Purchasing Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest may be an actual or perceived interest by an ECU employee in an action that results in, or has the appearance of resulting in, personal, organizational, or professional gain. A conflict of interest occurs when an employee has a direct or fiduciary interest in another relationship.
Avoiding Purchasing Conflicts from Related Parties
In order to avoid potential “conflict of interest,” the University’s policy is that if a University employee has an immediate family member (spouse/partner, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law) who is a principal owner of a business, the department in which that family member is employed will not be allowed to do business with that firm.
Avoiding Conflicts from Employees
University policy prohibits purchases from University employees or companies in which any University employee has any ownership stake.
Essential Exceptions
If, however, it is essential for a department to purchase materials or services from a University employee’s immediate family member or their company, a request should be submitted in writing to the Director of Materials Management explaining the nature of the need and the business justification for not seeking services from other suppliers and will be sent to the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance (ORIC) for their review and approval. If approved, ORIC will develop a work plan to manage the “conflict of interest.”