5 Keys to Making Ethical Contracting Decisions

There are five key issues that should drive public agency officials in making ethical contracting decisions:

1. Facts: What are the particular and unique facts of a situation?
   
   
2. Law: How do applicable laws and policies impact a decision?
   
   
3. Appearances: It is critical to evaluate how a particular action will appear and be perceived by others even if it is legal. This is often known as the "front page of the newspaper" test. Will your action likely be good material for a front page story?
   
   
4. Judgment: In making contracting decisions, use your judgment and that of your supervisors and managers.
   
   
5. Trust: Will your decision help or hinder in instilling public confidence in the integrity of the public contracting process?

All five of these factors are important to consider in making ethical decisions. For more information about ethical contracting situations, visit the section of my blog addressing ethics.