CPPB - Certified Professional Public Buyer Ethics in Public Procurement Questions and Answers

Question 1

A procurement officer is managing a contract for janitorial services.
The vendor's local manager, with whom the officer interacts weekly, offers to pay for the officer's lunch every time they meet for their status updates.
What is the MOST appropriate ethical action for the procurement officer to take?

Accepted Answer

Decline the offer politely, explaining that agency policy and ethical codes prohibit accepting any gifts or gratuities from vendors.

Answer

Accept the offer, as it has a low monetary value and is a common business courtesy.

Answer

Accept the offer, but make sure to pay for the vendor's lunch at the next meeting to ensure reciprocity.

Answer

Report the vendor to senior management for attempting to gain improper influence.

Question 2

A senior procurement officer is overseeing a major solicitation. During the evaluation period, they are contacted by and accept an offer of future employment from a company that submitted a proposal. The employment is to begin after the officer retires from public service in one year. What is the officer's primary ethical obligation in this situation?

Accepted Answer

Immediately disclose the employment offer to their supervisor and/or ethics official and request to be recused from the entire procurement.

Answer

Continue managing the procurement but be extra diligent in documenting all decisions to prove fairness.

Answer

Negotiate a later start date with the new employer to create a 'cooling-off' period after the contract is awarded.

Answer

Decline the job offer until after the contract has been officially awarded and signed.

Question 3

During a pre-bid conference for a complex technology procurement, a potential offeror asks a question that reveals a potential ambiguity in the specifications. The procurement officer realizes the answer will clarify a key requirement for all bidders. What is the most ethical way to handle this situation?

Accepted Answer

State that the question cannot be answered at the conference, but then issue a formal written addendum to all potential offerors clarifying the specification.

Answer

Answer the question for the offeror who asked it but decline to share the information with others to reward their diligence.

Answer

Privately email the clarification to all vendors who attended the conference.

Answer

Ignore the question, as vendors are expected to interpret the solicitation as written.

Question 4

Which of the following is a direct violation of the ethical principle of confidentiality in public procurement?

Accepted Answer

Disclosing the prices from a sealed bid to a competing bidder before the official bid opening.

Answer

Releasing the successful vendor's total bid price after the contract has been awarded, in response to a public records request.

Answer

Using a list of vendors from a previous, similar solicitation to conduct market research for a new procurement.

Answer

Informing a vendor that their bid was unsuccessful after the award decision has been made public.

Question 5

A procurement professional's spouse works in the marketing department of a large corporation. The professional discovers that this corporation is a subcontractor to a prime contractor that has just submitted a proposal for a project they are managing. The spouse has no direct involvement with or financial stake in the proposal. What is the most appropriate first step for the procurement professional?

Accepted Answer

Disclose the relationship to a supervisor or ethics officer to address the potential for a perceived conflict of interest.

Answer

Disqualify the prime contractor's proposal to avoid any potential issues.

Answer

Proceed with the evaluation, as the spouse's role is unrelated to the proposal.

Answer

Ask the spouse to take a leave of absence until the procurement process is complete.

Question 6

The ethical principle of impartiality is best demonstrated by which of the following procurement actions?

Accepted Answer

Using pre-established, objective evaluation criteria to score all proposals submitted in response to a solicitation.

Answer

Awarding a contract to a local vendor to support the local economy, even though their bid was slightly higher than a non-local vendor.

Answer

Extending the proposal deadline for a single vendor who experienced technical difficulties with their submission.

Answer

Calling a preferred incumbent vendor to give them an opportunity to match a lower price offered by a competitor.