This week, Ryan Connell chats with Jonathan Mostowski, author, public speaker, and president of Agile Acquisitions LLC, about the truth behind “hacking” bureaucracy in government contracting, the development and impact of agile acquisition frameworks, and his career journey from a contracting officer to an innovative leader in the field. Jonathan shares his insights into creating culture change through contracting, the importance of understanding rules and strategic risk-taking, and his experiences authoring the TechFAR handbook. Tune in for a refreshing conversation on how to look at the defense procurement process with different eyes.

TIMESTAMPS:

(1:19) Meet Jonathan

(3:18) What is a Scaled Agile Framework?

(4:08) How Jonathan created the TechFAR Handbook

(7:49) The biggest challenge contractors face

(10:40) Why Jonathan doesn’t “hack” bureaucracy

(13:35) Culture change needed in contracting

(15:01) Jonathan’s writing process

(18:55) What would you change if you were king for a day?

(22:09) Why reward systems are key to success

(26:26) Are SBIRs sustainable?

(32:02) The reality behind the Valley of Death

LINKS:

Follow Ryan: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-connell-8413a03a/⁠

Follow Jonathan: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmost/

Leading Agile Acquisitions Book: https://www.agileacquisitions.com/product-page/leading-agile-acquisitions

TechFAR Hub: https://techfarhub.usds.gov/

CDAO: ⁠https://www.ai.mil/⁠

Tradewinds: ⁠https://www.tradewindai.com/