The act introduces much stricter and robust obligations on conflict-of-interest assessments, which must be conducted whenever a procurement is carried out.
These requirements are not limited to your procurement team - any colleagues involved including business stakeholders, anyone who may influence decisions, and contract managers must adhere to these new standards.
Key points to be aware of
Mandatory conflict of interest assessment
Anyone involved in a procurement process, requires a conflict-of-interest assessment to be carried out. This includes personal, professional, or financial interests that could influence or be perceived to influence the procurement outcome.
Ongoing review and updates
The assessment must be reviewed and updated during the procurement and contract management lifecycle, especially if new information becomes available.
Mitigation
If conflicts are identified, steps must be taken to mitigate them. This may mean excluding individuals or suppliers from the procurement project.
If you are involved in a procurement process at any level, and you engage with a supplier either before or during the process, or via contract management, we strongly recommend you seek advice from your procurement lead to ensure this will not put that supplier at an unfair advantage or the council at risk of challenge when the contract opportunity is published.
In the meantime, you can read more about the Procurement Pathway, and the Guidance on conflicts of interest.
If you have any questions or need further clarification on these changes, please email countyprocurementcompliance.team@derbyshire.gov.uk.