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  2. Functional Areas
 

FUNCTIONAL AREAS

The defense acquisition system relies on a highly skilled workforce in order to deliver capability to our warfighters. Each workforce member specializes in an aspect of the acquisition system which corresponds to one of seven functional areas. Select a specialty below to learn more about training, certification, and continuous learning opportunities.

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  • Front entrance to capital building with cloudy sky behind it.
     

    Auditing

    Department of Defense mission support requires over $300 billion per year of contracted support. Securing the needs of the Warfighter is a timely and essential mission with a…
    Courses 1
    Events 0
    Tools 0
    Blogs 1
  • Woman sits at the head of a conference table and leads a discussion.
     

    Business - Cost Estimating

    The DoD Acquisition Business Functional Area is comprised of two distinct career tracks: Business Financial Management (BUS-FM) and Business Cost Estimating (BUS-CE).  Cost…
    Courses 9
    Events 16
    Tools 13
    Blogs 11
  • Women working on financial documents with a calculator
     

    Business - Financial Management

    The DoD Acquisition Business Functional Area is comprised of two distinct career tracks: Business Financial Management (BUS-FM) and Business Cost Estimating (BUS-CE).  …
    Courses 6
    Events 1
    Tools 11
    Blogs 8
  • Woman in white poke-a-dot shirt with glasses reviews paperwork in a filing room.
     

    Contracting

    The Contracting workforce is vital to accomplishing the DoD’s mission by negotiating the best deal for the warfighter while demonstrating prudent stewardship of taxpayer dollars.…
    Courses 12
    Events 523
    Tools 107
    Blogs 185
  • Two men wearing safety gear review a wall panel in a utility room.
     

    Engineering and Technical Management

    The ETM workforce has a vital role in developing, fielding, and sustaining defense systems and ensuring DoD products are delivered on time, perform as expected, and are cost-…
    Courses 19
    Events 80
    Tools 39
    Blogs 21
  • Man in camouflage shirt scans inventory in a stockroom.
     

    Life Cycle Logistics

    The Life Cycle Logistics functional area spans the system life cycle, encompassing acquisition and sustainment activities, and includes professionals responsible for planning,…
    Courses 14
    Events 106
    Tools 271
    Blogs 3885
  • Man in an office dressed in camouflage leads a discussion surrounded by several similarly dressed people.
     

    Program Management

    Acquisition professionals in the Program Management career field are concerned with all functions of a program management office to accomplish program objectives for the…
    Courses 19
    Events 25
    Tools 91
    Blogs 55
  • Man in green jacket wearing virtual reality headset tests VR program.
     

    Test and Evaluation

    T&E is a critical part of the DoD acquisition process. T&E professionals develop, optimize, execute and evaluate the testing of system performance, interoperability,…
    Courses 8
    Events 10
    Tools 3
    Blogs 4

Already Certified?

Broaden your skill while also earning CLPs with a Defense Acquisition Credential

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Back-to-Basics Resources

View Functional Area memos, briefings, certifications crosswalks, and fact sheets related to Back-to-Basics

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