Created: February 16, 2011 2
Process
: The key process features are (a) awareness of our roles and
responsibilities, and our commitment to avoid conflicts of interest “in fact” and even the
appearance of a conflict of interest; (b) timely, written disclosure; (c) recusal from
personal participation in any transaction in which there is a conflict of interest, and even
the appearance of a conflict of interest.
1. Conflicts of interest
“in fact”
(or
“actual”
conflicts of interest) are well described in
the Procurement Operations Procedures Manual, and in the Houston Community College
Professional Standards and Codes of Conduct. This Procurement Guideline, therefore, is
intended to address particularly the more difficult concept, and process for,
the
avoidance
of
even the “appearance of a conflict of interest.”
Both kinds of conflict of
interest are to be avoided, and this Procurement Guideline describes the procedure to
be used in the Procurement Operations Department for the disclosure of either kind of
conflict of interest, including the introduction with this Procurement Guideline of the
“Procurement Operations Department Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.”
2. For purposes of this Procurement Guideline, “the appearance of a conflict of interest”
means the
appearance of a conflict of interest in the eyes of a reasonable observer.
3. For the purposes of this Procurement Guideline, conflicts of interest, either “in fact,”
or as an “appearance of a conflict of interest,” may arise in relation to any of the
following categories of “interests” or “relationships”:
financial interest; employment
relationship; family relationship; and friendship
, as defined below.
“
Financial interest
” means any ownership interest of 10% or $15,000 of the fair
market value of the business entity (whichever is lower) or with the particular vendor
possessed at the present time by the Procurement Operations employee, or possessed
by a “relative” of the Procurement Operations employee as that term is broadly defined
in the Board Policy: C: 2.4 Human Resources - Nepotism, Conflicts of Interest. This
includes any form of income or revenue received by the Procurement Operations
Department employee at the present time, or by a “relative” of the Procurement
Operations employee, from the particular vendor.
“
Employment relationship
” means any employment relationship with the particular
vendor by the Procurement Operations employee, or by the parents, spouse or children
of the Procurement Operations employee, at the present time, or that existed at any
time within the past five years, and also means any present offer of future employment
by the particular vendor to the Procurement Operations employee or to the parents,
spouse or children of the Procurement Operations employee.
“
Family relationship
” means a relationship between the Procurement Operations
employee and an individual associated with the particular vendor that is a “relative” of
the Procurement Operations employee as that term is broadly defined in the Board
Policy: C: 2.4 Human Resources - Nepotism, Conflicts of Interest.
“
Friendship” means a relationship between the Procurement Operations employee and
an individual associated with the particular vendor that does in fact exceed, or that