Is anyone watching? (and other ethical questions)

MISCONCEPTION 9: "Everyone else does it."

A transportation agency in one of the Western states operated maintenance stations throughout the state to provide service to travelers. The agency practiced centralized purchasing but delegated certain purchasing thresholds to the maintenance stations for operational efficiency. The stations were required to use established contracts for many of the day-to-day operational materials. A telemarketer contacted one of the maintenance station employees to sell some janitorial supplies. The offer was for the employee who placed an order to receive a coupon valued at 10 percent of the order. As employees from other stations were contacted, they were told, "Others in your agency are already ordering from us and getting the coupons." That was usually enough to "loosen" a purchase order or two. Eventually the law caught up with the telemarketer, and the company was closed down. As news of the criminal investigation reached internal auditors of the agency, they searched the purchasing database to find activity with that firm. Internal auditors found a total of 12 employees who had placed orders and received coupons. Those employees faced various levels of discipline. The unethical actions of others should never be allowed to influence behavior.

As these examples show, it matters a lot how we analyze and respond to day-to-day occurrences, both big and small, in our lives. Ethical decision-making and ethical behavior are critical, both personally and professionally. When we use ethical decision-making practices in our personal lives, the carryover of those practices into our professional lives is easier and more effective. The principles for a strong ethical foundation are not complex:

Believe that you can make a difference and that it does matter;

Model ethical practices to tell everyone you are ethical and to create a pattern for them to follow;

Don't get caught up in the cloudy thinking that others are doing it, or that it will only be this one time;

Remember that the end never justifies the means if it includes any form of ethical compromise.

In public purchasing, our lives and actions are in a fishbowl. Everything we do is transparent. Our actions are evaluated after the fact so that the outcome is already known. We need to ensure that all our decision-making processes are of the highest ethical standards. We not only need to know our rules, but we need to follow them. If they do not achieve the highest ethical outcomes, we need to change them. We need to use "best practices" in the industry such as multiple levels of review when financial decisions are made. As purchasing professionals, we must make a difference. We can model the ethical standards for others to follow. Mark Twain said: "Always do the right thing. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest!" Let's go out and astonish some people!

About the author

With more than 26 years of public purchasing management experience, Rob Rickard, CPPO, OPBC, currently serves as the chief procurement officer for the Oregon Secretary of State's Business Services Division in Salem, Ore. Previously, he served many years as chief procurement officer for both the Oregon Department of Administrative Services and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Rickard serves as a master instructor for NIGP and is a regular speaker at its annual forums and through its Webinars, as well as at chapter conferences.