As the US military ramps up its efforts to collaborate with commercial, non-traditional suppliers of innovative products and services, these commercial firms are often puzzled and put off by the complexity and the bureaucratic maze involved in securing a government contract. In today’s episode, I interview Lorna Tedder, an agile acquisition expert for MITRE, and a former contracting officer for the US Air Force. Lorna is a change agent who throughout her distinguished career has worked to remove barriers to efficient contracting, enabling her government clients to get the best solutions as quickly as possible.   But Lorna also sees very clearly the obstacles and challenges that remain . . . and those that introduce unnecessary friction to today’s effort to collaborate with commercial suppliers. With refreshing honesty and clarity, Lorna decodes some of the most important contract issues that any small business should understand when considering working for the US government. She explains in plain English what key terms and conditions mean and offers practical guidance on how firms should proceed when working with a government contracting officer.Links: https://aida.mitre.org and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorna-tedder-18431579/