Ethics

Please respond to each response. 100 words each

Number 1

After reading this week's materials I have learned that ethics is a critical aspect of contract management

since it affects how relationships with clients are created. The National Contract Management

Association (NCMA) and Project Management Institute (PMI) have established codes of ethics that

provides contract managers with a guide of how they are expected to behave. Sometimes, professionals

get too comfortable when they notice that they are good at what they do and that there is little to no

supervision. When this happen, a lot of temptation can take place. An example of this is the case

discussed in the article "Cashing in for profit". Darleen Druyun’s job was to negotiate prices with sellers

in order to obtain products and services for the Air Force at the best price possible. Because of her high

position and the lack of supervision Druyun ended up being able to play the system and making deals

that benefited her and her family. The consequences of her actions were having to go to jail but in my

opinion there were other consequences as well. The actions of one person can and will affect how

people perceive a whole profession, in this case, contract managers.

Krystal

Source

NCMA Code of Ethics https://www.ncmahq.org/about/leadership/code-of-ethics

Cashing in for profit? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cashing-in-for-profit/

Number 2

When it comes to matters of ethics, there is a wide range of possibilities among those government

officials, contractors, agencies, and individuals. Nevertheless, when I think about ethics and the lack

thereof, I think of the controversy involving Fat Leonard that shook the Navy. Leonard Glenn Francis is

a Malaysian citizen who gained the nickname "Fat Leonard" as a result of his considerable size. He

was the owner and operator of a contracting company named Glenn Defense Marine Asia, which

provided a variety of the intricate services necessary for ship support. The removal and disposal of

waste, the transportation and delivery of food, the provision of drinkable water, fuel, tugboats for

bringing ships into port, and a great deal more are all examples of the services offered by ports. The

issue was not with the services that Fat Leonard performed; rather, it was with the price of those

services as well as the way contracts were acquired to carry out those services. Fat Leonard was able

to ensure that contracts were steered in the direction of his company by utilizing a network of moles,

having Navy officers on his side, and information. This allowed him to avoid too many inquiries from

whistle blowers. Fat Leonard was able to make and lose an estimated total of more than $35 million

in contract overcharges by employing these unethical business practices. Certain branches of the

Department of Defense and private defense contractors are voluntarily implementing new measures.

For instance, the 19 Department of Defense offices that were reviewed by the GAO and that used

contractor employees in the source selection process all use safeguards such as contract clauses that

prohibit contractor employees from participating in a Department of Defense procurement that

affects a personal financial interest. This is because these offices are aware of the potential risk that

personal conflicts of interest pose for particularly sensitive areas. Only three out of the twenty-three

defense contractors that were investigated by the GAO had safeguards in place that required

personnel to identify the possibility of conflicts of interest so that those conflicts might be resolved.