What are the options to pilot this Program?

1)

Develop an in-depth segment of content. Pick one key topic or section of the Digital Service Playbook; design, develop, pilot, and evaluate the learning solution components for this one topic. The successes and failures learned from this segment would then be applied to development of the additional segments. This solution provides a cost-effective way of producing a program that will engage, apply to, and resonate with the digital service contracting professionals. The program can be scaled to include the priority topics and additional topics can be added in the future to create an even more robust and complete solution.

2)

Go broad and develop a core program. A core program with the critical topics can be developed using an iterative approach with feedback to ensure success. After the core program is implemented and evaluated for effectiveness, additional topics can be added to make the program more robust. There are multiple advantages to this approach:

The program would be basic, but encompass the entire acquisitions process.

Once implemented, the participants will immediately apply new knowledge and skills to meet the program goal — improving the way the government builds and buys digital service.

One of the key success factors in this program is learning from experts and learning from peers. By establishing the core program first, the students who have completed the program can use their knowledge to contribute to the community and the curriculum through the Community of Practice (COP), presenting in the classes, or creating videos to support the learning.

The core program would be available as a separate track. Not all Contracting Officers, Contracting Officer’s Representatives, Program Leaders, and Contracting Specialists require the full training program. The core program, as initially developed, will stand on its own for an audience who needs only high-level or entry-level training on digital service acquisitions.

Based on Booz Allen Hamilton’s experience and expertise in learning strategy, the second option would provide a greater benefit as a pilot to learn and inform the design of tomorrow’s full-scale program.

What are the cost assumptions of the Program?

1)

Setup costs associated with developing content and imparting the training for the pilot

2)

Ongoing cost per student after the pilot for an equivalent 3-6 month development effort

3)

Monthly or yearly maintenance cost to continuously improve and inject fresh content and learning methods

Given the broad nature of this training, intensity and length, and the required specialization by both the facilitators and the participants, we anticipate a cost per participant equivalent to many modern education offerings out in the market today.

Many factors should be contemplated when calculating the overall cost of the program, including but not limited to:

Government participant time (e.g., paid professional development or optional personal development, on weekdays or weekends, after hours)

Government or private sector facilitator or SME time

Facilities and additional materials for classroom training

Initial content development by vendor(s)

Ongoing online content management

Online knowledge management and collaboration tool(s) configuration and maintenance

Online infrastructure hosting and management (e.g., is the content hosted by DAU and thus a cost that does not need to be accounted for by this program)

Train the trainer whereby the home organization absorbs cost of future iterations of the training by the trainer with the rest of his or her agency’s procurement office

Speed of scale to the +10,000 IT professional services acquisition core

What are the estimated costs to implement the Program?

Cost of pilot = ~$320K — $450K

Cost per student for future iterations after the pilot = ~$5K — $6K (akin to similar level certification costs)

We also recognize that many Government Fiscal Year training budgetary plans may be determined by the time this pilot initiates. Assuming no additional government costs to engage and impart the pilot (e.g., student time), Booz Allen is confident it can design, develop, and execute a minimum viable version of the proposed experience with the planned challenge awards for winning proposals.

These cost estimates are subject to change based on the assumptions and possibilities of integrating with existing government learning programs. The solution will result in many tangible and intangible returns for the Federal Government.