OSU PaCS 307-02: Prohibited Conduct

Purpose

To protect the University from allegations of improper conduct and limit its exposure to liability.

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Applicability

All employees.

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Background

Certain types of conduct are unethical and illegal if they occur during the procurement process.  Allegations of improper conduct can harm the reputation of OSU and raise liability issues related to the conduct.

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Policy

Unethical and illegal conduct must be avoided and is prohibited during the procurement process.

Prohibited conduct during the procurement process includes:

• A lack of intent to buy:  When  requesting quotes for a procurement, there should  be an intent to buy the product or service in the future, not just bidding to find prices.
• During the bidding process there should be no sharing of pricing information among the bidding vendors.  Bid results may be given to vendors once the final award is made.
• Procurements must be made within a department’s delegated authority and this authority should not be claimed when it does not exist.
• Procurements cannot be fragmented in order to avoid purchasing within delegated authority.
• OSU employees should not make personal purchases using the pricing quoted to the University or in University  contracts.

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