Easy-use tools available for managing conflicts of interest
New Zealand Government Procurement has some great resources to help you, your teams, and organisation manage conflicts. And we want you to use them.
In New Zealand we’re currently facing fiscal uncertainty with the fuel situation against a backdrop of an increased cost of living.
In a procurement context, this can lead to a temptation to bend the rules or ignore conflicts of interest when selecting and managing vendors.
Now, more than ever, it is critical that agencies properly manage any conflicts of interest and are seen to be fair and operating with integrity. It’s vital that we behave ethically and maintain the trust and confidence of New Zealanders.
A conflict of interest that has not been properly managed, could seriously undermine the integrity of our procurement processes, lead to complaints, challenges and in some cases, the agency’s decision being overturned.
When a conflict has been ignored, improperly acted on or influenced actions or decision-making, the conduct (not the conflict itself) can be seen as misconduct, abuse of office or even corruption.
Conflicts of interest, whether perceived or actual, can be easily identified, disclosed and dealt with. New Zealand Government Procurement has some great resources to help you, your teams, and organisation manage conflicts. And we want you to use them.
Our easy-to-use conflict of interest tool helps you manage conflicts of interest declarations during your procurement process. In addition, we have other guidance on how to manage conflicts on our website. This includes how to identify a conflict of interest, how conflicts of interest happen, and what the consequences are if conflicts are not managed. Our Advisory Services and Account Manager teams are also here to help.