§ 3509.504 - Contracting officer responsibilities.

(a) Contracting officers will be responsible for determining the existence of actual and potential organizational conflicts of interest which would result from the award of the contract. The contracting officer will be guided by information submitted by offerors and by the contracting officer's own judgment. The contracting officer may obtain the advice of legal counsel and the assistance of technical specialists in evaluating potential organizational conflicts.

(b) If it is determined that organizational conflicts of interest will be created by the award of the contract, the contracting officer may find an offeror nonresponsible.

(c) Notwithstanding the existence of organizational conflicts of interest, it may be determined that the award of the contract would be in the best interest of the Commission. In that case, the contracting officer may, with the approval of the cognizant Head of the Contracting Activity, set terms and conditions which will reduce the organizational conflicts of interest to the greatest extent possible.

(d) The contracting officer shall, in addition to any certifications required by this subpart, require in all solicitations for consulting services that the offeror submit as part of an offer a statement which discloses all relevant facts relating to existing or potential organizational conflicts of interest surrounding the contract, including disclosure of such conflicts of interest with respect to proposed subcontractors.