only a few minutes between meetings, often on a mobile device.

What you need to know in under five minutes

  • The FAR has changed in ways that materially affect how digital services and IT are procured.
  • Existing training does not fully reflect these changes; retraining is required to stay compliant and effective.
  • Outcomes-based and performance-based procurement is now central, not optional or cosmetic.
  • DITAP is being updated so procurement officers can structure, evaluate, and manage contracts in line with current FAR expectations.

For the full set of curriculum materials and updates, see the DITAP Curriculum Update repository on GitHub.

The FAR Has Changed

The Federal Acquisition Regulation has been amended to emphasize outcomes-based and performance-based approaches for digital services and information technology procurement. These changes are substantive, not cosmetic.

Contracting officers and procurement professionals are now expected to:

  • Structure solicitations around measurable outcomes rather than prescriptive technical inputs
  • Evaluate vendor proposals based on demonstrated capability to deliver results
  • Manage contracts using performance metrics tied to mission objectives
  • Apply modern digital service delivery practices within FAR-compliant frameworks

These are regulatory requirements. Procurement staff who have not been trained on these updated FAR provisions may inadvertently structure non-compliant solicitations or fail to apply available flexibilities that support better outcomes.

Retraining Is Required

Procurement training that predates the FAR updates does not adequately prepare contracting officers for current regulatory expectations. Officers trained under previous guidance may lack the competencies needed to:

  • Distinguish between compliant outcomes-based statements of work and non-compliant prescriptive specifications
  • Evaluate technical proposals when outcomes, not inputs, are the basis of comparison
  • Structure source selection criteria that reflect modern digital service delivery while remaining FAR-defensible
  • Manage vendor performance using iterative, user-centered evaluation methods

The Digital IT Acquisition Professional (DITAP) program provides foundational training in modern digital acquisition. However, the existing DITAP curriculum must be updated to fully align with recent FAR changes and current acquisition policy.

This is not optional. Failure to train procurement staff on updated FAR requirements creates legal, operational, and mission risk.

Outcomes-Based Procurement Is Now Central

The updated FAR reflects a fundamental shift: agencies are expected to define what they need to accomplish, not how contractors should accomplish it.

In practice, this means:

  • Statements of work must describe desired outcomes, success criteria, and measurable performance objectives
  • Evaluation criteria must assess a vendor's ability to deliver those outcomes, not compliance with arbitrary technical checklists
  • Contract management must focus on whether the contractor is achieving results, not whether they are following a prescribed process

This approach is not new in theory. It has been policy guidance for years. What has changed is that it is now embedded in the FAR itself, making it a regulatory obligation rather than aspirational best practice.

Procurement officers must be able to write, evaluate, and manage outcomes-based contracts confidently and defensibly. The DITAP Curriculum Update provides the training and resources to do so.

How DITAP Is Responding

The DITAP Curriculum Update initiative directly addresses the gap between current training and current FAR requirements. The updated curriculum will:

  • Align all instructional materials with recent FAR amendments
  • Emphasize practical application of outcomes-based and performance-based acquisition methods
  • Provide case studies and examples grounded in real federal digital service procurements
  • Equip procurement professionals with the competencies necessary to structure, evaluate, and manage compliant, effective contracts

This work is being developed openly and collaboratively. All curriculum materials, updates, and supporting resources are available in a public GitHub repository.

Get Involved

This curriculum update is developed in the open. Procurement officers, contracting professionals, and subject matter experts are encouraged to review, comment, and contribute.

View the DITAP Curriculum Update on GitHub

Federal employees and contractors with relevant expertise may submit issues, suggest improvements, or contribute directly via pull request.

About This Project

The DITAP Curriculum Update is developed and maintained by CivicActions in support of DITAP. CivicActions serves as a delivery partner and steward for this work.

All project materials are released under open licenses to support the widest possible use and contribution by the federal acquisition community.

Additional information about CivicActions DITAP-related work is available on the CivicActions DITAP services page.