It’s important that everyone in your agency behaves ethically. Conflicts of interest should be properly identified and transparently managed.
All agency staff, contractors, consultants and volunteers have a duty to put the public interest above their personal or private interests when carrying out their official duties.
All agency staff that are actively involved in a procurement activity, or could influence the process or the outcome of a procurement, must complete and sign a conflict of interest declaration and a confidentiality agreement.
This includes:
Senior leaders who provide sign-off but don't otherwise influence the process don't need to complete a declaration unless your agency has a different policy.
Team members should sign a declaration as soon as they're appointed to the team. People making financial approvals or other key decisions can sign a declaration at the time they're asked to make the decision.
Declarations need to be revisited regularly and checked once the supplier has been chosen.
A conflict of interest can arise through a relationship, an activity or strong personal views.
An employee has a conflict of interest if, as part of their work duties, they’re required to deal with:
An agency employee could also have a conflict of interest if they’re given something from someone who could benefit from their decisions, eg:
A conflict can also arise if a person holds strong personal views on an issue their agency is considering, eg political views or religious beliefs.
A conflict of interest that’s not properly managed could seriously undermine the procurement’s integrity and lead to complaints, challenges or an agency’s decision being overturned.
When a conflict of interest 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 that are identified must be reported to the manager in charge of the activity. The conflict and the process for managing it must be recorded in writing.
Conflicts of interest can be managed by: