What can you learn from establishing a new contracting squadron? For the first time in Department of Defense history, there was a transfer of a military base from one Service to another. It was Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB), which transferred from the Navy to the Air Force in October 2020. Maj. Ruben Arredondo was tagged to assist in the effort. Then he was selected as Commander of the 11th Wing Contracting Squadron, a unit that he would need to build and lead for the first time. In...

In this episode, Certified Professional Coach and host, Amber Pecoraro, talks about a topic that she has worked on with Contracting Supervisors: taming task lists/to-do lists. Is your task list/to-do list making you feel guilty and like you are constantly behind, rather than helping you be effective and efficient in your job? If so, this episode is for you. Amber gives you strategies to help your task list work for you, instead of you working for your task list. If you would like to...

In this episode, we sit down with Chelsea Fuhlam and Abby Doorn who are Air Force Contracting professionals doing Education with Industry (EWI) fellowships. Chelsea’s work with Amazon and Abby’s work with Anduril really got them thinking about how collaborative industry is with its partners and how government acquisition can take better advantage of opportunities to collaborate with industry to meet its goals. As part of their EWI capstone project, Chelsea and Abby are working with Data...

In this episode, we feature another great Air Force Materiel Command podcast. It is Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s podcast, The AFLCMC Leadership Log. The podcast has over 75 episodes and covers a variety of topics like, what’s happening at the Rapid Sustainment Office, Civilian Developmental Education, cyber resiliency and perspectives from Air Force Leadership. In this episode, we feature the Leadership Log’s episode #40 on Digital Engineering. It is important for acquisition...

This episode features Air Force Materiel Command's Commander's Initiatives Group Director Kimberly Norman, and Procurement Analyst Barbaralee Mariano Kelleher, who discuss the AFMC CDX office and how it is accelerating innovation initiatives. They talk about what CDX’s mission is and the progress that has been made through the AFMC We Need initiative. In addition, the ladies share how the AFMC workforce can engage with CDX to get additional resources and help solve problems out in the...

In this episode, we sit down with Chief of the Contracting Business Systems Division under the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary (Contracting), Jay Olson. Olson talks about the transition from Air Force contract writing system ConWrite to CON-IT. This episode gives important information to all members of the acquisition team on what they should expect in preparation for and transition to the new CON-IT system. Olson also introduces the ConWrite Transition Plan which can be found by Air...

In this episode, we sit down with the Department of the Air Force Digital Transformation Office Chief, Kyle Hurst. Hurst talks about the mission of the Digital Transformation Office and why it’s so important for the Air Force to automate unnecessary manual processes and transform digitally in order to compete with near peer adversaries. He also shares what everyday Airmen can do to contribute to this immediate challenge facing the Air Force. Acronyms: AFMC – Air Force Materiel Command DAF –...

In this episode, we talk to the Commandant of the Acquisition Instructor Course or AQIC, Col. Steve Smith. The Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force directed the establishment of an advanced acquisition career field training course developed in partnership with the United States Air Force Weapons School. This unique opportunity for United States Air Force and United States Space Force acquisition professionals aligns with the Force Modernization Talent Management Framework to develop broadly...

This episode of The Contracting Experience podcast features Capt. John Diekel, an Air Force active duty contracting officer currently assigned to Data Collective Venture Capital (DCVC) & Gothams as an Air Force Institute of Technology Education With Industry Fellow. At DCVC, Diekel executes due diligence of startups with dual-use technologies vying for venture capital funding. Simultaneously, Diekel helps startups with dual-use technologies navigate the Department of Defense acquisition...

This episode of the podcast features the head of Air Force Contracting, Maj. Gen. Cameron Holt. Holt talks about the extraordinary response of Air Force Contracting during the COVID-19 Pandemic. He also addresses the work focused on the Lines of Effort within the Air Force Contracting Flight Plan and how these efforts are setting up the contracting unit of the future. He also has some big ideas that, if implemented, will revolutionize the way the Air Force conducts business.

On this episode of The Contracting Experience podcast we sit down with Cost/Price Analyst Shannon Prince to discuss commercial benchmarking. Shannon was on a Government benchmarking team that visited five commercial companies from July 2018 to February 2019 to explore what purchasing and pricing strategies commercial businesses use to acquire commercial items and services. Shannon shares what lessons were learned from engaging with the companies and how those lessons can be transferred into...

On this episode of The Contracting Experience podcast, we welcome Maj. Randall Mullen to share his experiences with deployments in support of the United States military. Mullen discusses what he did to prepare for deployments and what missions he supported. He also shares tough challenges he faced, successes he had with his teams, and how his deployments have shaped his outlook as a leader in the Air Force. Acronyms: OCSIC – Operational Contract Support Integration Cell CJTF – Combined...

This episode of The Contracting Experience podcast features Ohio Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Specialist Rich Delisio. There are 94 PTACs, with over 300 local offices, that form a nationwide network of dedicated procurement professionals working to help local businesses compete successfully in the government marketplace. PTACs are the bridge between buyer and supplier, bringing to bear their knowledge of both government contracting and the capabilities of contractors to...

AFWERX was established in 2017 by the Secretary of the Air Force to be a catalyst for agile Air Force engagement across industry, academia, and non-traditional contributors to create transformative opportunities and foster an Air Force culture of innovation. On this episode, we welcome AFWERX Director, Dr. Brian “Beam” Maue to the podcast to talk about the AFWERX mission and how the organization interacts with its stakeholders. Maue discusses how AFWERX thinks about Agile Contracting and...

Spark Tank is an annual competition put on by AFWERX where Airmen "pitch" innovative ideas to top Air Force leadership and a panel of industry experts. This episode we sit-down with six of the Airmen who pitched their ideas at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, FL, in February 2020. These Airmen are solving Air Force problems using solutions like: robotic process automation, portable magnetic aircraft covers, C-17 loading aids, low cost threat emitter replicators,...

This episode of the podcast highlights the training and development opportunities open to civilian employees through the Civilian Developmental Education and Civilian Strategic Leader Programs. Applications opened Jan. 13, 2020 and close for boarded programs on Feb. 7 and non-boarded programs Feb. 28. This episode identifies things to consider when applying for CDE or leadership training regardless of when you choose to apply. The first part of the episode features Heidi Bullock, Air Force...

This episode of The Contracting Experience podcast is about the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Pitch Days. We speak with Air Force Research Laboratory’s Small Business Intrapreneur, Ryan Helbach, and LCMC Pitch Day Contracting Officer for the Fighters & Bombers Program Executive Office, Brett Wray. Ryan and Brett discuss what it takes to put on a Pitch Day and the value Pitch Days provide to the Air Force. They also talk to the new perspective government and industry...

On this episode of The Contracting Experience we welcome back previous guest to the podcast, Joyce Pappas, who is an Industrial Security Program Manager at the Information Protection office, Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters. This episode will look at Industrial Security from a small business and Defense Contractor point of view. Check out Episode 6 to get refreshed on this important subject on the “Industrial Security Explained” episode. Enjoy! Defense Counterintelligence and...

This episode features Air Force Installation Contracting Center Commander, Brig. Gen. Alice Trevino. Trevino talks about AFICC’s mission and how she encourages her teams to be “Change Agents”. She is an active promoter of continuous learning and development of the acquisition workforce and emphasizes the importance of communication at all levels. Trevino is a gracious supporter of the podcast and shares her vision on critical thinking, failing and learning fast, and empowering the workforce....

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...

This episode is Part II on podcast host Amber Pecoraro’s Startup Innovation Fellowship experience. Maj. Gen. Cameron Holt, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Contracting, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, takes the mic and interviews Amber on her fellowship experience. The Startup Innovation Fellowship program is run by the National Security Innovation Network and provides military and civilian employees with 4-15 years of experience...

The next two episodes of the podcast will focus on the Startup Innovation Fellowship program that podcast host, Amber Pecoraro, completed in June. The Startup Innovation Fellowship program is run by National Security Innovation Network and provides military and civilian employees with 4-15 years of experience an opportunity to embed with a startup company to explore a command issue for six weeks. Amber was matched with the startup company, Decisive Point, in Washington D.C. which works with...

This episode features a team that changed the way training systems and support were being competed in the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Simulators Program Office. Program Manager Jacob Kolb and Contracting Officer Dustin Tatum led the C-17 Training Systems acquisition team in its use of Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.5 Fair Opportunity Selection procedures for a program valued over $900 million. They discuss how they tailored their selection criteria for a best value decision...

Ever wonder who those professionals are that get to crawl around planes and productions lines to inspect government supplies and services to check quality and ensure adequate performance? Don’t forget the cost and financial analysts that ensure tax payer dollars are spent correctly on products and services that support our missions. Well in this episode you get a big picture view of what Defense Contract Management Agency does to support the Department of Defense from DCMA’s Commander of the...

Services Acquisitions make up approximately 50% of the Air Force expenditures. A significant amount of that spend is for specialized services outside of the Weapon System Program Offices that are overseen by the Program Executive Office Combat and Mission Support. These services range from support of test operations, design and engineering, and technical data to support of facility services of our bases and emergency services to forward deployed locations. Nancy Andrews is the Program...