SOFWERX, innovation, and early adoption with Tambrein Bates

Tambrein Bates joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss his role in helping build an ecosystem of over 40,000 innovators in support of Special Operations Command (SOCOM). For the last five years, Tambrein has been the director of SOFWERX, and before that spent a career in US Army special operations. During the episode, we touch on: - Designing for producibility - When to use a prize rather than a contract - The horses vs. jockeys view of innovation - Moving from a 2-D to a 4-D view of risk - Whether we set a low bar in defense acquisition SOFWERX is a non-profit chartered by SOCOM and DEFENSEWERX to transition commercial technology into the military. Tambrein says that commercial R&D has bypassed the Pentagon, and there is a great deal of potential for recombining existing technologies in new and provocative ways. SOFWERX clients in government tend to access SOFWERX to: (1) help them think clearly about programs/technologies; (2) remove some administrative burdens; and (3) accessing their network of firms and innovators that can address a wide range of requirements from submarines to satellites. SOFWERX is not a "front door" to the acquisition system, but remains important piece to accelerating tech transition. This podcast was produced by Eric Lofgren. Soundtrack by urmymuse: "reflections of u". You can follow us on Twitter @AcqTalk and find more information at AcquisitionTalk.com.