It’s Smooth Sailing for Marine Business Seeking Gov. Contracts

Searching for government contracts that could boost revenue is important, but it takes one of the most precious resources a business owner has: time.

Raj Sengupta, president of Marine Design and Operations, Inc., has solved this dilemma by taking advantage of UCEDC’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), which alerts the company to government solicitations that might be of interest.

“We depend on the PTAC program to give us the leads,” Sengupta said. “That’s how we track these solicitations. Without this we would not be able to find all the opportunities and go after what we want to go after.”

Each morning MDO receives an email with government solicitations that match MDO’s previously selected search criteria: marine, naval architects, ship, vessels, etc.

“PTAC links you directly to the solicitation number, so it's easy to download information on it,” Sengupta explained. “Sometimes we read it and realize it is not the right fit for us. But at least we see what is available. PTAC gives us options."

The program allows MDO principals to focus more energy managing their company, which was established in 1981 and serves the maritime industry in the fields of naval architecture and marine engineering. MDO has offices in Kenilworth, N.J., as well as in California and Texas, with associates in India and Singapore.

Sengupta’s involvement with PTAC began about 10 years ago when UCEDC representatives approached him and explained various ways they could help. They invited him to a seminar to learn more, then worked with him to complete various registrations and applications—including developing search criteria for the daily alerts on government solicitations.

Sengupta appreciates the help he received from PTAC Director Maryann Williams and her team with the GSA Schedule Program, which connects government buyers to vendors without the need for direct bidding. "They helped me to focus my efforts on the schedules that made sense for me,” he said. “As a result, we've won some new contracts."

Sengupta said he would recommend PTAC to any business owner interested in government solicitations. “In general, our company has 50% revenue from federal government work, and about 50% of that has been through PTAC-generated leads,” he said.

To learn more about UCEDC’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center, please contact Maryann Williams at mwilliams@ucedc.com or visit the website at www.ucedc.com.

For more information on Marine Design and Operations, Inc., please visit www.mdoinc.net.