All individuals working on the Project are required to disclose their relationships with the respondents (at the RFQ stage) and proponents (at the RFP stage) as soon as they are identified by the Completeness Team, or prior to starting work on the project, if later.
The Relationship Review Committee (RRC) is responsible for reviewing all relationships disclosed by members of the project team or evaluation team to determine whether any relationship constitutes a real or perceived conflict of interest. The Steering Committee is responsible for reviewing all relationships disclosed by respondents/proponents to determine whether any relationship constitutes a real or perceived conflict of interest.
Conflict of interest must be managed from two perspectives:
■ Internal project team perspective - The project team or evaluation team must not include individuals who have a known relationship with a respondent or proponent or member thereof, be placed in a position of influence over decisions regarding the relative competitive position of a respondent or proponent (e.g. setting of evaluation criteria and process, actual evaluation of submissions, or setting of transaction parameters); and
■ External parties' perspective - Proponents must comply with the Alberta Conflict of Interest Act. Proponents and their advisors should not have an unfair advantage by virtue of access to material non-public information that is not made available to all proponents.
Respondents and proponents are to declare no conflict of interest or disclose potential issues and relationships that may constitute conflicts of interest. Individuals who are privy to material non-public information must be prohibited from discussing this information with or joining interested parties, Respondents, or proponents.