9.501 Definition.

An OCCI means that a relationship or situation exists whereby an offer, subcontractor, or consultant has past, present, or currently planned personal or financial interests that either directly or indirectly may (1) diminish the ability to give impartial, technically sound, objective assistance, and advice and/or (2) result in the contractor having an unfair competitive advantage over others competing for the contract. The requirements found in the Federal Acquisition Regulation 9.5 subpart titled "Organizational and Consultant Conflicts of Interest," embody two underlying concerns. One involves a competition-related self-interest or bias, and the other relates to an unfair advantage through access to proprietary information about a competitor or source-selection information not available to all competitors. The regulation is designed to help contracting officers and potential offerors/contractors recognize and avoid such conflicts.