ORGANIZATIONAL AND CONSULTANT CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS

10 C.F.R. Part 1706
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01

10 C.F.R. § 1706.1 Scope; statement of policy.

(a) Scope. This part sets forth the guidelines, requirements, and procedures the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board will follow in determining whether a contractor or offeror has an organizational or consultant conflict of interest (OCI) and in avoiding, neutralizing, or mitigating OCIs. (b) Policy. It is the policy of the Board to identify and then avoid or mitigate organizational and consultant conflicts of interest. Normally, the Board will not award contracts to offerors who have OCIs and will terminate contracts where OCIs are identified following contract award. In exceptional circumstances, the Board reserves the right to waive conflicts of interest if it determines that such action is in the best interests of the Government, pursuant to § 1706.8, and to take such mitigating measures as it deems appropriate pursuant to such section.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.2 Definitions.

Advisory or assistance services means services acquired by contract to advise or assist the Board, whether with respect to its internal functions or its oversight of defense nuclear facilities, or otherwise to support or improve policy development or decisionmaking by the Board, or management or administration of the Board, or to support or improve the operation of the Board's management systems. Such services may take the form of the provision of information, advice, reports, opinions, alternatives, conclusions, recommendations, training, direct assistance, or performance of site visits, technical reviews, investigation of health and safety practices or other appropriate services. Affiliates means associated business concerns or individuals if, directly or indirectly, either one controls or can control the other or a third party controls or can control both. Board means, as the context requires, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, its Chairman, or any other officer of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board to whom the appropriate delegation has been made under 42 U.S.C. 2286(c)(3). Contract means any contract, agreement, or other arrangement with the Board, except as provided in § 1706.3. Contractor means any person, firm, unincorporated association, joint venture, co-sponsor, partnership, corporation, or other entity, or any group of one or more of the foregoing, which is a party to a contract with the Board, and the affiliates and successors in interest of such party. The term “contractor” also includes the chief executive and directors of a party to a contract with the Board, the key personnel of such party identified in the contract, and current or proposed consultants or subcontractors to such party. The term “contractor” shall also include consultants engaged directly by the Board through the use of a contract. Defense nuclear facility means any United States Department of Energy (DOE) defense nuclear facility, as defined in 42 U.S.C. 2286g, subject to the Board's oversight. Evaluation activities means activities that involve evaluation of some aspect of defense nuclear facilities. Mitigating means, with respect to an organizational or consultant conflict of interest, reducing or counteracting the effects of such a conflict of interest on the Board, but without eliminating or avoiding the conflict of interest. National Laboratories means laboratories operated by educational institutions or business entities under management and operating contracts with DOE. Offeror means any person, firm, unincorporated association, joint venture, partnership, corporation, or other entity, or any group of one or more of the foregoing, submitting a bid or proposal to the Board, solicited, unsolicited or otherwise invited by the Board, to obtain a contract, and the affiliates and successors in interest of such a bidder or proposer. The term “offeror” also includes the chief executive and directors of such a bidder or proposer, the key personnel of a bidder or proposer identified in the bid or proposal, and proposed consultants or subcontractors to such bidder or proposer. Organizational or consultant conflict of interest means that, because of other past, present, or future planned activities or relationships, an offeror or contractor is unable, or potentially unable, to render impartial assistance or advice to the Board, or the objectivity of such offeror or contractor in performing contract work for the Board is or might be otherwise impaired, or such offeror or contractor has or would have an unfair competitive advantage. The term “organizational or consultant conflict of interest” shall include, but not be limited to, actions or situations that would preclude the award or extension of a contract under, or would be prohibited by, § 1706.5. Potential organizational or consultant conflict of interest means a factual situation that indicates or suggests that an actual organizational or consultant conflict of interest may exist or arise from award of a proposed contract or from continuation of an existing contract. The term is used to signify those situations that merit conflicts review prior to contract award or that must be reported to the contracting officer for conflicts review if they arise during contract performance. Research means any scientific, engineering, or other technical work involving theoretical analysis, exploration, or experimentation. Subcontractor means any subcontractor of any tier which performs work under a prime contract with the Board. Task order contract means a Board contract that contains a broad scope of work but does not authorize the contractor to perform specific tasks within that broad scope until the contracting officer issues task orders. Unfair competitive advantage means an advantage obtained by an offeror or contractor to the Board by virtue of the relationship of the offeror or contractor with the Board or access to information not available to other offerors or contractors, and recognized in appropriate legal precedent as unfair. In determining the meaning of any provision of this part, unless the context indicates otherwise, the singular includes the plural; the plural includes the singular; the present tense includes the future tense; and words of one gender include the other gender.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.3 Applicability.

(a) General applicability. This part applies to contractors and offerors only, except as otherwise herein provided. This part shall be incorporated by reference and made a part of all Board contracts in excess of the small purchases threshold, except as provided in the last sentence of this § 1706.3(a). In addition, if determined appropriate by the contracting officer for the Board, this part may be incorporated by reference and made a part of Board contracts below the small purchases threshold, except as provided in the last sentence of this § 1706.3(a). This part does not apply to the acquisition of services, including, without limitation, consulting services, through the personnel appointment process or to Board agreements with other federal government agencies, but shall apply to Board agreements with the management and operating contractors (and subcontractors and consultants thereto) of the National Laboratories. (b) Subcontractors and consultants. The requirements of this part shall also apply to subcontractors and consultants proposed for, or working on, a Board contract, in each case where the amount of the subcontract or consultant agreement under which such subcontractor or consultant is or will be working is expected to exceed $10,000, and in each other case where the contracting officer for the Board deems it appropriate to make the requirements of this part applicable to a subcontractor or consultant proposed for, or working on, a Board contract. The certificates or disclosures submitted by offerors or contractors pursuant to this part shall include certificates or disclosures from all subcontractors and consultants to contractor or offerors in those cases where this part applies by its terms to such subcontractors or consultants or has been applied to such persons by the contracting officer. Contractors and offerors shall assure that contract clauses giving effect to this § 1706.3(b), satisfactory to the contracting officer, are included in subcontracts and consultant agreements of any tier involving performance of work under a prime contract covered by this part.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.4 Head of the contracting activity.

The head of the contracting activity for the Board shall be the General Manager.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.5 General rules.

(a) Award of Contracts. Contracts shall generally not be awarded to an offeror: (1) For any services where the award would result in the offeror evaluating products or services it has provided to the Board, is then providing to the Board, or is then offering to provide for the Board; (2) For evaluation activities or research related to the Board's oversight of defense nuclear facilities, where the award would result in the offeror evaluating products or services it has provided, is then providing, or is then offering to provide to DOE or to contractors or subcontractors for defense nuclear facilities; or (3) For any other services (the acquisition of which is otherwise covered by this part), where the Board has determined, pursuant to § 1706.7, that an actual or potential OCI exists and cannot be avoided, and the Board does not waive that OCI. Paragraphs (a) (1) and (2) of this section also apply when award would result in evaluation of products or services of another entity where the offeror has been, is, or would be substantially involved in the development of the product or performance of the service, or has other substantial involvement regarding the product or services. (b) Subsequent related contracts. (1) A Board contractor under a Board contract shall normally be ineligible to participate in Board contracts or subcontracts that stem directly from the contractor's performance of work under a previous Board contract, where the Board determines that an OCI would exist because: (i) The expectation of receiving the subsequent contract is likely to diminish the contractor's capacity to give impartial assistance and advice, or otherwise result in a biased work product; or (ii) An offeror on the subsequent contract would have an unfair competitive advantage by virtue of having performed the first contract. (2) If a contractor under a Board contract prepares a complete or essentially complete statement of work or specifications in the performance of a contract, the contractor shall be ineligible to perform or participate in the initial contractual effort that is based on such statement of work or specifications. The contractor shall not incorporate its products or services in such statement of work or specifications. (c) National Laboratory personnel. The Board may engage personnel of the National Laboratories who have expertise needed by the Board in the performance of its oversight responsibilities, provided that prior to each such engagement, the Board determines either: (1) That the nature of work performed by such personnel for DOE does not pose actual or potential OCIs with respect to the particular work covered by the Board contract; or (2) That such engagement is in the Government's best interests and that a waiver should be granted pursuant to § 1706.8. In all cases involving National Laboratory personnel, notice of the circumstances of the contract, stating the rationale for use of the personnel, shall be published in the Federal Register. (d) Work for others. During the term of any Board contract, the contractor may not enter into consulting or other contractual arrangements with other persons or entities, the result of which could give rise to an OCI with respect to the work being performed under the contract. The prime contractor shall ensure that all of its employees, subcontractors, and consultants under the contract abide by this paragraph. If the contractor has reason to believe that any proposed arrangement with other persons or entities may involve an actual or potential OCI, it shall promptly inform the Board in writing of all pertinent facts regarding such proposed arrangement. In the case of task order contracts, this paragraph applies, subject to § 1706.7(c), only to specific ongoing tasks that the contracting officer authorizes the contractor to perform. (e) Contractor protection of Board information that is not publicly available. If the contractor in the performance of a Board contract obtains access to information, such as Board plans, policies, reports, studies, or financial plans, or internal data protected by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a), proprietary information, or any other data which has not been released to the public, the contractor shall not: (1) Use such information for any private purpose until the information has been released or is otherwise made available to the public; (2) Compete for work for the Board based on such information for a period of six months after either the contract has been completed or such information has been released or otherwise made available to the public, whichever occurs first, or submit an unsolicited proposal to the Government based on such information until one year after such information is released or otherwise made available to the public, unless a waiver permitting such action has been granted pursuant to § 1706.8; or (3) Release the information without prior written approval of the contracting officer, unless such information has previously been released or otherwise made available to the public by the Board.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.6 Solicitation provisions.

(a) Advisory or assistance services. There shall be included in all formal Board solicitations for advisory or assistance services where the contract amount is expected to exceed $25,000 (or the then applicable small purchases threshold), a provision requiring a certificate representing whether award of the contract to the offeror would present actual or potential OCIs. Apparent successful offerors will be required to submit such certificates, but the Board may also require such a certificate to be submitted in other circumstances, such as: (1) Where the contracting officer has identified certain offerors who have passed an initial screening and has determined that it is appropriate to request the identified offerors to file the certificate in order to expedite the award process; or (2) In the case of modifications for additional effort under Board contracts, except those issued under the “changes” clause. If a certificate has been previously submitted with regard to the contract being modified, only an updating of such statement shall be required for a contract modification. (b) Marketing consultant services. There shall further be included in all Board solicitations, except sealed bids, where the contract amount is expected to exceed $200,000, a provision requiring an organizational conflicts of interest certificate from any marketing consultants engaged by an offeror in support of the preparation or submission of an offer for a Board contract by that offeror.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.7 Procedures.

(a) Pre-award disclosure and resolution of OCIs. If a certificate under § 1706.6 indicates, or the Board otherwise learns, that actual or potential OCIs could be, or would appear to be, created by contract award to a particular offeror, the Board shall afford the affected offeror an opportunity to provide in writing all relevant facts bearing on the certificate. If the Board thereafter determines that an actual or potential OCI exists, one of the following actions shall ultimately be taken: (1) Disqualify the offeror; (2) Include in the contract appropriate terms and conditions which avoid the conflict, in which case no waiver is required; or (3) Make a finding that it is in the best interests of the Government to seek award of the contract under the waiver provisions of § 1706.8, and, where reasonably possible, include contract terms and conditions or take other measures which mitigate such conflicts. (b) Post-award disclosure and resolution of OCIs. (1) If, after contract award, the contractor discovers actual or potential OCIs with respect to the contract, it shall make an immediate and full disclosure in writing to the contracting officer. This statement shall include a description of the action that the contractor has taken or proposes to avoid or mitigate such conflicts. (2) If a disclosure under this section indicates, or the Board otherwise learns, that actual or potential OCIs exist, the Board may afford the contractor an opportunity to provide all relevant facts bearing upon the problem. If at any time the Board determines that an actual or potential OCI exists, one of the following actions shall ultimately be taken: (i) Terminate the contract, or, in the case of a task order contract, terminate the particular task; (ii) Insist on appropriate contract terms and conditions which avoid the OCIs, in which case no waiver is required; or (iii) Make a finding that it is in the best interests of the Government to permit the contractor to continue to perform the contract (or task) under the waiver provisions of § 1706.8, and, where reasonably possible, insist on appropriate contract terms and conditions or take other measures which mitigate the OCIs. (c) Task order contracts. (1) Because a task order contract generally entails a broad scope of work, apparent successful offerors shall be required to identify in their certificates filed in accordance with § 1706.6 any actual or potential OCIs that come within the full scope of the contract. The Board may decline to award a task order contract to an offeror based upon such information or it may decline to approve performance of a particular task by the contractor if an actual or potential OCI is subsequently identified with respect to that particular task. The Board may also take the other actions identified in § 1706.7(a) to avoid or mitigate such conflicts. (2) Contractors performing task order contracts for the Board shall disclose to the contracting officer any new work for others they propose to undertake that may present an actual or potential OCI with regard to the performance of any work under the full scope of the Board contract. Such disclosure shall be made at least 15 days prior to the submission of a bid or proposal for the new work. The disclosure shall include the statement of work and any other information necessary to describe fully the proposed work and contemplated relationship. (3) If the Board has issued a task order or a letter request for proposal under the contract with a contractor who has disclosed to the contracting officer that it proposes to undertake new work for persons other than the Board as described in § 1706.7(c)(2), for services in the same technical area and/or at the same defense nuclear facility that is the subject of the proposed new work (including overlap based upon generic work performed for others by the contractor), the Board shall inform the contractor that entering into a contract for the new work may result in termination by the Board of the task order contract, if the Board determines that such work would give rise to an OCI and the Board does not grant a waiver. (d) Decisions on OCIs. The contracting officer shall make recommendations to the General manager regarding disqualification or actions to be taken by the Board to avoid or mitigate any actual or potential OCI. (1) The General Manager shall have the authority to approve, modify, or disapprove such recommendations regarding avoidance of an actual or potential OCI. If an offeror or contractor disagrees with the actions approved by the General Manager and requests review of the action, the Chairman shall make the decision on the actions to be taken by the Board. (2) Any recommended action respecting the best interests of the Government and mitigation measures to be taken with respect to an actual or potential OCI must be approved by the Chairman in conjunction with the decision to grant a waiver pursuant to § 1706.8, and any recommended action to terminate a contract or a particular task on account of an actual or potential OCI must be approved by the Chairman. (3) Decisions on OCIs by the General Manager or the Chairman shall be made with the advice of the Office of the General Counsel.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.8 Waiver.

(a) Waiver of OCIs. The need for a waiver of any OCI in connection with the award or continuation of specific contracts may be identified either by the contracting officer for the Board or other Board employee or by a written request filed by an offeror or contractor with the contracting officer. The request may be combined with the certificate or disclosure required under §§ 1706.6 or 1706.7, or with additional statements filed under § 1706.7 regarding matters raised in the certificate or disclosure. The contracting officer shall review all of the relevant facts brought to his attention and shall bring the matter to the General Manager, who shall make a written recommendation to the Chairman of the Board regarding whether a waiver should be granted for a contract award or for continuation of an existing contract. (b) Criteria for Waiver of OCIs. (1) The Chairman is authorized to waive any OCI (and the corresponding provision of § 1706.5 where applicable) upon a determination that awarding or extending the particular contract, or not terminating the particular contract, would be in the best interests of the Government. Issuance of a waiver shall ordinarily be limited to those situations in which: (i) The work to be performed under contract is vital to the Board program; (ii) The work cannot be satisfactorily performed except by a contractor or offeror whose interests give rise to a question of OCI; and (iii) Contractual and/or technical review and supervision methods can be employed by the Board to mitigate the conflict. (2) The Chairman is also authorized to waive any OCI (and the corresponding provision of § 1706.5 where applicable), without regard to the foregoing factors, if the Chairman determines, notwithstanding the existence of the OCI, that it is in best interests of the Government to award or extend the particular contract, or not to terminate it, without compliance with § 1706.8(b)(1). (c) Waiver of Rules or Procedures. The Chairman is also authorized to waive any rules or procedures contained in this part upon a determination that application of the rules or procedures in a particular situation would not be in the best interests of the Government. Any request for such a waiver must be in writing and shall describe the basis for the waiver. (d) Office of General Counsel. Waivers of OCIs or of any rule or procedure contained in this part shall be made after consultation with the Office of General Counsel. (e) Federal Register. Except as otherwise provided in § 1706.8(c), notice of each waiver granted under this section shall be published in the Federal Register with an explanation of the basis for the waiver. In the discretion of the Board, notices of instances of avoidance of OCIs may also be published in the Federal Register.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.9 Examples.

The examples in this section illustrate situations in which questions concerning OCIs may arise. The examples are not all inclusive, but are intended to provide offerors and contractors with guidance on how this subpart will be applied. (a) Circumstances—(1) Facts. A Board contractor for technical assistance in the review of a safety aspect of a particular defense nuclear facility proposes to use the services of an expert who also serves on an oversight committee for a contractor of other defense nuclear facilities. (2) Guidance. Assuming the work of the oversight committee has no direct or indirect relationship with the work at the facility that is the subject of the Board's contract, there would not be an OCI associated with the use of this expert in the performance of the Board contract. (b) Circumstances—(1) Facts. A Board contractor studying the potential for a chemical explosion in waste tanks at a defense nuclear facility advises the Board that it has been offered a contract with DOE to study the chemical composition of the waste in the same tanks. (2) Guidance. The contractor would be advised that accepting the DOE contract would result in termination of its performance under its contract with the Board. (c) Circumstances—(1) Facts. The Board issues a task order under an existing contract for the evaluation of the adequacy of fire protection systems at a defense nuclear facility. The contractor then advises the Board that it is considering making an offer on a solicitation by DOE to evaluate the same matter. (2) Guidance. The contractor would be advised that entering into a contract with DOE on that solicitation could result in the contract with the Board being terminated. (d) Circumstances—(1) Facts. A firm responding to a formal Board solicitation for technical assistance provides information regarding a contract it currently has with DOE. The effort under the DOE contract is for technical assistance work at DOE facilities not subject to Board oversight and outside its jurisdiction. (2) Guidance. The Board would analyze the work being performed for DOE to ensure no potential or actual conflict of interest would be created through award of the Board contract. Should the Board determine that no potential or actual conflict of interest exists, the contractor would be eligible for award. If the Board determines that a potential or actual conflict of interest would arise through a contract award, it may disqualify the firm or, if the Board determines that such action is in the best interests of the Government, the Board may waive the conflict or the rules and procedures and proceed with the award. (e) Circumstances—(1) Facts. The Board discovers that a firm competing for a contract has a number of existing agreements with DOE in technical areas which are unrelated to the Board's oversight authority. While these contracts may not represent a potential or actual conflict of interest regarding the substance of the technical effort, their total value constitutes a significant portion of the firm's gross revenues. (2) Guidance. A conflict of interest may exist due to the firm's substantial pecuniary dependence upon DOE. Consequently, the Board may question the likelihood that the contractor would provide unbiased opinions, conclusions, and work products because of this extensive financial relationship. The Board will review and consider the extent of the firm's financial dependence on DOE, the nature of the proposed Board contract, the need by the Board for the services and expertise to be provided by the firm and the availability of such services and expertise elsewhere, and whether the likelihood of the firm's providing objective technical evaluations and opinions to the Board could be influenced in view of its DOE relationship. Based on this analysis, the Board may either determine that there is no conflict and make the award, waive the conflict if one is identified and establish procedures to mitigate it where possible, or disqualify the offeror. (f) Circumstances—(1) Facts. The Board discovers that a firm competing for a contract has a substantial business relationship in technical areas unrelated to the Board's oversight authority with a contractor operating a defense nuclear facility under a DOE contract. Similar to the situation described in paragraph (e) of this section, the total value of the contracts with the DOE contractor constitutes more than half of the firm's gross revenues, even though those contracts do not represent a potential or actual conflict of interest regarding any of the particular matters to be covered by the contract with the Board. (2) Guidance. The firm's substantial financial and business dependence upon the DOE contractor may give rise to a conflict of interest, in that the likelihood of the firm's rendering impartial, objective assistance or advice to the Board may be impaired by its extensive financial relationship with the DOE contractor. In this situation, the Board will review and consider the nature of the proposed Board contract, the need by the Board for the services and expertise to be provided by the firm and the availability of such services and expertise elsewhere. The Board will also review and consider the extent of the firm's financial dependence on the DOE contractor and whether the firm would be impartial and objective in providing technical evaluation and opinions to the Board, especially on matters in which the DOE contractor is involved, notwithstanding the relationship with the DOE contractor. Based on this analysis, the Board may determine that there is no actual conflict of interest and make the award. Alternatively, if the Board identifies a conflict that cannot be avoided, the Board may determine to waive the conflict in the best interests of the United States, with or without the establishment of procedures to mitigate the conflict, or it may disqualify the offeror.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.10 Remedies.

The refusal to provide the certificate, or upon request of the contracting officer the additional written statement, required by §§ 1706.6 and 1706.7 in connection with an award shall result in disqualification of the offeror for that award. The nondisclosure or misrepresentation of any relevant information may also result in the disqualification of the offeror for that award. If such nondisclosure or misrepresentation by an offeror or contractor is discovered or occurs after award, or in the event of breach of any of the restrictions contained in this part, the Board may terminate the contract for convenience or default, and the offeror or contractor may also be disqualified by the Board from consideration for subsequent Board contracts and be subject to such other remedial actions as provided by law or the contract.

10 C.F.R. § 1706.11 Organizational conflicts of interest certificate—Advisory or assistance services.

As prescribed in or permitted by § 1706.6(a), insert the following provision in Board solicitations: Organizational and Consultant Conflicts of Interest Certificate—Advisory and Assistance Services (Oct. 1990) (a) An organizational or consultant conflict of interest means that because of other activities or relationships with other persons, a person is unable or potentially unable to render impartial assistance or advice to the Government, or the person's objectivity in performing the contract work is or might be otherwise impaired, or a person has an unfair competitive advantage. (b) In order to comply with the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Letter 89-1, Conflict of Interest Policies Applicable to Consultants, the offeror shall provide the certificate described in paragraph (c) of this provision. (c) The certificate must contain the following: (1) Name of the agency and the number of the solicitation in question. (2) The name, address, telephone number, and federal taxpayer identification number of the offeror. (3) A description of the nature of the services rendered by or to be rendered on the instant contract. (4) The name, address, and telephone number of the client or clients, a description of the services rendered to the previous client(s), and the name of a responsible officer or employee of the offeror who is knowledgeable about the services rendered to each client, if, in the 12* months preceding the date of the certification, services were rendered to the Government or any other client (including a foreign government or person) respecting the same subject matter as the instant solicitation, or directly relating to such subject matter. The agency and contract number under which the services were rendered must also be included, if applicable. * If approved by the head of the contracting activity, this period may be increased up to 36 months. (5) A statement that the person who signs the certificate has made inquiry and that, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, no actual or potential conflict of interest or unfair competitive advantage exists with respect to the advisory or assistance services to be provided in connection with the instant contract, or that any actual or potential conflict of interest or unfair competitive advantage that does or may exist with respect to the contract in question has been communicated in writing to the contracting officer or his or her representative; and (6) The signature, name, employer's name, address, and telephone number of the person who signed the certificate. (d) Persons required to certify but who fail to do so may be determined to be nonresponsible. Misrepresentation of any fact may result in suspension or debarment, as well as penalties associated with false certifications or such other provisions provided for by law or regulation.

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