Credentialing Assistance for Military Personnel*

At NCMA, we care and value service members and their families and want to help in their professional development. We offer resources and certifications for active military employees and veterans who are interested in transitioning into a contract management career.

NCMA is an approved credentialing partner searchable in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and DoD Civilian Credentialing Opportunities On-line (COOL) portals**. The DoD civilian COOL portal accesses all six COOL portals. This means that military personnel may be able to use program funding to apply for NCMA certification exams.

DoD civilian COOL portal

Four-Step Initiation Process

There are several steps to receive funds for the approved NCMA certification programs and learning resources. Specifics about each of the six COOL programs are accessible through the DoD website.

1. Learn about the preferred Credentialing Assistance (CA) program including how and when available funds can be used.
2. Learn about each NCMA credential and its eligibility requirements. Decide which exam or prep course is right for you.
3. Complete the CA request and wait for approval.
4. Receive approval. Once you receive approval, you will be directed to contact NCMA to enroll in your training or schedule your exam.

*Important Note for registrations and applications related to the COOL program
Begin the process from the COOL program portal and do not start with the NCMA enrollment process. NCMA will receive payment directly from the selected Credentialing Assistance Program.

Army Credentialing Assistance Program (ACAPO via ArmyIgnitED)

Exams / NCMA Certifications

• Certified Professional Contract Manager® (CPCM™)
• Certified Federal Contract Manager™ (CFCM™)
• Certified Commercial Contract Manager™ (CCCM™)

Please note:  An appliaction must be submitted and approved before scheduling an exam. Please read through the handbook for your exam to learn more about the application and exam proccess.

Training:

Although helpful in preparing for a certification exam, training is never a requirement to becoming certified.

Certification Online Preparatory Courses (OPCs)

Both the Self-Paced and Instructor-led courses are designed to prepare students for the Certified Professional Contracts Manager™ (CPCM™) or Certified Federal Contracts Manager™ (CFCM™) certification exams. To learn more about each course option, visit our OPC page.

Certification Practice Exams

If taking a preparation course does not appeal to you, the practice exam is available for the CPCM, CFCM, and CCCM certification exams. Please note, the practice exam is already included in all of our prep courses. 

Membership:

As long as the service member is requesting a certification exam or a preparatory course, ACAPO will approve payment for membership. Please note that membership is never required to become certified, but it is required if requesting applications, courses, and books at the member's discounted price.

ACAPO Process

To apply for credentialing assistance, you must request quotes from the vendor and submit them in ArmyIgnitED 45-90 days before your start date. To request quotes, please complete the following steps.

1. Learn about each NCMA credential and its eligibility requirements. Decide which exam or prep course is right for you.
2. Create a free NCMA profile with your email, phone number, and mailing address.
3. Submit your quote request to [email protected]. In the email, please specify which items you are requesting a quote for.

• CPCM and CFCM certification
  • Exam
  • Application (member or non-member price)
  • Prep Course
    •  Self-paced (member or non-member price)
    • Instructor-led (member or non-member price)
  • Course Book
    • CPCM: CMBOK 7th Edition (member or non-member price)
    • CFCM Study Guide - 4th Edition (member or non-member price)
  • Practice Exam (member or non-member price)
  • Membership
• CCCM certification
  • Exam
  • Application (member or non-member price)
  • Practice Exam (member or non-member price)
  • Membership

4. Sumbit your quotes to ArmyIgnitEd.

5. Once the ACAPO Finance team has made payment on your behalf, you will be notified on the next steps.