Procurement and Conflict-of-Interest Controls

Last reviewed: April 2026

Grant-funded projects should be commercially sensible and procedurally defensible. SMEs do not need a heavy enterprise procurement function to achieve that. They do need basic transparency, quotation discipline, and a way to manage actual or perceived conflicts.

Simple controls that work

Use:

• a documented rationale for vendor selection
• clear approval authority
• record of quotation comparison where relevant
• declared conflicts or relationships
• separation between requester and approver where feasible

Conflict-of-interest management

A conflict does not always mean the arrangement is prohibited. It does mean the relationship should be handled transparently and documented carefully.

Practical governance

For small teams:

• one person requests
• one person reviews
• one authorised person approves
• all final vendor records are saved centrally

Important note

Warning: Informal procurement habits that work in day-to-day operations can look weak in a grant review context if they are not documented.

Next step

Continue to Audit Survival Checklist.