FCC OCI & Procurement Integrity 2

Question 1

Which FAR subpart provides the primary regulatory framework governing Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)?

Accepted Answer

FAR Subpart 9.5

Answer

FAR Subpart 9.5 (Organizational Conflicts of Interest) establishes the rules and procedures COs must follow to identify, avoid, neutralize, or mitigate OCIs.

Question 2

A contractor helped the government write the Statement of Work for a major IT acquisition. The same contractor now wants to compete for the resulting contract. What type of OCI does this represent?

Accepted Answer

Biased ground rules

Answer

Biased ground rules OCI occurs when a contractor drafts specifications, SOWs, or evaluation criteria that could favor its own proposal in the resulting competition.

Question 3

Under the Procurement Integrity Act, for how long after leaving a federal position are senior procurement officials prohibited from receiving compensation from contractors who received awards they were personally involved with?

Accepted Answer

1 year

Answer

The Procurement Integrity Act imposes a 1-year cooling-off period prohibiting former senior officials from accepting compensation from awardees on procurements where they personally and substantially participated.

Question 4

A systems engineering contractor evaluating proposals for the government notices that one offeror uses technology it holds a financial interest in. Which OCI type best describes the risk?

Accepted Answer

Impaired objectivity

Answer

Impaired objectivity OCI exists when a contractor's financial interest in a competing firm or product could bias its evaluation or advisory work for the government.

Question 5

What must a contracting officer do after identifying a potential OCI that cannot be avoided or mitigated?

Accepted Answer

Request a waiver from the agency head

Answer

FAR 9.503 allows the agency head (or designee) to waive OCI requirements when in the government's best interest; the CO must request that waiver rather than acting unilaterally.

(FCC) Federal Contracting Certification Practice Test

(FCC) Federal Contracting Certification Practice Test

FCC OCI & Procurement Integrity 2