A huge photo of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl consumed about 80% of the above-the-fold space on the front page of today\u2019s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It accompanied an article describing the mini-scandal in which Ravenstahl is embroiled.<\/p>\n
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His transgression?<\/p>\n
Golfing with city suppliers.<\/p>\n
Yes, Ravenstahl accepted two days of golf in the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational from UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins valued at $9,000 (the article wasn\u2019t clear if that was $9k per day or $9k total). Because the city does business with each and each depends on the city for various approvals, Ravenstahl\u2019s acceptance is viewed as a potentially big ethical violation.<\/p>\n
Ravenstahl\u2019s defense? The city\u2019s ethics code which, according to the article, states that \u201c[charitable] outings are exempted from a code limit stating city officials may only accept admission to cultural or athletic events valued at $250 or less per year, or worth $100 from a single person or organization.\u201d The Lemieux Invitational does indeed benefit a charity.<\/p>\n
But Ravenstahl\u2019s \u201cbut-mommy-said-it-was-OK\u201d defense isn\u2019t exactly making him look real sharp right now.<\/p>\n
When I teach conflict of interest in purchasing, I always caution my students to avoid any real or perceived<\/strong> conflicts of interest. Even if certain activities with suppliers may not bias your decision-making, others may have the perception that they do. And that can be just as harmful to your internal influence as a real conflict of interest.<\/p>\n That perception certainly has made Ravenstahl sweat in the past few days as he has gone before the city\u2019s ethics committee.<\/p>\n Certainly getting invited to play golf, go to a sporting event, or have lunch is not uncommon for you as a buyer. So, whether you run the risk of going before your company\u2019s equivalent of the ethics committee or whether you\u2019ll just have your internal customers grumbling behind your back, it is always best to scrutinize your interactions with suppliers. Be aware that how much time you spend, who pays, and how much fun you have all can have an effect on how you are perceived in your organization.<\/p>\n And, perception in purchasing, is more important than ever. Think about the consequences before your accept an invitation from a supplier.<\/p>\n Even if the \u201crules\u201d say it\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A huge photo of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl consumed about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement"],"yoast_head":"\n