Become a digital acquisition professional
Acquire the skills you need to make procurement work for government in today’s digital world.
Learn to lead
Understand how modern approaches to delivering technology, such as agile, have changed the way your agency needs to buy. Learn how to lead your agency through the process of adopting modern procurement methods successfully.
Achieve Mastery
Master the concepts, tools, and techniques you need to excel at digital acquisition through our expert-led, dynamic learning environment. Earn the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting–Digital Services Credential (FAC-C-DS).
Reinvent Procurement
Fundamentally change the way you and your agency procures products and services from industry. Experience greater collaboration with vendors, more breakthrough innovations, faster delivery of value, higher quality results, and lower costs.
Engage in a unique learning experience
Led by our team of master coaches and educators, our learning environment is designed to immerse you in both the theory and applied practice of digital acquisition.
Expert instructors
Our instructors are recognized experts in the field of digital acquisition, and are eager to share their past and current experiences with you. Through our blend of remote and onsite learning, you’ll have the chance to engage with the pioneers of modern procurement techniques.
Dynamic learning opportunities
Our balanced, holistic approach to teaching will give you the tools you need to master the course material — whatever your learning style. We blend traditional in-person classroom learning (such as seminars, panels, and guest speakers) with flexible, asynchronous online learning content (such as readings, team projects, and interactive discussions).
Personalized guidance
When you train with Skylight, you can always rely on us to provide the support you need. Through office hours and other channels, our skilled facilitators are here to provide you with answers, tips, and more to help maximize your learning opportunities.
What you’ll learn
In this program, you’ll learn how to translate critical concepts and resources in the field of digital acquisition into effective, real-world practice.
Digital Services in the 21st Century Government
Learn the fundamentals of digital services, including agile software delivery, human-centered design, cloud computing, and X as a Service.
Understanding What You’re Buying
Learn how to determine what your customer’s needs are, how to assess which digital services solutions are most likely to succeed given your agency’s current level of maturity, and how to conduct market research.
How to buy
Understand how to develop an acquisition strategy that effectively factors in the needs of your customer, your agency’s digital service maturity, your market research findings, and digital acquisition best practices.
Awarding and Administering Digital Services Contracts
Learn proven tools and techniques for awarding and administering digital services contracts that actually deliver results.
Leading change as a digital acquisition professional
Master the leadership and communication skills you need to win stakeholder buy-in for digital acquisition.
Want to know more about our course?
As one of the first students to complete the DITAP program in 2016, I walked away with the critical know-how necessary to help change the way my agency acquires technology services. Because of what I learned, the contracting results that I experienced supporting some of the government’s most critical programs were the reasons why I became an acquisition professional in the first place.
Dan Levenson, Former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Digital Service Contracting Advisor and Lead Contracting Officer for the Quality Payment Program
Meet your instructors
Learn from skilled instructors with unparalleled experience in the field.
Chris Cairns
Chris served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, and co-founded 18F. He started and built 18F’s influential acquisition group, which specializes in digital acquisition methods. Chris is known for pioneering 18F’s agile acquisition framework, and for architecting the government’s first-ever agile vendor contract vehicle using a tech challenge.
Dan Levenson
Dan is a senior executive with Agile Six. He previously served as a certified digital acquisition expert and contracting officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). At CMS, Dan architected and managed a highly successful agile vendor contract vehicle, which supports programs such as the Quality Payment Program.
Robert Read, PhD
Robert served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, and co-founded 18F. Originally trained by agile pioneer Kent Beck, Robert has over 15 years experience as an agile practitioner and coach. He holds a PhD in computer science, and is best known for writing a popular, multilingual guide on how to be a programmer.
Leslie Garner Franklin
Leslie brings nearly two decades of experience in user research, user experience design, product management, digital leadership, and instructional design. She started her career at Teach For America, and has worked for notable design firms such as EchoUser.
Dates and cost
Nov 4, 2024 to Apr 23, 2025
In-person classroom sessions will be held on Nov 4–6, Jan 13–16, Mar 3–5, and Apr 21–23.
Register now
Get answers
Here are some questions that we’re typically asked, along with our responses:
The U.S. Digital Service and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy launched the DITAP program in order to increase the development of digital acquisition experts across government. By 2022, all federal acquisition professionals managing contracts of $7M or more will require FAC-C-DS certification. This certification can be obtained by completing our accredited DITAP training course, led by experts who pioneered the field as former members of 18F and the U.S. Digital Service.
DITAP training isn’t just for contracting professionals seeking certification. Our training is for anyone who plays a role in the lifecycle of an acquisition, and wants to learn how to transform acquisition outcomes through digital acquisition methods. So whether you’re a finance officer, legal counsellor, procurement officer, program manager, or technical manager, you’ll benefit greatly from this training.
- 12 full days of mandatory classroom instruction consisting of three separate, three-day in-person sessions.
- 15 hours of virtual, instructor-led training.
- 12 hours per week of asynchronous, self-paced learning (e.g., reading articles, participating in online discussions, contributing to work activities, and working on assignments).
- 6 months of digital acquisition training.
- Access to all course materials and our online learning platform.
- Access to our training team, who will be available for 1-on-1 sessions during non-classroom hours.
- Collaboration and networking opportunities.
- While most of the program can be completed remotely, travel for the in-person classroom session isn’t included.
- Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting–Digital Services Credential (FAC-C-DS).
- Up to 80 Continuous Learning Points, or CLPs, based on your level of achievement in the program.
Level II or Level III FAC-C certification is preferred, but not required as long as you have the requisite acquisition skills and knowledge to complete the program.
- Fellow acquisition professionals who are as passionate about changing procurement outcomes as you are.
- Future collaborators and friends.
Each course requires a minimum of 15 participants. The run dates are contingent upon meeting this minimum.
- You can submit a cancellation request 30 business days or more prior to the start of the course and receive a full refund, minus the Eventbrite processing fee, if applicable.
- If you submit a cancellation request fewer than 10 business days prior to the start of the course, you’ll be issued a credit toward a future Skylight training course. The credit will be equal to the amount paid for the initial course less any applicable fees.
- Should Skylight cancel the course for any reason, you’ll be refunded 100% of the registration cost.