DP2

DecisionPoint
http://proethica.org/ontology/cases#DecisionPoint

DP2

Before taking any action on Firm B's envelope, should Engineer A disclose his prior favorable relationship with Firm B to a supervisor or procurement authority, or is Engineer A's confidence in his own impartiality sufficient to proceed with the rejection decision unilaterally?

Engineer A's obligation to disclose his prior favorable professional relationship with Firm B to a supervisor or procurement authority before taking any unilateral action on the misdirected envelope — even the ministerial act of returning it — given that the structural conflict between Engineer A's role as an objective QBS evaluator and his documented positive history with Firm B creates an appearance of impropriety that disclosure alone can cure.

Immediately disclose the prior favorable relationship with Firm B to a procurement supervisor or the city attorney before taking any action on the envelope, and request supervisory ratification of the rejection decision

Proceed with returning the envelope unopened based on the unambiguous published rules, then document the prior relationship and the action taken in the procurement record as a contemporaneous disclosure, treating the correct substantive outcome as sufficient to demonstrate impartiality

Recuse entirely from any further involvement in the Firm B submittal disposition and all subsequent QBS evaluation steps involving Firm B, transferring the envelope and the rejection decision to another city official without taking any personal action on it

Engineer A - QBS Evaluator with Prior Relationship