Plain-English DoD acquisition training

Know what everyone in the room is pretending to know.

Short lessons on how defense programs get funded, contracted, and run. Real numbers, real program examples, and a certificate at the end of every module. Color of money explained before it costs you something.

Start free, no card needed → See the curriculum

Built by a veteran DoD PM who ran a $950M program. Module 1 is free for good.

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Continue · Foundations
Color of Money: Why Appropriations Matter
Lesson 4 of 10 · 14 min
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6-day streakTomorrow makes a week
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Daily challenge5 questions · 2 min · 50 XP
🎓 CLP creditNext certificate
🏛️ Foundations2.5 CLPs
6 lessons to your first certificate · 44.6 available across the course
14
Modules
124
Lessons
22 min
Per lesson, average
44+
CLPs available
0
Slide decks
Hear it first

Two short cuts from The Debrief

Every module has a full audio episode for the commute. Here is what two of them sound like: one from Contracts, one from The Business of Defense Contracting.

Start free and hear every module →
ContractsThe restaurant with no prices

Why undefinitized contract actions (UCAs) cost the government so much: you eat the meal first and argue about the bill later.

0:38
BusinessFinance reads the odometer

Why a stale estimate at completion makes a failing program look like it is right on track.

0:26
CLPs & PDUs

The hours count toward your credential.

Every hour of Acqlerate is 1 CLP for the Defense Acquisition Workforce and 1 PDU for PMP holders. Finish a module and you get a certificate that proves it.

Defense Acquisition Workforce
44+ CLPs

More than half of the 80 you owe every two years. Each certificate lists hours, completion date and DAWIA functional area, with an ID anyone can verify online.

080 every 2 years
See CLPs by module and how to log them →
PMP holders
About 44 PDUs

Clears PMI's 35 Education PDU minimum on its own. Self-report in CCRS as online learning, with no pre-approval.

30.2 Business Acumen 11.0 Ways of Working 3.4 Power Skills
See PDUs by module and the CCRS steps →
Curriculum

Fourteen modules. 124 lessons. The complete acquisition picture.

Five families, one path. Start with how the system works, then go as deep as your job needs. Every lesson comes in three depth levels and ends in a quiz. Module 1 is free.

Foundations

How the system works, end to end

  • DoD Acquisitions Foundations Free
  • From Need to RFP: Government Pre-Award
  • Beyond Award: Sustainment & Closeout
  • The Startup On-Ramp
  • Why the Rules Exist
Money

Where the dollars come from and where they go

  • Defense Finance & Budgeting
  • The Business of Defense Contracting
Contracts

The rules and the paperwork that bind you

  • Defense Contracting Fundamentals
  • The Compliance Stack
Winning work

Going after work and landing it

  • Capture Management & BD
  • Small Business in Defense Contracting
  • Veteran Transition
Run the program

Executing it once you have it

  • Data Analytics for PMs
  • PM Operations & Leadership
See all 14 modules and what each one covers
01
DoD Acquisitions Foundations FREE
  • Acquisition lifecycle
  • ACAT levels
  • Roles & career paths
  • OTAs & FAR Part 12
02
Defense Finance & Budgeting
  • PPBE cycle
  • Color of money
  • EVM
  • Cost estimating
  • DCAA & DCMA
03
Defense Contracting Fundamentals
  • Contract types
  • GSA vehicles
  • Source selection
  • COR fundamentals
  • Modifications & REAs
04
Data Analytics for PMs
  • Program KPIs
  • Reading IPMR reports
  • Cost reports by CLIN
  • Burn forecasting
  • FPDS & USASpending intel
05
Capture Management & BD
  • BD to capture lifecycle
  • Section L vs M
  • Proposal development
  • Source selection strategy
06
PM Operations & Leadership
  • Career roadmap
  • Risk management
  • Stakeholder management
  • Subcontractor management
07
The Business of Defense Contracting
  • Revenue recognition & EAC
  • Why Q3 was bad
  • Pass-through vs value-add
  • Backlog & book-to-bill
  • Reading a prime's 10-K
08
Small Business in Defense Contracting
  • Size standards & NAICS
  • 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB
  • Limitations on subcontracting
  • Affiliation
  • Mentor-protégé & JVs
09
The Compliance Stack
  • CMMC & DFARS 7012
  • CUI and classified
  • ITAR & export controls
  • Data rights & IP
  • TINA, Buy American, SCA
10
From Need to RFP: Government Pre-Award
  • Acquisition planning
  • Market research
  • Writing the PWS
  • The IGCE
  • J&As and D&Fs
11
Beyond Award: Sustainment & Closeout
  • O&S cost
  • Test & evaluation
  • Software pathway & agile
  • Terminations & transition
  • Options and bridges
12
The Startup On-Ramp
  • SBIR/STTR through Phase III
  • Other Transactions
  • DIU, AFWERX & CSOs
  • The valley of death
  • Pricing without a cost history
13
Veteran Transition
  • Translating your record
  • USAJOBS & hiring authorities
  • The contractor path
  • Your clearance as an asset
  • SDVOSB and the revolving door
14
Why the Rules Exist
  • Where the FAR came from
  • CICA and the $435 hammer
  • TINA, CAS & DCAA
  • Program failures & Nunn-McCurdy
  • The 2026 FAR rewrite
Hot take

Rated “Acceptable” is the proposal version of getting “k.” back.

How it works

One lesson a day. That's the whole trick.

Lessons average 22 minutes, run on real program numbers, and end with proof you learned the thing. Here's the loop.

  1. 1

    Tell it your job

    Three quick questions at signup. Your track puts the modules that fit your job first and keeps the rest one tap away.

  2. 2

    Learn at your depth

    Novice, Intermediate or Advanced, with real program examples. Rather listen? Every module has The Debrief, an audio overview for the drive in.

  3. 3

    Prove it

    Every lesson ends in a quiz. Score 75% on the module check and the next depth level opens up.

  4. 4

    Get the credit

    Finish a module, get a signed certificate with hours and functional area. 44+ CLPs and about 44 PDUs across the course.

Module 1 is free for good. So is one lesson in every other module. No card, no class schedule. Start between meetings.
Start free → See the curriculum
Who it's for

Pick your side of the table.

Three questions at signup build your track: which modules come first, and which career ladder your level climbs. Change it any time from your account.

The Contractor PM

DoD Contractor PM track

You run a task order, or you're about to. You need to know how the money shows up, what the contract actually lets you do, and why this year's CPARS gets read during your next proposal evaluation.

Sounds like you if
Core modules on your track
📋ContractsDefense Contracting Fundamentals
💰MoneyDefense Finance & Budgeting
📈MoneyThe Business of Defense Contracting
📊Run the programData Analytics for PMs
Start the Contractor PM track → 🎓 PMP? About 44 PDUs across the course
Your level road The industry PM ladder Every lesson is 100 XP, one space on the road. Fifty spaces from your first task order to the top.
  1. Vice President5,000 XP
  2. Director of Programs3,000 XP
  3. Program Manager1,800 XP
  4. Senior Project Manager1,000 XP
  5. Project Manager500 XP
  6. Junior Project Manager200 XP
  7. Project CoordinatorYou start here
Weekly leaderboards rank the XP you earn, so a new hire can top the board in week one.
Hot take

Status: green on the outside, red on the inside. Congratulations, you grew a watermelon.

Built to stick, not just to finish

You won't forget you started this one.

Most training platforms are built to be finished once. Acqlerate is built to be opened daily: a streak that tracks your progress, a level that goes up as you learn, and a way to earn free Pro access just by sharing it.

🔥
Daily Streaks
A short daily challenge keeps your streak alive. Hit 7 days and you've unlocked a habit, not just a badge.
⚡
XP & Levels
Every lesson and quiz earns XP. Your level climbs across all 14 modules, so progress is always visible, not buried in a completion percentage.
🎁
Refer & Earn Pro
Every account gets a referral link. Get enough colleagues signed up and Acqlerate gives you a year of Pro access, free.
From the curriculum
📥Free field guide · No account needed

The field guide nobody hands you on day one.

Tell us which side you work on and we send the edition written for it. Rebuilt for September 2026: the FAR overhaul, the CMMC pause, the end of JCIDS, and the new ACAT, TINA and EVM thresholds.

  • ✓ What changed in 2025 and 2026
  • ✓ Pathways, milestones, ACAT
  • ✓ 90+ acronyms decoded
  • ✓ 5 mistakes new PMs make
Which side are you on?

Free. Unsubscribe with one click.

Why it matters

Most defense professionals learn acquisition the hard way. You don't have to.

A new PM who doesn't understand contract types, color of money, or how the COR relationship works will make expensive mistakes. Slowly. On the job. At the program's expense. Nobody puts that part in the job posting. Acqlerate closes that gap before it costs you.

For program managers
Understand the system, not just the rulebook
Contract types, funding constraints, oversight relationships, risk management. This is the context that turns someone who just updates a spreadsheet into someone the team actually listens to.
For new hires
Go from confused to contributing in weeks, not a year
A structured 30 day path through the DoD acquisition landscape. So new hires stop asking the same question in three different meetings and start actually adding value.
For capture & BD
Write to what the government actually scores, not just what you know
Understanding source selection, Section M, and contract vehicles from the buyer's side is what separates the proposal that wins from the one that just looks nice in a binder.
For the whole team
One platform. Every role. No scheduling.
Learning built around each role, with the Acqlerate Coach checking that it actually stuck. People learn between meetings, on a flight, whenever works, and they actually finish it this time.
Curriculum Standards

Built on the official blueprints. Not someone's interpretation of them.

Acqlerate's curriculum is mapped to the authoritative DoD frameworks that define what acquisition professionals are actually required to know. We didn't make up the topics. We built to the standard.

DoD DPCAP · Nov 2024
DoD Contracting Competency Model

The official competency framework for the DoD contracting community, covering the full contract lifecycle from pre-award planning through solicitation, source selection, award, administration, and closeout.

Acqlerate modules aligned:
→ Defense Contracting Fundamentals: contract lifecycle, solicitation, source selection, administration, modifications, REAs
→ Capture Management & BD: solicitation development, evaluation criteria, proposal compliance, source selection from buyer perspective
View the official framework →
OPM / USD A&S · DAWIA (Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act)
Contracting Specialist Professional Standards & DAWIA Functional Areas

The qualification standard and functional area competencies for DoD acquisition workforce members, spanning Program Management (PM), Contracting (CON), and Business Financial Management (BFM).

Acqlerate modules aligned:
→ DoD Acquisitions Foundations: acquisition lifecycle, ACAT levels, roles (PM · CO · COR · DCMA), OTAs, FAR Part 12
→ Defense Finance & Budgeting: PPBE, appropriations law, EVM, cost estimating, DCAA oversight (BFM functional area)
→ PM Operations & Leadership: risk management, stakeholder communication, program reviews (PM functional area)
Transparency
What "mapped to" means (and what it doesn't)

Acqlerate is not an accredited institution and is not affiliated with WarU, DoD, or any government agency. "Mapped to" means our curriculum covers the same knowledge domains these frameworks define. It does not mean we have formal approval from these bodies.

DAW members self-report Acqlerate training as External Training in their portal. The frameworks above define what the acquisition workforce must know. Acqlerate teaches it in plain English, at your pace, with a Certificate of Completion for your records.

Aligned to: DoD Contracting Competency Model (Nov 2024) GS-1102 Qualification Standard DAWIA Functional Areas (PM · CON · BFM) FAC-C (Professional) Competencies
Hot take

Lowest Price Technically Acceptable is buying a parachute by the price tag. Technically, it is still a parachute.

Free. No Account Required

The Acquisition Intel Blog

Real insights on defense acquisitions, budget changes, and career strategy. No fluff, no paywalls, no login required.

Browse All 50+ Posts →
New posts every Tuesday & Saturday
50+ articles published. Always free. No account needed.
Browse All 50+ Articles →
Hot take

Being handed a binder and told “good luck” is not onboarding. It is hazing with tabs.

Pricing

Try everything free for 14 days. Go pro when you're ready.

Every new account gets 14 days of full access to all 14 modules automatically. No credit card, no plan to remember to cancel. After that, Module 1 plus one free preview lesson in every other module stay free for good.

🎓 Earn over 44 CLPs across all 14 modules, self-reportable in CAPPMIS, eDACM & FAITAS. Every completed module includes a Certificate of Completion.
Free
$0 / forever
What you keep after your 14-day trial ends, whether you upgrade or not.
  • ✓Module 1: DoD Acquisitions Foundations
  • ✓10 lessons + quizzes
  • ✓1 free preview lesson in every other module
  • ✓AI explain-it-simpler buttons: 5 a day
  • ✓Key terms & skill levels
  • ✓2.5 CLPs: Certificate of Completion
Start Your Free Trial →
Monthly Pro
$14.99 / month
Full access while subscribed. Cancel anytime.
  • ✓All 14 modules, 124 lessons
  • ✓All skill levels unlocked
  • ✓AI explain-it-simpler buttons: 30 a day
  • ✓Module gate assessments
  • ✓Personalized learning path
  • ✓"The Debrief": audio lessons for every module (stream anytime)
  • ✓Over 44 CLPs: Certificate per module
  • ✗Lesson Book PDF downloads
  • ✗CLP ledger and portal export
  • ✗Acqlerate Coach
Get Monthly Access →
BEST VALUE
Annual Pro
$149 / year
$12.42 a month, billed yearly. Two months free vs. Monthly.
  • ✓All 14 modules, 124 lessons
  • ✓Lesson Book PDFs: download every module to keep and print
  • ✓Acqlerate Coach: Teach It Back grades how well you can explain each lesson, Explain My Mistake shows why a wrong answer was so tempting, and How Do I Apply This? puts it on the job
  • ✓All skill levels unlocked
  • ✓Unlimited AI explain-it-simpler buttons
  • ✓Every new lesson and module while subscribed
  • ✓"The Debrief": audio lessons for every module (stream anytime)
  • ✓Over 44 CLPs: Certificate per module
  • ✓CLP ledger: every certificate in one place, your 2-year cycle tracked, one-tap copy for CAPPMIS, eDACM, and FAITAS
Get Annual Access →
Team
$999 / year
10 seats of Annual Pro for your PM team. One invoice, not ten.
  • ✓10 Annual Pro seats
  • ✓All 14 modules, 124 lessons, per seat
  • ✓Lesson Book PDFs for every seat
  • ✓Acqlerate Coach for every seat
  • ✓"The Debrief": audio lessons for every module (stream anytime)
  • ✓Certificates of Completion for CLP self-reporting
  • ✓One invoice instead of 10 separate purchases
  • ✓$99.90 a seat per year vs. $1,500+ a seat for classroom training
FAQ

Common questions

Still not sure? Here are the ones we hear most.

No. Module 1 starts from zero. It explains the DoD acquisition system, who the key players are, and how programs get funded and executed. If you're brand new, start there. The skill level system means you move at your own pace, and the AI assistant can explain any concept in plain language whenever you get stuck.
Absolutely. The onboarding flow has a dedicated contractor track that surfaces the most relevant modules first: Capture & BD, Contracting Fundamentals, and Finance. Understanding how the government side works is the biggest competitive advantage a contractor PM or BD professional can have.
No, and we're not trying to be. WarU (formerly DAU) certification courses are mandatory for the DoD workforce and focused on compliance. Acqlerate is focused on practical knowledge you can apply on the job: understanding concepts deeply, not just checking certification boxes. Many users do both. WarU gets you certified. Acqlerate helps you actually understand what you learned.
It's how you find out whether a lesson actually stuck, before your boss finds out for you. After each quiz, Teach It Back asks you to explain the lesson to a new hire in your own words, then grades you against what a seasoned PM would say. Miss a quiz question and Explain My Mistake shows why that answer was so tempting and how to spot the trap next time. How Do I Apply This? shows where the lesson turns up on the job. The Coach works from Acqlerate's own lessons, not a general chatbot, and it comes with Annual Pro. Every plan also gets AI buttons that re-explain a lesson in simpler words: 5 a day on Free, 30 on Monthly, unlimited with the Coach.
In most cases, yes. Training from outside providers can count toward continuous learning, and your supervisor decides the credit. Every finished module comes with a certificate showing the course, completion date, hours and DAWIA functional areas, plus an ID anyone can verify online. Log it where your component tracks continuous learning, such as CAPPMIS, eDACM or FAITAS. All 14 modules add up to more than 44 CLPs, over half of the 80 you need every two years. See CLPs by module →
Yes, anytime. When you cancel, your access remains active through the end of the billing period. After that you drop to the free tier, which includes Module 1 permanently. Your progress and quiz scores are saved. You pick up right where you left off if you resubscribe.
Yes. The current fourteen modules cover the acquisition system end to end, from foundations through sustainment, plus tracks for small business, startups entering defense, and service members transitioning in. We keep building: new lessons and deeper levels on existing ones. Pro members get every new lesson and module at no extra cost.
UNHINGED SECTION

The FAQ legal never reviewed.

Nobody asked. We answered anyway.

Unconfirmed. But we have personally seen stranger things survive a government audit.
We do not. Though we respect the creativity of the offer.
Not yet. Give it time.
Depends who wrote the statement of work, and whether the hot dog gets its own contract line item.
It can explain a CDRL in plain English. It cannot sit through a three-hour meeting and pretend to be listening. You are safe.
Depends whether the pin is severable. Yes, that is a real word in contracting. No, we are not sorry.
It is a habit, not a cult. Cults do not hand out certificates with an ID anyone can verify online.
Sadly, no. That one is between you and your conscience.
Timely invoices. Next question.

Why We Built This

I was in a meeting and couldn't answer the question.
That moment built Acqlerate.

From Lucas

I was sitting in a meeting with people who'd been in the defense industry for years. Someone turned to me and asked about DSO, cashflow, and the variance of revenue for the financial period.

I had no idea what to say. Not because I wasn't capable. Because nobody had ever explained it to me in plain English. I was a veteran who'd worked on programs worth hundreds of millions of dollars and I still didn't have the vocabulary to talk about my own work.

I don't want that to happen to you. That's why I built Acqlerate. Not to add more jargon to the pile. To give defense contractors the plain-English foundation they need to do the job with confidence.

L

Lucas Cruz

Founder, Acqlerate

Turns out I wasn't the only one stuck in that moment. This gap shows up across the whole industry, and it's expensive. See the data behind it, and more about who's building this.

Read the Full Story & the Data →

Your next promotion starts here.

The acquisition professionals who get ahead are the ones who take the time to understand the system. Start with Module 1. It's free, and nobody will schedule a meeting about it.

Start Free: Module 1 View Pricing