The State of Mississippi stands ready to assist the state’s small businesses through the Mississippi Development Authority’s Procurement Technical Assistance Program.
This year’s Government Procurement Opportunities Conference was held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center on May 15th and 16th. The event is sponsored by the Mississippi Procurement Technical Assistance Program (MPTAP), which is partially funded by the U.S. Defense Logistics agency with matching funds provided by the Mississippi Development Authority, city and county government agencies, economic development organizations and private corporations.
Small businesses play a vital role in our nation’s defense and is the backbone of our national and local economies. This conference is designed to build partnerships between private business and government purchasing at all levels, federal, state and local as well as with the defense industry contractors and commercial purchasing offices. Carl Liberty and Marcia McDowell
The PTAC Small Business Award Recipient is an MPTAP client that actively participates with the center in pursuing procurement opportunities. This year’s award recipient, Power Dynamics Innovations LLC, a private company located within John C. Stennis Space Center in Southeast Mississippi provides worldwide engineering and manufacturing solutions to the fluid power industry.
In accepting this year’s award PDI’s Managing Member, Carl Liberty acknowledged the value that the Mississippi Procurement Technical Assistance Program has brought to his business over the years. Marcia McDowell, Executive Director, and her team has helped PDI identify contracting opportunities that they were successful in winning. Carl Liberty said, “MPTAP was instrumental in helping us identify two opportunities that we were awarded this year.”
In early 2017 PDI was awarded a contract by Conrad Shipyards, Morgan City, LA, for the design and construction of winches and winch controls for the U.S Army Corps of Engineers “Wicket Lifter Barge” which will be used to raise and lower steel dam wickets and perform maintenance functions at the Olmsted Locks and Dam on the Ohio River.
PDI was also successful in March 2017 to be awarded a contract by the Naval Surface Warfare Carderock, for the design and construction of four winch packages consisting of the winch, diesel powered HPU and controls for SEAFAC, Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility, located in Ketchikan, AK. The winch packages will be used in a Three Point Mooring System during the handling of underwater equipment. The facility performs RDT&E evaluations to determine the sources of radiated acoustic noise, collecting acoustic signatures of submarines and surface vessels.
Carl Liberty adds, “I would like to thank Carol Harris, Director/ Program Manager of the Mississippi Development Authority, for her continuing support of the Procurement Technical Assistance Program. Carol understands the value this program brings to the small business community.” Carl goes on thank Marcia McDowell, our area’s Executive Director, “Marcia and her team of professionals are terrific, we are lucky to have them as an asset to our small business community and I would recommend other small business not engaged in this program become engaged.” Liberty adds a special thanks to Joycie Lenair, MBA, Senior Associate Project Manager, “We were thrilled to hear from Joycie that we were selected as this year’s recipient. Thank you MPTAP.