HarborPoint develops and captures federal maritime business, and sources the vessels that perform it. The work runs across conventional solicitations, the research and prototyping pathways, and the commercial vessel market.
Engaged as retained advisor, broker of record, or support for a single requirement.
Building a government desk where none exists — segment selection, program-office and contracting-activity relationships, prime and subcontract positioning, and origination of requirements with the uniformed customer.
Opportunity screening, go/no-go gates, compliance matrices and proposal assembly, carried through evaluation discussions and source selection. An operating rhythm rather than an ad-hoc scramble.
Bottom-up price-to-win and breakeven day-rate models; charter, purchase, bareboat and contractor-owned / contractor-operated structures compared on the Government's own basis. Teaming and joint-venture arrangements, including those that preserve small-business eligibility.
Prototyping, experimentation and development work routed through the non-traditional vehicles — SBIR and STTR topic fit and teaming, commercial solutions openings and scout cards, prototype other-transaction agreements and their follow-on production hooks, and prize-challenge sprints. Unmanned systems programs from the operator's side as well as the buyer's: payload and magazine depth, launch, recovery and swap, embarkation, forward sustainment and the training venue.
U.S.-flag and reflaggable tonnage screened against the governing specification, and offshore or non-vessel assets where the requirement calls for them. Independent diligence before a hull is named — classification records, as-fitted particulars, regulatory standing and ownership chain — then charter negotiation onto federal terms, and coordination through mobilization, reflagging, shipyard periods and execution.
Structured research against pre-registered criteria — whether a requirement owner and a budget owner exist, who pays, and what would have to be true. Non-dilutive funding strategy across SBIR phases, prototype awards and follow-on production authority. Continuous watch on federal procurement and the SOF and innovation submission channels, enriched with vessel particulars, incumbent precedent and contracting-office points of contact.
| Vessel owners & operators | Commercial tonnage seeking federal employment — charter, sale, or program work — and the compliance posture that comes with it. |
| Prime contractors | Firms holding or pursuing government contracts with a maritime scope they do not staff internally. |
| Unmanned systems companies | USV, UUV and UAS builders who need the host platform, launch and recovery, fielding and sustainment layer their systems assume but their company does not own. |
| Technology small businesses | SBIR and STTR performers whose topic needs a vessel, an offshore asset, or maritime domain expertise to be credible. |
| Defense-tech ventures & investors | Early-stage companies and their backers needing demand validation, capture strategy and a funding path before capital is committed. |
| Shipyards & naval architects | Conversion, modification and reflagging scope tied to a federal award. |
| Military Sealift Command | Charter and voyage requirements across multiple vessel classes |
| Navy program offices | Special-mission vessel acquisition, conversion and support |
| SOCOM & PEO Maritime | Mission-configured platforms, unmanned systems, SOF innovation channels |
| Defense innovation units | Prototyping and prize-challenge pathways for maritime and unmanned capability |
| U.S. Coast Guard | Support and utility tonnage requirements |
| MARAD | U.S.-flag programs and VISA-participating tonnage |
| NOAA | Research and survey vessel requirements |
| Tankers | Product and chemical tonnage; military fuel resupply |
| Offshore | Offshore supply, platform supply and multi-purpose support vessels |
| Tug & barge | Jones Act tug and articulated tug-barge units |
| Special mission | Research, survey and mission-configured hulls |
| Support craft | Crew boats, utility and support tonnage |
| Unmanned systems | Aerial, surface and undersea systems; host platforms, launch and recovery, forward sustainment |
| Offshore assets | Fixed offshore structures and non-vessel platforms where the requirement calls for them |
HarborPoint Maritime is a maritime advisory, capture and brokerage practice working out of Houston and Tampa. Engagements are run end to end — first read of the requirement through award and execution — with the same hands on the market, the pricing and the tonnage.
It was founded by a former special operations logistician who moved into commercial ship brokerage and federal capture — a background on the receiving end of the maritime and unmanned capability the firm now sources.
Most work starts with a short call about a specific requirement — what it is, who owns it, and whether there is a path.