eBlast January 6, 2011 Print
1.  Procurement Portal is Alive:  Our pathway to bids, RFP’s and quotes is now operational.  Open your door of possibilities right now by signing up at www.nbccbids.com.  Remember this is for every buying office in the federal government and with 37 states.  The opportunities are abundant and never ending.

2.  Charter School Model:  The Second Annual DC Public Charter School Recruitment Expo which will be held at the DC Convention Center this Saturday, January 8th, from noon to 4PM.  All 52 charter schools on 93 campuses in the District of Columbia will be represented.  Families will be able to look into the various education programs and even register their children for the school of their choice.  The NBCC considers the DC Charter School network a model program and should be replicated by communities needing an alternative to its public school system.  For more information go to www.dccharterexpo.org.

3.  Our Response to Chairman Issa:  Chairman Darrell Issa, Chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has requested our input for his planning purposes.  We have formally responded and look forward to his feedback.  Our response is posted on our website (here).

4.  Going to the Supreme Court:  On January 17, our Amicus Brief will be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court.  We believe a trend challenging civil rights is before us and we must fight against it.  We have secured the services of two of the biggest legal minds in the world, Lanny Davis and David Rivkin, to argue our position. The following link is a good article about the case: http://nydailyrecord.com/blog/2010/12/30/the-next-big-civil-rights-case-anna-nicole%E2%80%88smith/

5.  GAO Rules Against a PLA:  Project Labor Agreements (PLA’s) are evil, anti-minority and full of corruption.  The NBCC firmly believes this and President Obama does not.  Thus, we have serious conflict.  These union only jobs are usually void of minority business and few minorities are allowed to join construction unions.  Only 2 percent of Black owned construction companies are union.  A victory for our position recently occurred in Pittsburgh where the General Accounting Office (GAO) agreed with our position and struck down a federally sponsored PLA.  For more about this issue:  http://www.thetruthaboutplas.com/2011/01/06/abc-wins-another-challenge-against-government-mandated-project-labor-agreements-on-federal-construction-projects/

6.  Changing of the Chairs:  Incoming Chairman Arnold Baker will take the gavel from outgoing Chair Sherrie Gilchrist in Washington, DC on January 26, 2011.  Those wanting to attend this networking event should contact Executive Vice President Kay DeBow at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Happy New Year to All of You!  May 2011 become the best year of your life.