Conflict of Interest Rules

George Mason University employees are also employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia, which means we’re bound by the same rules and standards.

We must comply with Virginia’s Conflict of Interests Act and the Virginia Public Procurement Act.

As state employees, employees of Mason cannot:

• Have a personal interest (more than $5,000 in annual income or 3 percent ownership interest) in any contract or transaction with Mason, other than their own employment contract. This includes interests of immediate family members.
• Have supervisory authority over a member of their immediate family.
• Accept money, gifts, or anything of value for services performed within the scope of their official duties, or which could appear to influence how they perform their duties.
• Use confidential information that they received because of their position for their own or someone else’s economic benefit.

Employees with authority over a contract or procurement transaction cannot:

• Accept gifts or anything of more than minimal value from a contractor or prospective contractor.
• Participate in a transaction if employee, the employee’s business partner, or any member of the employee’s immediate family has a personal interest in that transaction.
• Accept a job with any bidder or contractor, or anyone making an offer, that the employee dealt with on a procurement transaction for one year after leaving the public body unless the employee provides written notification to the public body before accepting the employment.

A conflict of interest also can occur when there is a personal interest in a contract with the university other than your own employment contract, or a personal interest in a transaction in which you have authority as part of your job duties at Mason. These conflicts are prohibited by law and cannot exist without a waiver.

Waivers are available for some conflicts of interest, under certain circumstances.

For example:

• If two immediate family members work at Mason, but neither has any supervisory authority over the other.
• If there is a planned contract between Mason and a business for which an employee of Mason works part time, when the employee has no involvement in the procurement or future administration of that contract.

Violating these laws could have serious consequences: Knowing and deliberate violations of Virginia’s Conflict of Interests Act or the Virginia Public Procurement Act are criminal offenses under the Virginia Code and may be prosecuted as a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Virginia law provides some exceptions to these rules and standards. If you are not sure if your situation counts as a conflict of interest, please review Mason’s Conflict of Interests Policy and contact Elizabeth Woodley, Mason’s Ethics Officer and Outside Interests Manager.