TechFAR
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Summary
The TechFAR Hub is a website run by the U.S. government that helps government professionals buy, build, and deliver modern digital services. It simplifies the process by organizing information into four key stages: Pre-Solicitation, Solicitation, Evaluation, and Contract Administration. Users can find tools, templates, and case studies to support their work, and they can even contribute their own resources. The hub defines digital services broadly, including online information and services available across various platforms. It also offers resources to help professionals improve their skills and find solutions to common challenges.
FAQs
What is the TechFAR Hub and how can it help me?
The TechFAR Hub is an online resource designed to assist government acquisition and program professionals in buying, building, and delivering modern digital services while ensuring compliance. It provides guidance, tools, templates, and case studies organized by acquisition lifecycle stages: Pre-Solicitation, Solicitation, Evaluation, and Contract Administration. You can find useful information on various topics, such as agile development, market research, and solicitation building.
What are digital services, and how are they acquired differently?
Digital services encompass digital information delivery and transactional services through websites, mobile applications, and more. They often involve agile design, user research, API development, cloud infrastructure, and DevOps. Acquiring digital services requires a different approach than traditional IT procurement, focusing on iterative development, user-centered design, and flexible contracting models.
What is the 8(a) Digital Service Initiative, and how can it benefit my agency?
The 8(a) Digital Service Initiative simplifies digital service procurement for federal agencies using the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. It enables faster procurement, lowers risks, promotes innovation by testing modern technology, increases diversity in federal procurement, and allows for iterative development with shorter lead times.
How does the DITAP program help acquisition professionals adapt to modern IT procurement?
The Digital IT Acquisition Professional Training Program (DITAP) equips federal acquisition professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to design innovative and flexible procurements for IT and digital services. The program focuses on modern methodologies like Agile, enabling participants to become qualified business advisors in the digital services landscape.
What challenges did the Pay.gov team face, and how did Agile methodologies provide a solution?
The Pay.gov team faced challenges like slow time-to-market, difficulty adapting to scope changes, low software quality, and customer dissatisfaction. Implementing Agile methodologies, specifically Scrum, led to significant improvements in software quality, increased scope delivery, on-time releases, better alignment with customer expectations, and a greater ability to embrace change.
Why is transitioning to Agile a lengthy process, and what key lessons were learned during Pay.gov’s experience?
Transitioning to Agile requires cultural and procedural shifts across the entire organization, not just within development teams. The Pay.gov team’s multi-year transition highlighted the importance of choosing the right pilot project, cultivating relationships with all stakeholders, scaling teams appropriately, and continuously improving practices.
What role does the U.S. Digital Service play in modernizing government technology?
The U.S. Digital Service (USDS) is a team of technologists and designers working to transform the way the government delivers digital services to citizens. They collaborate with agencies to improve existing services and build new ones, advocating for user-centered design, agile development, and modern technology adoption.
How can I contribute to the advancement of digital service acquisition within the government?
You can contribute by sharing your agency’s successful case studies, participating in the Government Digital Service Acquisition Community on Stack Exchange, providing feedback on existing TechFAR Hub resources, and encouraging training and certification programs like DITAP within your agency.
