In this next episode, we are going to try something a little different. MSG Mic’d Up is a podcast hosted by 87th Contracting Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Axel Clark. The podcast offers on-demand interviews and stories from around the 87th Mission Support Group at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ. Hear from leadership across the joint base and get up to date on the latest MSG 2020+ initiatives. Lt. Col. Clark recorded an episode for The Contracting Experience to feature the base’s latest innovation initiative. In Spring 2019, the 87th Contracting Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst took on Air Force Leadership’s innovation challenge to “Think Big, Start Small, and Scale Fast” by hosting the first-ever base-level Pitch Day event using a Commercial Solutions Opening. In this next episode, 87th Contracting Squadron Commander Clark leads a discussion with the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist that executed the effort, Tech. Sgt. Dustin Golden and Maggie Falkner. Clark and his team’s enthusiastic conversation about trying something different and working with non-traditional vendors to get commercial solutions to the warfighter is fun to listen to. They are candid in sharing their lessons learned and are eager to see how other teams put their own spin on the CSO process. Acronyms JB MDL – Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst NJIT – New Jersey Institute of Technology SBIR – Small Business Innovation Research BAA – Broad Agency Announcement CSO – Commercial Solutions Opening O&M – Operations & Maintenance Funds PTAC – Procurement Technical Assistance Center MOU – Memorandum of Understanding AFRL – Air Force Research Laboratory Links ARTICLE: Innovation challenge accepted! JB MDL hosts first-ever base level Pitch Day event https://www.jbmdl.jb.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1898557/innovation-challenge-accepted-jb-mdl-hosts-first-ever-base-level-pitch-day-event/ ARTICLE: Joint Base MDL Pitch Day Delivers Results! https://www.jbmdl.jb.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1976527/joint-base-mdl-pitch-day-delivers-results/ Questions for 87 CONS on the CSO: [email protected]