Arizona § 41-2517 - Procurement officers and procurement employees; violation; classification; exception

§ 41-2517. Procurement officers and procurement employees; violation; classification; exception

A. It is unlawful for a procurement officer or an employee having a significant procurement role to accept any position or have employment discussions with a person or firm lobbying or potentially responding to the solicitation beginning on signature of the first nondisclosure agreement pertaining to a particular solicitation or at the time of request for a sole source procurement or competition impracticable procurement and ending at the time of contract award.  It is unlawful for a procurement officer or an employee having a significant procurement role to accept any position or have employment discussions with the successful offeror or offerors and their lobbyists beginning on signature of the first nondisclosure agreement pertaining to a particular solicitation or at the time of request for a sole source procurement or competition impracticable procurement and ending one year after the purchased materials are delivered or the purchase of services or construction begins, if the procurement officer or employee had a significant procurement role in the particular procurement.

B. It is unlawful for a procurement officer or an employee having a significant procurement role to solicit an employment opportunity, regardless of who would receive such an opportunity, from any person or firm lobbying or potentially responding to a solicitation for the procurement of materials, services or construction beginning on signature of the first nondisclosure agreement pertaining to a particular solicitation or at the time of request for a sole source procurement or competition impracticable procurement and ending at the time of contract award.  It is unlawful for a procurement officer or an employee having a significant procurement role to solicit an employment opportunity, regardless of who would receive such an opportunity, from the successful offeror or offerors and their lobbyists beginning on signature of the first nondisclosure agreement pertaining to a particular solicitation or at the time of request for a sole source procurement or competition impracticable procurement and ending one year after the purchased materials are delivered or the purchase of services or construction begins, if the procurement officer or employee had a significant role in the particular procurement.

C. It is unlawful for a person or firm lobbying or potentially responding to a solicitation for the procurement of materials, services or construction to offer employment to a procurement officer, a procurement employee or an employee having a significant procurement role beginning on signature of the first nondisclosure agreement pertaining to a particular solicitation or at the time of request for a sole source procurement or competition impracticable procurement and ending at the time of contract award.  It is unlawful for the successful offeror or offerors and their lobbyists to offer employment to a procurement officer, a procurement employee or an employee having a significant procurement role beginning on signature of the first nondisclosure agreement pertaining to a particular solicitation or at the time of request for a sole source procurement or competition impracticable procurement and ending one year after the purchased materials are delivered or the purchase of services or construction begins, if the procurement officer or employee had a significant role in the particular procurement.

D. The director of the department of administration may waive any or all of the waiting period required pursuant to subsections A, B and C of this section in excess of twenty-four months for a procurement officer or an employee with a significant procurement role if the period of time that follows the signature of the nondisclosure agreement exceeds twenty-four months.  A procurement officer or an employee seeking a waiver shall make a written request to the officer's or employee's state governmental unit director, and the director of the state governmental unit shall forward the request with a written recommendation to the director of the department of administration. The director of the department of administration shall provide a written decision and justification within fifteen business days after the receipt of the complete request.  The director of the department of administration may not approve waiver requests for matters still in evaluation or within six months following the contract award. If the requesting party is the director or a deputy director of a state governmental unit, the request for a waiver and all written materials, including a director recommendation, must be forwarded to the governor for a final decision, except that the director may not make any recommendation or determination on the director's own request.

E. In response to a written request from an employee seeking clarification on whether the employee has played a significant role in a procurement, the director shall issue a determination in writing within fifteen days after receiving the request. The director may make a determination in writing that this section and section 41-753, subsection D do not apply if a particular solicitation, sole source procurement or competition impracticable procurement has been canceled or is associated with the privatization of existing state services that would result in the elimination of the position in state service of an employee with a significant procurement role.  The director may delegate the authority to make determinations pursuant to this subsection to a director of a state agency. An agency director or agency deputy director may request a determination from the office of the governor regarding whether the agency director or agency deputy director played a significant role in a particular procurement for the purposes of the one-year employment restriction, and the office of the governor shall make a determination within thirty days after the receipt of the written request.

F. It is unlawful for a procurement officer or an employee who was previously employed by a person or firm responding to a solicitation to serve in a significant procurement role for a period of one year following the person's previous employment.

G. Beginning October 1, 2014, if an agency uses a qualified vendor list of persons or entities that are eligible to be selected to design, develop, implement or construct any form of project associated with the list, any procurement officer who was assigned to work evaluating or approving the vendor list or any employee having a significant procurement role in developing the vendor list shall not accept an offer of employment from or have employment discussions with a vendor on the list within one year after the initial publication of the list or accept an offer of employment from or have employment discussions with a newly added vendor within one year after the vendor is added to the original list.  If a vendor from an approved list of qualified vendors is awarded a contract that is associated with the list, a procurement officer involved in selecting the vendor or an employee having a significant procurement role in selecting the vendor shall not accept an offer of employment from or have employment discussions with that vendor within one year after that vendor is awarded the contract.

H. On signature of a nondisclosure agreement pertaining to a particular solicitation, or at the time of a request for a sole source or competition impracticable procurement, a procurement officer or an employee having a significant role in the procurement shall provide written disclosure of any financial interest the officer or employee, or the spouse of the officer or employee, may hold.

I. A person who knowingly violates this section is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.  On conviction the person is ineligible for appointment to or employment in a position in the state personnel system for a period of five years and, if the person is an employee of this state at the time of conviction, is subject to suspension for not less than ninety days or dismissal.

J. This section does not apply to a procurement officer or employee who in good faith relies on a determination issued by the director pursuant to subsection D of this section that the procurement officer or employee has not had a significant procurement role.