Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, P.O. Box 520, Massena, New York 13662-0520

19 -- FURNISH AND DELIVER ONE, 48 FT. LONG, 16 FT. TO 18 FT. BEAM, 5 FT. TO 6 FT. 6 IN. DRAFT, TWIN SCREW, 500 HP TUG/WORKBOAT Sol DTSL55-96-B-C0621. Contact Linda M. Harding, 315-764-3244/Contracting Officer, Linda M. Harding 315/764-3244. The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation issued a Request for Technical Proposal under the Two-Step Sealed Bidding Process for the design and furnishing of one, 48 ft. long, 16 ft. to 18 ft. beam, 5 ft. to 6 ft. 6 in. draft, twin screw, 500 HP tug/workboat. Three entities were determined to be acceptable. An Invitation for Bids package has been sent to these three entities. For the benefit of prospective subcontractors, the entities are, as follows: Basic Marine, of Escanaba, MI; The Duclos Corporation, d/b/a Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, of Somerset, MA; and, Marine Builders, Inc., of Utica, IN. ``This Notice is for informational purposes for Minority, Women-Owned and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises: The Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), has programs to assist minority, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises to acquire short-term working capital and bonding assistance for transportation-related contracts. This is applicable to any eligible prime or subcontract at any tier. The DOT Bonding Assistance Program enables firms to apply for bid, payment, and performance bonds up to $1.0 million per contract. The DOT provides an 80 percent guaranty on the bond amount to a surety against losses. Loans are also available under the DOT Short Term Lending Program (STLP) at prime interest rates to provide accounts receivable financing. The maximum line of credit is $500,000. For further information regarding the bonding and lending programs, please call the DOT Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization at (800)-532-1169. For information concerning the acquisition, contact the contracting official listed above.'' (264)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0176 19960924\19-0001.SOL)