Frequently Asked Questions | Office of Research Security

An OCI is when a University investigator, due to their work on behalf of a U.S. governmental agency, might bias judgment in a proposal for, or the conduct of, research by another investigator at the University and, therefore, provide the institution with an unfair competitive advantage on sponsored research opportunities.

The University must disclose potential or actual OCI to the Contracting Officer (CO) as soon as they are aware of it. Proactive disclosure is required and failure to do so can lead to contract termination or disqualification.

To determine if your proposal or contract requires an OCI representation, and therefore requires a formal OCI review, search the solicitation and broad agency program guidance. Generally, a search on the word “conflict” will reveal any specific requirements.

Although OCI representations may be required by any federal agency under the FAR, these requirements are most commonly associated with DoD or NASA contracts or subcontracts.

An OCI mitigation plan is a set of procedures approved by the CO to reduce or eliminate the impact of a conflict, The Federal Demonstration Partnership. Examples include "firewalls" (restricting information flow between departments), firewalls, or excluding the company from certain future work.

Providing systems engineering and technical direction for a system, then bidding on the production contract.
Drafting the specifications for a solicitation.
Evaluating technical proposals from competitors for a government agency.