Curriculum

Every module, start to finish.

Short lessons on how defense programs get funded, contracted and run. 14 modules and 125 lessons, each cut into bites, with a certificate at the end of every module. Module 1 is free for good.

Start free, no card needed →Jump to the modules
Curriculum

Fourteen modules. 125 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
NATO & Europe trackNew

Selling to NATO and Europe's defense ministries

3 modules · 23 lessons · with Global Annual
  • How NATO Buys9 lessons Lesson 1 free
  • Europe's Defense Market8 lessons
  • Selling Across the Atlantic6 lessons
See all 14 modules, plus the NATO & Europe track
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

NATO & Europe track · with Global Annual

N1
How NATO Buys LESSON 1 FREE
  • Where alliance money really goes
  • Common budgets & the 5% pledge
  • NSPA, NCIA & DIANA
  • International competitive bidding
  • Getting on the bidders lists
N2
Europe's Defense Market
  • The EU and NATO: who does what
  • The 2009 directive vs the FAR
  • EDF, EDIP & SAFE money
  • National buyers & offsets
  • Spain up close
N3
Selling Across the Atlantic
  • FMS, direct sale or bid NATO
  • Reading a NATO or EU tender
  • Currency, VAT & customs
  • A NATO capture plan
  • Capstone case
New NATO & Europe track

Sell to NATO and Europe's defense ministries

Most NATO money is spent by 32 countries, one at a time. Learn who actually signs, how a European tender works next to the FAR, and how a US company wins over there. A new three-part track, 23 lessons, in the same bite-size format.

Try Lesson 1 free → Read: NATO is not a buyer (mostly)
1
How NATO Buys9 lessons · Lesson 1 free with an account
2
Europe's Defense Market8 lessons · EU rules, EDF and SAFE money, Spain up close
3
Selling Across the Atlantic6 lessons · FMS vs direct sale, reading a tender, capstone
Coming soon: Tender Coach. Paste in a real tender from Spain's tender site or the EU's TED, and the Coach turns it into bite lessons: what's being bought, the deadlines, what to submit, who's eligible, and the red flags.
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.
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 Capture Management & BD, one from PM Operations & Leadership.

Start free and hear every module →
Capture & BDThe three most expensive words

Why “let’s see how it goes” at a bid review has sunk more proposals than any competitor ever could.

0:29
PM OperationsIf it’s not in the SOW

Most new program managers never read the contract they manage. Here is why the statement of work is the whole deal.

0:43
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 11.3 Ways of Working 3.4 Power Skills
See PDUs by module and the CCRS steps →
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
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

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