All employed by or associated with the University must adhere to the following regarding conflict of interest:

1. Employees shall disclose to their respective budget executive in the college or administrative unit in which they are employed any potential conflict of interest of which they are aware related to the purchase of equipment, materials, goods and services prior to the execution of the purchase request. Written disclosure must accompany the requisition to Purchasing Services.
2. Except in very unusual circumstances, the University will not purchase equipment, materials, goods, and services from an employee, a member of an employee’s immediate family, or from a business in which an employee or a member of the employee’s immediate family has an ownership interest of 10 percent or more. If an exception is necessary, the unit must provide a written disclosure of the transaction of its budget executive and the written disclosure must accompany the requisition to Purchasing Services.
3. University personnel, by policy, must decline personal gifts or gratuities associated with the procurement process.
4. Members of the Board of Trustees shall comply with Board BYLAWS Article 6 concerning conflict of interest and, in connection therewith, shall, to the extent possible, avoid person-to-person discussion or negotiation with the officers and employees of the University for the purpose of procuring business with the University.

The above policy, reflected in Policy BS07, shall provide guidelines concerning conflict of interest as it pertains to doing business with any person or company that could appear to be a conflict of interest due to a relationship with a Penn State employee. Questions regarding any conflict of interest appear on our Supplier Application form and also in Policy BS17.