Question

A retired Colonel in the army has been hired by Acme Corporation, Aviation WPNS DIV, to be an expert consultant for all new wpns procurement activity. 8 Months prior in his last official role in the army, the colonel was the chief contracting officer for all new wpns procurement activity. You are the program manager for the government on an upcoming new wpns procurement project. You should?

a) Ensure the Colonel doesn’t get involved
b) Consult the Colonel for insights
c) Report the Colonel to the authorities
d) Request a different consultant

Answer 1

The program manager for the government should review company and governmental guidelines and consult with legal or ethics departments regarding the retired Colonel's consultancy for Acme Corporation. Ensuring there's no conflict of interest is paramount, and if any issues arise, it may be necessary to either avoid involving the Colonel or request a different consultant.

Step-by-step explanation:

When managing a procurement project for the government, especially in the sensitive area of weapons procurement, it is vital to avoid conflicts of interest to maintain integrity and public trust in the process. In this scenario, the recent employment of the retired Colonel, who was previously the chief contracting officer for the army's weapons procurement, at Acme Corporation, which is now a consultant for your weapons procurement project, raises potential ethical concerns. According to federal laws and regulations, there could be a mandatory 'cooling-off' period during which former government personnel are prohibited from engaging in certain activities related to their former government role.

Given the Colonel's recent retirement and previous role, the appropriate course of action would likely be to:

• Review your company and governmental guidelines, as well as legal regulations regarding conflicts of interest and post-government employment.
• Consult with your legal or ethics department to determine the correct course of action.
• If it is determined that the Colonel's involvement may violate ethical guidelines or conflict of interest policies, it would be necessary to choose either option a) to ensure the Colonel doesn't get involved or option d) request a different consultant, depending on the severity of the potential conflict.
• Reporting the Colonel to the authorities, option c), should only be considered if there is a clear violation that has occurred, and you have first confirmed this with your legal/ethics department.

Option b)

, consulting the Colonel for insights, could be permissible if there is no conflict of interest, but this must be confirmed through the appropriate channels within your organization and following regulations governing such matters.