WASHINGTON — The criticism after the 2012 presidential election was swift and harsh: Democrats were light years ahead of Republicans when it came to digital strategy and tactics, and Republicans had serious work to do on the technology front if they ever hoped to win back the White House.

Now, with the 2016 campaign already underway, Republicans are eager to show they have learned the lessons of past cycles and are placing a premium on hiring top digital talent to build the tools they deem necessary to compete.

But their immediate problem is slightly more low-tech: the basics of supply and demand.

“Shopping around for a digital data firm was already difficult — and when you’re one of 20 possible candidates in a party that has yet to establish its own expertise in this area, it’s even harder,” said Sasha Issenberg, the author of “The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns.”

“The Republicans have a particular challenge,” he added, “which is, in these areas they don’t have many people with either the hard skills or the experience to go out and take on this type of work.”