NBIA Bidding and Contracting Policy

NBIA’s board of directors, committee members and other members obtain many opportunities for personal visibility through their association with the NBIA. The association, in turn, gains great benefits through its board and volunteer member resources. It is often unclear, however, how staff and members should act in awarding bids and contracts and otherwise engage in partnering activities.

This policy seeks to set forth clear guidelines that should be useful to all of the association’s major constituencies (board of directors, members and staff). The guidelines will assist these parties in avoiding conflicts of interest and will clarify how members and staff should work together to ensure that NBIA conducts its business in the best interests of the association.

In order to avoid conflicts of interest with any members, board members or committee members, NBIA staff will follow these guidelines:

1. When NBIA has internal resources or anticipates generating internal resources to offer a contract of work for association business for which its members are likely to be qualified, the association will:

• Offer such projects for bid to all members in a fair and equitable manner. Offer for bid does not imply an award. The association reserves the right to determine – at its sole discretion – upon receipt and review of all offers, that no member is qualified.


• Award bids for all such projects based on a fair and independent review of proposals, screening according to criteria clearly advertised during the bid process.


• Avoid providing preferential treatment to board or committee members – or any other NBIA members – by providing access to any bid or project information not made available to all members equally.

This policy does not constrain NBIA staff from bidding to nonmembers or otherwise selecting preferred contractors for work for which NBIA members are not qualified or unsuitable. Should time constraints be such that a project cannot be conveniently bid as required in this policy (it is expected this would occur only very rarely), the decision to forego a bidding process must be approved by the NBIA executive committee or board of directors, whichever is scheduled to meet in the nearest term.

2. When NBIA does not have internal resources to undertake a project that would be in the best interests of the association and must seek sponsorship for such a project, or when NBIA wishes to respond to private or government contracts or funding proposals and RFPs that will implement long-range plan goals and strategies, the association will:

• Reserve the right to choose to partner with NBIA members and nonmember organizations and individuals as time permits, based on the capabilities and track records of the organizations or individuals and on the association executive staff's evaluation of their potential value to such projects.


• Reserve the right to choose among those making offer of potential business partnerships or co-bidding arrangements based on the demonstrated capabilities and track record of the individual or organization. In choosing among potential business partnerships offered by NBIA members and others, staff will also consider internal staff capacity, opportunity costs and the degree to which the proposed project forwards the goals and strategies of the board-approved long-range plan in comparison with other new or ongoing NBIA activities.

3. When the association is asked to provide referrals for paid consulting jobs, staff will provide the official consultant list and will not recommend one consultant over another.

4. When board members, committee members and other volunteer members participate in volunteer activities or otherwise seek to partner with NBIA, they should refrain from:

• Appropriating information about association business and business opportunities learned during board or committee meetings or business – information not available to NBIA members at large – to seek personal work or business for an employer or business colleagues.


• Seeking to convert association business, business opportunities and sponsorships into private, personal or organizational business opportunities.


• Serving as liaison on behalf of NBIA with any potential association business partner without authorization of NBIA or using NBIA authorization to conduct business on one’s own behalf and thus exceeding one’s authority.


• Directing NBIA staff to provide access to business information or business opportunities for personal use and aggrandizement or for the use and aggrandizement of one’s own firm or employer.


• Seeking preferential treatment – treatment not offered to other NBIA members – by virtue of being a board or committee member.


• Seeking preferential treatment from NBIA for a business colleague or partner that may directly or indirectly benefit oneself.